The latest Emirates Economy upgrade solves one of flying's biggest sleep problems
For anyone who has ever spent half the flight wrestling with atravel pillowin the middle seat, Emirates has some welcome news. The Dubai-based airline has unveiled a never-seen-before new addition to its. . .
For anyone who has ever spent half the flight wrestling with atravel pillowin the middle seat, Emirates has some welcome news. The Dubai-based airline has unveiled a never-seen-before new addition to its economy seating – the U-Dream headrest, which has been cleverly designed to bring vastly improved ergonomics to the carrier's most affordable cabin. Who even needs abusiness class ticket?The new headrests are made from fully-adjustable padded leather, with clever flexible side wings that fold inwards to gently cradle the head and neck. By moving vertically and tilting to suit travellers of all heights and body types, the design aims to prevent that dreaded long-haul experience of neck ache due to slumping sideways or waking up with a jolt as your head drops forward. They're easy to clean and staff are trained to help if you need some assistance getting set up. The new Emirates U-Dream headrest flips down for more customisable head support, allowing you to rest your head in a more natural way for sleepingAccording to Sir Tim Clark, President of Emirates Airline, the innovation should genuinely help us get some shut-eye on long journeys. "The U-Dream changes the game if the person wants to sleep, by supporting the neck in full," he says. "No moreneck pillowsneeded. It’s another innovation that shows our commitment to customers and cements our Economy Class as the best. "The design has been independently verified to meet the rigorous safety standards of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the fleet-wide rollout is underway. The U-Dream is currently installed on three of Emirates' new Airbus A350 aircraft, with plans to equip the entire A350 fleet by the end of 2026. From there, it will come pre-installed on all 270 of the airline's ordered Boeing 777X planes. Passengers flying on the existing Airbus A380s and Boeing 777s will have to wait a little longer, with a retrofitting programme scheduled to begin from 2027. Forlong-haul travellerslooking to pack a little lighter – and sleep a little better – the days of clipping a bulky foam doughnut to yourhand luggagemay finally be numbered. Editor-approved buys to keep you comfortable on a long haulTrtl travel pillowOstrichpillow Go neck pillow