As Economy Class and Beyond broke a couple of weeks ago, Emirates has confirmed it is rolling out the U-Dream headrest by Safran Seats as the launch customer.
The U-Dream headrest is different from the current crop of four/six way headrests. It is a multi-way adjustable headrest designed to provide full neck and head support during sleep or relaxation, which will be incorporated onto Emirates Economy Class seats across all Emirates A350’s and most of its Airbus A380s and Boeing 777s.
As the first airline in the world to introduce it, the U-Dream headrest is already garnering outstanding praise from Emirates customers.
As part of Emirates’ Z400 seat by Safran Seats, the leather U-Dream headrest is padded and features flexible side wings that can be folded inwards to gently cradle the head and neck. This helps passengers maintain a comfortable sleeping position without their head falling forwards or sideways. The design moves vertically and tilts to align with passengers of different heights and body types, providing personalised comfort throughout the flight.
Emirates is introducing the advanced headrest at scale, giving Economy Class customers an enhanced level of ergonomic support typically associated with premium cabins.
Customers are reporting that the U-Dream headrest is easy to adjust and use, and Emirates cabin crew are also trained to assist customers where needed. The leather headrest is designed to be easily wiped down and is cleaned after every flight.
Here’s the video
In Quotes
Sir Tim Clark, President, Emirates Airline said:
‘Emirates never rests on its laurels when it comes to customer experience and we have found a way to significantly improve the comfort for Economy Class passengers, especially those travelling long-haul. The U-Dream changes the game if the person wants to sleep – by supporting the neck in full. No more neck pillows needed. It’s another innovation that shows our commitment to customers and cements our Economy Class as the best.’
Deployment
As Economy Class and Beyond identified, U-Dream has been installed initially aboard Emirates Airbus A350 aircraft. The airline has so far equipped three of the type with the headrest.
In collaboration with Safran Seats, all Emirates’ A350 aircraft will have the U-Dream headrest installed by the end of the year. The U-Dream headrest will also come pre-installed on all 270 Boeing 777Xs that Emirates has ordered.
From 2027 onwards, U-Dream headrest installation will also begin on Emirates’ retrofitted Airbus A380s and Boeing 777s.
Economy Class and Beyond has further reaction and our initial impressions of U-Dream when we tested it at AIX 20206. You can read my our thoughts on it here.
Welcome to Economy Class and Beyond. Your no-nonsense guide to network news, honest reviews, in-depth coverage, unique research, as well as the humour and madness I only know how to deliver.
Our Social Media pool has expanded. You can find us across most networks as @economybeyond on BlueSky, Threads, Mastodon and Instagram!
Also, remember that we are part of the BoardingArea community, bringing you the latest frequent flyer news from around the world.
Leave a Reply