I'd like to see that two, but my real fear is, how willing is EI to do this? It's been used to competing with the likes of DL, so all they really need to do is be nice to pax and they're one up on most US carriers, but do they realise that once they start heading east, they're playing in the big league, quality wise. They can't just offer IFE to Middle and Far East bound flights, so that means the whole fleet; will they be willing to dish out the money for a decent IFE suite on all aircraft - and indeed, to invest in a new J Class? If not, pax have the choice. DXB is becoming increasingly popular, so major European airlines like KLM and AF are flying larger types (777s), which are better equipped for pax comfort.
I know we're well past the days of prestige, but from a national point of view, this represents a very belated push east for Ireland, with all the potential for new markets it represents. This is what initially annoyed me about the EI route - it would keep EK out; a DUB-DXB route for them, tapping into their huge network was something I'd long been hoping for. Now, once EI is getting in on the act, will WW do it right first time and look beyond just the point to point bucket and spade crowd and make sure EI gets it right and makes a good impression first time out?
I'll wait and see but I'm not optimistic.