Emirates is the largest of the two flag carriers of the UAE (the other being Etihad). According to Skytrax’s 2025 ranking, Emirates is considered the fourth-best airline in the world overall (after Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, and Cathay Pacific). However, Emirates falls to a still-elite 11th place when it comes to Skytrax’s best business class ranking, being ranked after Virgin Atlantic but before EVA Air and Qantas.

This article will compare select business class fares with other Emirates fares on the 2nd of February. The 2nd of February is chosen as it is a month out from the time of writing and avoids holidays, weekends, and price spikes from last-minute fares. Here is what to know about Emirates’ business class fares and the costs of upgrading.

Many Factors Influencing Business Class Fares

Upgrading to business class on any airline is driven by a large range of factors. For example, a seemingly minor connecting flight can drastically change the price, and it can be much cheaper to book the two segments separately, rather than as a single ticket. Meanwhile, sometimes the opposite is true, and it’s much cheaper to book the flight as a continuous ticket.

There can also be an enormous spread of prices on the same day. For example, looking one month from the time of writing, British Airways is scheduled to have two direct flights from Seattle to London—Heathrow. The first flight departs at 13:30 and arrives at 07:10 local time, with business fares priced at $5,388 and first class fares at $6,263. The second flight departs at 18:50 and arrives at 12:20, and business fares start at $7,808 and first class fares at $14,193. This means the cost of business class on the second flight is greater than the cost of first class on the day’s first flight.

The cost of upgrading a fare to business class is influenced by factors like loyalty membership, the class fare one already has (e.g., economy or premium economy), what level of business class fare one is upgrading to, and much more. One hack can be to book the lower-class fare, and then wait for offers to upgrade. However, this is not always successful and doesn’t work on flights where business class sells out.

Select Business Class Fares From New York

On February 2nd (a Monday), Emirates has two nonstop flights from New York—JFK to Dubai. Both of these flights have business class fares starting at $4,609. The first flight appears to be with an older-configured A380, as it does not offer premium economy. The flight’s economy class fares start at $560, and first class fares start at $16,530. Business class fares include $4,609 for Saver, $6,382 for Flex, and $9,033 for Flex Plus. The second flight is with a refurbished A380 that offers premium economy.

Emirates is notable for operating a large number of fifth freedom flights. One fifth-freedom flight is from New York-Newark Liberty to Athens. That flight departs at 23:45 and takes nine hours and 15 minutes. Economy class fares start at $683, premium economy fares at $1,512, business fares at $3.351, and first class fares from $12,307. Business Class Saver fares are listed as $3,351, Flex at $4,554, and Flex Plus at $6,355.

Flying from New York to Singapore with Emirates requires a connection at Dubai. Business Class Saver fares with various connection options are consistently listed as costing $4,799 for February 2nd. One route option, departing at 10:40, connects with Dubai and arrives at Singapore at 21:45 after 22 hours. Flex fares cost $6,239, and Flex Plus fares cost $8,400. For comparison to other fares, that flight has economy fares starting at $970, premium economy fares at $2,478, and first class fares at $14,012.

Select Business Fares From Other US Cities

The direct Emirates flight from Los Angeles to Dubai for the 2nd starts from $6,545 for Business Flex and $9,196 for Flex Plus. Business Saver is not listed as an option. Economy fares start at $635, premium fares from $1,888, and first class from $17,422. Flying from San Francisco, again, there are no Business Saver fares listed, but Flex costs $6,474, and Flex Plus costs $8,951.

For those flying on that date from Dallas, business fares are more affordable thanks to Saver being available ($4,357). Business Flex is priced at $6,015, while Flex Plus is priced at $8,493. Flying from the nation’s capital, the direct flight from Washington-Dulles to Dubai departs at 10:30 and arrives at 08:15. Saver starts at $4,357, Flex at $6,015, and Flex Plus at $8,493. Notably, these are the same fares as those from Dallas.

