Emirates marks the holiday season with festive cuisine, seasonal treats, and entertainment at 40,000 feet/Image: Emirates
This December, Emirates is transforming every journey into a festive celebration. From holiday treats at 40,000 feet to winter inspired lounges and curated entertainment, passengers are invited to enjoy the magic of Christmas from departure to destination. With more than 2.3 million departures and 2.5 million arrivals expected over the holiday weekends, the airline is ensuring every traveler experiences warmth, wonder, and indulgence this season.
Classic Christmas cuisine in the sky
Emirates is serving festive flavors across all cabins, making in-flight dining a highlight of the holiday season. From 17 to 26 December, passengers will enjoy aromatic hot chocolate in every class. During 24 to 26 December, those departing Dubai can look forward to seasonal treats:
- Economy Class: Dark chocolate truffles
- Premium Economy and Business Class: Homemade gingerbread cookies
- First Class: Raspberry Paris-Brest pastry
First, Business, and Premium Economy menus feature globally inspired holiday dishes, including:
- Starters: Salmon gravadlax with beetroot and orange, pickled herring with potato and quail egg salad, smoked salmon with crab mayonnaise and salmon roe
- Main Courses: Traditional turkey with chestnut and turkey bacon stuffing, truffle potato gratin, caramelized chestnuts, roasted Brussels sprouts, and special chef-curated options like herb-crusted lamb shank, duck confit with cranberry jus, and seared venison with sage butter and blackberry sauce
- Desserts: Seasonal sweets, with First Class guests receiving an edible Santa Claus made from strawberries and cream
Economy passengers enjoy a festive menu featuring roasted turkey roulade, maple-roasted parsnips, and desserts like orange-soaked fruit cake or mini mousse cakes decorated as Santa’s reindeer for younger travelersThe A380 Onboard Lounge adds to the festivities with sweet treats including mince pies, stollen, panettone, ginger profiteroles, festive macarons, and candy canes, along with a hearty Christmas sandwich. Passengers can also take holiday selfies with new seasonal props
Festive fare across emirates lounges
Between 15 and 31 December, Emirates’ First and Business Class lounges in Dubai will offer winter-inspired culinary experiences:
- Traditional holiday mains: Roasted turkey with jus and cranberry sauce, glazed chestnuts, root vegetables, Brussels sprouts, and new potatoes
- Festive drinks: Cognac Creme Panettone cocktails, Champagne selections including Moet and Chandon Ice Brut and Ice Rose, Grand Vintage 2016, Imperial Brut, Rose Imperial, and Nectar Imperial
- Canapes and desserts: Foie gras bon bons, miso-pumpkin tart, stollen, mince pies, apple pie with cinnamon ice cream, and cranberry sorbet
- Warm beverages: Gingerbread lattes and Galaxy hot chocolate by Costa Coffee
Worldwide lounges in locations such as Australia, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Thailand, the UK, and the USA will feature regional Christmas dishes
Exceptional wines and champagne
First Class passengers can enjoy rare vintages including Dom Perignon Plenitude 2, 2006, Montrachet Grand Cru 2013, and Chateau Montrose 2005Business Class travelers can sample wines such as Chateau Larrivet Haut-Brion 2010, Chateau Oliver 2010, and Two Hands Bella’s Garden Shiraz 2021, while Premium Economy guests can enjoy Tenuta Luce Lucente 2021, Chablis Saint Martin Michel Laroche 2023, or the sparkling Chandon Vintage Brut 2018
Orthodox Christmas celebrations
From 24 December to 8 January, Emirates will celebrate Orthodox Christmas on flights connecting Russia, Cyprus, Ethiopia, and Dubai:
- First and Business Class: Starters include Olivier salad, lobster tail with celeriac puree and Sevruga caviar, pickled herring, or smoked salmon. Mains include duck confit with cranberry jus or herb-crusted lamb shank. Desserts feature white chocolate and peppermint mousse cake or chocolate gingerbread cake with cranberry jelly
- Economy Class: Starters like Russian potato salad and Waldorf salad, mains of barbecued chicken roulade or beef stroganoff, and desserts such as peppermint mousse with popping candy or fruit cake with orange sauce
Holiday entertainment and music
Passengers can enjoy 39 Christmas movies on Emirates’ inflight entertainment, including new releases like Tinsel Town and Dear Santa, alongside classics like Elf, The Polar Express, and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer from 1964There are also 42 TV shows and holiday specials, including The Great Christmas Bake Off, Royal Carols: Together at Christmas, and Strictly Come Dancing: Christmas Special. Festive music playlists feature artists from Sam Smith and Frank Sinatra to Elvis Presley and Ella Fitzgerald
Gifts and giving
Shoppers can explore over 300 items in the Emirates RED Winter 2025 catalogue, featuring brands like Armani, Creed, Amouage, YSL, Kilian, and Van Cleef and Arpels. Pre-orders, available 21 days to 40 hours before departure, come with a 10 percent discount using code RED10Emirates also offers a festive capsule collection at the Emirates Official Store, including Christmas jumpers, family pyjamas, stockings, hats, and mugsThrough the ‘You Donate, Emirates Doubles’ initiative, passengers can contribute to the Emirates Airline Foundation, with the airline matching donations up to $10,000 per donation to support underprivileged children worldwide Go to Source
