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Emirates reopens lounges in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth

written by Hannah Dowling | August 5, 2022

An Emirates Boeing 777-300ER at Brisbane Airport. (Rob Finlayson)
An Emirates Boeing 777-300ER at Brisbane Airport. (Rob Finlayson)

Emirates announced on Friday that its three lounges in Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth have now officially reopened for premium passengers.

Sydney’s lounge was the first to reopen on 19 July, with the remaining two opening for business over the following weeks.

“Emirates is thrilled to have reopened our lounges across these Australian points as we continue to ramp up our services to Australia,” said Barry Brown, divisional vice president of Emirates Australasia.

“The lounges will provide our customers with a comfortable and enjoyable experience, offering greater levels of hospitality and convenience.”

It comes after Emirates ramped up its flight schedule to Australia, now operating two daily A380 services to Sydney and Melbourne, with one flight per day to Perth on its Boeing 777-300ER.

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However, the Brisbane Emirates lounge will remain closed for now, despite the airline resuming its flagship A380 service to the Queensland capital in March.

Meanwhile, Australian travellers can also now benefit from Emirates’ premium economy offering on its Airbus A380 services to Dubai.

The newly upgraded seat provides passengers with more leg room, wider television screens, and a service that would “rival many airlines’ business offering”, according to Emirates.

The airline confirmed that premium economy tickets are one sale now, while flights on its upgraded A380s took off on 1 August.

Flights from Sydney, London, and Paris will be first off the ranks, while Christchurch services will begin in December.

Premium economy ticket holders will benefit from a 19.5-inch-wide leather seat with 40-inch pitch, a 13.3-inch in-flight entertainment screen, along with calf rests, footrests, in-seat charging ports, and a side cocktail table.

Again, much like business class, premium economy passengers will be offered a dedicated check-in desk at Dubai International Airport and welcome drink once onboard in “fine glassware”. Meal services also closely resemble that of business class, the airline claims.

It also comes after Emirates renewed its push to hire Australians as cabin crew, holding three open days across the country to drive up recruitment.

The airline said successful candidates would enjoy a tax-free salary, free accommodation and excellent medical cover, with average starting pay of nearly 4,000 AUD per month.

New trainees will be sent to Dubai for training, which is also where they will ultimately be based.

The global aviation industry has been grappling with a severe skill shortage spurred on by COVID-19 redundancies and early retirements.

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