Overall, Emirates flies to 12 major US cities from Dubai, and it’s not possible to list them all here. Destinations include Chicago, Miami, Orlando, Seattle, Houston, and Boston. Considering one more, the flights from Chicago O’Hare to Dubai for the 2nd start at $6,015 for business Flex and $8,493 for Flex Plus. Again, Saver is not available.

Emirates Business Class Subclasses

Emirates’ business class has three subclasses, although each has the same seat type on the aircraft. Emirates offers Saver, Flex, and Flex Plus in its business class. All three include complimentary chauffeur drives to select airports, lounge access, and seat selection. All three have cabin baggage allowances of two items weighing up to 15 lbs, and all three have a checked baggage allowance of two bags, each weighing up to 70 lbs (32 kgs).

After that, conditions start to diverge. Emirates says, « A Saver fare is slightly more flexible than a Special fare. A Flex fare allows changes and cancellations for a fee. The Flex Plus fare is a totally flexible and unrestricted fare. » On the flight from New York to Dubai, the change fee on Saver is $300, $250 on Flex, and complimentary on Flex Plus. The refund fee starts at $450 for Saver, $375 for Flex, and is complimentary for Flex Plus.

For that flight, the Skywards Miles are 7,500 miles for Saver, 10,500 miles for Flex, and 11,400 miles for Flex Plus. Importantly, when it comes to upgrading to first class. Saver business class can upgrade for 91,260 miles, but after check-in opens. Flex can upgrade for 80,730 miles at any time, and Flex Plus can upgrade to first class for 70,200 miles.

Emirates’ Fleet & Business Class

Emirates only operates three types of aircraft (A380s, A350s, and Boeing 777s), all of which are widebody aircraft. Emirates edges out United Airlines to boast the largest widebody fleet in the world. It should be noted that Emirates is in the process of revamping the interiors of all its A380s and most of its Boeing 777s, so experience can vary. The Airbus A350s are the newest addition to the airline, and they are coming with the new cabin.

On A350s, business class seats are Safran seats arranged 1-2-1 that convert into 78.6-inch-long fully flat beds. The row pitch is 44 inches, the seat width is 20.7 inches, and the touchscreen is 23 inches. On upgraded Airbus A380s, business class seats are based on the Safran SkyLounge platform. These convert to 70-inch or 79-inch fully flat beds, depending on the location in the aircraft. The row pitch is 48 inches, the seat width is 18.5 inches, and the touchscreen is 18 inches.

On upgraded Boeing 777s, business class seats are also Safran seats arranged 1-2-1. They convert to 78.6-inch beds, have a row pitch of 44 inches, a seat width of 20.7 inches, and a large 23-inch touchscreen display. Emirates has also ordered large numbers of Boeing 777Xs (all 777-9s) and a few dozen Boeing 787-8s and 787-10s. Deliveries of the first Dreamliners are pending, while deliveries of the 777-9s have been delayed to 2027.

Saver Business Fares & Miles

A significant factor in the cost of flying business class with Emirates is whether Business Class Saver is available. On three of the six examined routes from the United States to Dubai, Saver was not available at the time of checking the flights. This meant that the next lowest-cost business class fares were around $1,650 more expensive than if Saver fares were available.

Meanwhile, the cost of upgrading from Economy Premium for the New York-JFK to Dubai flight was 56,160 miles. The cost of upgrading from business to first class varied between 70,200 and 91,260 miles, depending on the first class fare. Flying from Los Angeles, it takes 65,520 miles to upgrade from premium economy to business class. The premium to business class upgrade is 56,160 miles.

Emirates Skywards Miles can be used for booking flights in any class as well as with Emirates’ low-cost brand, flydubai. Passengers can start using miles after they have accumulated 5,000. Miles can also be used with cash purchases to reduce the cost of the ticket. As with other airlines, miles only apply against the ticket price, excluding taxes. The number of miles a passenger earns varies with distance and class of fare; the number can be calculated using Emirates’ online Miles Calculator tool.