Emirates A380 Finally Returning To US Airports!

After a lengthy hiatus, it looks like Emirates will finally be resuming A380 flights to the United States in a few weeks.

Emirates will fly A380 to JFK as of June 1

With Emirates’ latest schedule update, the Dubai-based airline will be flying the A380 to New York once again as of June 1, 2021. Specifically, the airline will be using the A380 for the following frequency:

EK201 Dubai to New York JFK departing 8:30AM arriving 2:25PM
EK202 New York JFK to Dubai departing 11:00PM arriving 7:45PM (+1 day)

It’s worth noting that up until recently Emirates’ schedule showed the A380 resuming New York flights as of July 1, so the timeline has been pushed forward by a month.

As of June 1, Emirates will operate a total of 4x daily flights to the New York area:

• The airline will operate two daily nonstop Dubai to New York flights, with one operated by the 777-300ER and the other operated by the A380
• The airline will operate one daily nonstop Athens to Newark flight with a 777-300ER
• The airline will operate one daily nonstop Milan to New York flight with a 777-300ER

The Emirates A380 will return to JFK as of June 1

Emirates A380 returns to LAX & IAD

While it’s anyone’s guess if the schedule sticks (I wouldn’t count on it quite as much), Emirates shows two other US destinations getting the A380 as of this summer.

As of July 1, 2021, Emirates is scheduled to fly an A380 daily between Dubai and Los Angeles, with the following schedule:

EK215 Dubai to Los Angeles departing 8:55AM arriving 2:15PM
EK216 Los Angeles to Dubai departing 4:40PM arriving 7:30PM (+1 day)

As of July 1, 2021, Emirates is scheduled to fly an A380 daily between Dubai and Washington Dulles, with the following schedule:

EK231 Dubai to Washington Dulles departing 2:20AM arriving 8:40AM
EK232 Washington Dulles to Dubai departing 10:55AM arriving 8:05AM (+1 day)

Los Angeles & Washington will see A380 upgrades as well

What’s the big deal with the A380?

Emirates’ fleet consists exclusively of A380s and 777s. Around the start of the pandemic the airline grounded most of its A380 fleet, given the lack of demand for travel (the airline also laid off most of its A380 pilots). Those planes are slowly reentering service, though it will be a while until they’re all flying again.

On balance, the A380 is a much more pleasant ride in first class, business class, and economy class:

• In first class, the Emirates A380 features inflight showers, which is one of the coolest features you’ll find on any plane
• In business class, the Emirates A380 features staggered seats with direct aisle access and an onboard bar; the 777 doesn’t have a bar, and seats are in a 2-3-2 configuration
• In economy class, the Emirates A380 cabin is more spacious than on the 777 — both airplanes have 10 seats per row, but the A380’s cabin is wider

Emirates’ A380 business class

Unfortunately the way that Emirates is adding back A380 service on US routes might turn out to be a negative development for some passengers. The planned Dubai to New York A380 flight is on a frequency that was previously operated by Emirates’ 777 with the new 777 first class product. This was the only US route to ever regularly get Emirates’ new first class.

Emirates may stop offering its new first class to the US

In first class I’d say this represents a significant product downgrade, at least if you’re traveling alone and/or don’t care that much about the shower.

Shower suites are exclusively available on Emirates A380s

It remains to be seen if Emirates will fly the 777 with new first class to another US airport, or if it will fly to another country. I don’t see any additional routes scheduled to get a reconfigured 777 as of early June, though I could be missing something.

Bottom line

Emirates will finally be resuming A380 service to the United States this summer, as the airline will fly A380s to New York as of June 1, and then A380s to Los Angeles and Washington as of July 1.

I’d feel…