Emirates upgrades first class audio experience with Bowers & Wilkins

By David Flynn, August 10 2018
Emirates upgrades first class audio experience with Bowers & Wilkins

Already boasting a superb first class experience from lounges at the airport to suites in the sky, Emirates is buffing up the rest of its inflight offering through partnerships with premium brands Bowers & Wilkins, Bulgari and BYREDO skincare.

Passengers settling into their first class suite on the Airbus A380 or Boeing 777 will find Bowers & Wilkins' new E1 noise-cancelling headphones at the ready.

These lightweight headphones, made of high-grade materials including aluminium and sheepskin leather, are a perfect partner for Emirates' inflight entertainment system which puts a library of almost a thousand movies, 400 TV 'channels' and 2,400 music and podcast channels at your fingertips. 

However, we'd suggest dialling up the new Bowers & Wilkins Superior Sound playlist to really show what the E1's can do, as this mix is built around a selection of tracks which Emirates cites as being "selected for their acoustic excellence."

Emirates is also extending its BYREDO 'wellness kit', Moleskin-style notebook and pen – initially launched on its new Boeing 777 first class suites – across the fleet.

The allergan-free products include a facial toner, hydrating eye cream and calming Chamomile pillow mist spray and a roll-on sleep oil to apply to your pulse points.

The popular Bulgari amenity kits are also being refreshed in both first class and business class and will feature Bulgari’s Eau Parfumée Au Thé Vert green tea fragrance alongside skincare essentials.

The first class kits will be seen in eight designs and a new range of colours for men and women, with eight additional designs for business class – four for men and four for women.

In related news, Emirates has also pulled back the curtains on a refresh for its lounge at New York's John F Kennedy International Airport.

Open to the airline's first class, business class and top-tier Skywards frequent flyers, the revamped lounge shares familiar hallmark design elements from Emirates' other lounges around the world and offers always-enjoyable views across the airfield.

David

David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.

Qantas - QFF Platinum

20 Mar 2012

Total posts 211

Some solid investments in product, good to see.

Singapore Airlines - The PPS Club

16 Jun 2017

Total posts 35

Thanks for the review. The amenity kits on Emirates certainly make the SIA kits look second rate. The last one i received (Lalique) contained a candle and a glass fish. Useful?

25 Sep 2013

Total posts 1245

Better than QF's amenity kit in F.

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

11 May 2015

Total posts 30

No matches supplied for the candle? I take the the fish was a Babble Fish, helps in translating.

American Airlines - AAdvantage

13 Jul 2015

Total posts 274

I'm not sure which one you got, my SQ one had Ferragamo amenity kits (in April). Did not have a fish or candle.

Lalique are known for crystal fishes and scented candles. They do a lot of homeware stuff. They aren't primarily a skincare company.

SQ

23 Oct 2015

Total posts 26

I can confirm the new headsets were on EK419 out of Sydney last night and they were really good - amongst the more comfortable headsets I had on a plane.

10 Aug 2018

Total posts 1

Can we take the headphones home ;) ??

Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards

06 Aug 2017

Total posts 83

Bowers & Wilkins headphones are usually not mentioned in the same breath as other premium headphone brands such as Audio Technica and Beyerdynamic but, believe me, they should be. They're superb headphones. Emirates is really one step ahead here.

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

01 Mar 2013

Total posts 169

I was in the new EK JFK Lounge yesterday. It's nice, a ton of room for everyone.

American Airlines - AAdvantage

13 Jul 2015

Total posts 274

I didn't realize this was that new - I flew Emirates First in early July (777) and they already had the B&W Headphones and they were great!

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

06 Nov 2014

Total posts 359

Is this headphone better than QC35? Just wondering if I need to BYO if flying EK F.

Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards

06 Aug 2017

Total posts 83

Whether a headphone is "better" is really a matter of personal taste -- the only way to find out is to listen yourself. My own opinion is that if noise cancellation matters most to you, Bose is slightly ahead. If music quality matters most, it's B&W by a country mile. But you might listen and come to a totally different opinion.

01 Apr 2014

Total posts 116

Had the new B&W headsets on all A380 sectors on MEL-DXB-LHR and return in First a couple of weeks ago, and found them much better than the previous Bose ones. Very impressed.
Also, the new grey mens amenities bag in F was slightly different than any of the 4 variants shown in the photos of this article. Still a well stocked bag that has been well thought out, and better IMO than QF / SQ / CX / BA bags. My all time favourite is still the aged brown leather ones EK used to have.

05 Jan 2017

Total posts 5

I’m flying EK383 HKG-DXB and EK71 DXB-CDG in J in about 5 weeks. Does anyone know if amenity kits are handed out or available if asked for.

Air New Zealand - Airpoints

31 Oct 2016

Total posts 71

If you're lucky, you'll get them before the doors even close

01 Apr 2014

Total posts 116

EK automatically hands out amenity kits on long haul overnight flights, so given the flights you are on are only about 8 hrs + 7hrs each and not technically overnight, possibly not. Never had an issue when asking for them in F on shorter sectors, but not sure about J as they might not carry a full supply on those trips.

Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer

01 Mar 2013

Total posts 169

...love it. if it wasn't for this article I would have pulled my Bose out of my bag at JFK for the trip home. The B&W are brilliant. Wonderfully comfortable, a real treat. Thanks David.


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