My flight from Dubai to Brussels was scheduled to depart at 8:20AM. Since I’ve reviewed Emirates’ first class lounges in Dubai before (in both the A Concourse and B Concourse), I decided to skip the lounge this time and head straight to the gate. My flight was departing from gate B3. That’s a remote gate, which sure isn’t a nice way to start the journey in Emirates’ uber-luxurious new first class.
The gate area opened at around 7:20AM, at which point my boarding pass was scanned and passport verified. The gate agent questioned me relentlessly about whether I had ever stayed in Europe for more than 90 days. He didn’t just ask once, but several times. I asked if there was a problem, and he just said “Belgium is very strict about that.”
Emirates departure gate Dubai Airport
At that point I was in the holding room. There were escalators leading down to the buses heading to the gates, but they didn’t board the first bus until 7:45AM.
Emirates departure gate Dubai Airport
When they started boarding the first bus they specifically called economy passengers. That’s because Emirates typically has a single bus for first & business class passengers, and that leaves towards the end of the boarding process, once all first & business class passengers have arrived. Since I was excited about getting cabin pictures, I asked if I could take the economy bus. The gate agent insisted it would be much more comfortable on the other bus, but I said I was aware and that was fine.
The bus left to the plane at around 7:50AM, and I couldn’t believe how long the drive was. Eventually Emirates plans on moving to Dubai World Central Airport. Are we sure they haven’t done so already, because the drive took nearly 20 minutes, and I’m pretty sure we passed the Burj Al Arab on the way to the plane. 😉
What I hadn’t anticipated with economy boarding was that we’d be boarding through the very last door of the plane. That was very first time ever doing so on a widebody aircraft. On the plus side, that’s a cool perspective that you don’t often get on planes. Suffice to say it was a long walk to first class.
Emirates 777 Dubai Airport
Emirates 777 Dubai Airport
Emirates 777 Dubai Airport
Emirates 183
Dubai (DXB) – Brussels (BRU)
Monday, January 8
Depart: 8:20AM
Arrive: 12:45PM
Duration: 7hr25min
Aircraft: Boeing 777-300ER
Seat: 1K (First Class)
At the door I was greeted by a friendly flight attendant who did a double take when she saw my boarding pass, since clearly they weren’t expecting any premium passengers yet. First I walked through the three big economy cabins, and then I found myself in Emirates’ “new” business class. It’s quite embarrassing that Emirates’ newest business class on the 777 is still in a 2-3-2 configuration.
Emirates’ new 777 business class
The rear business class cabin had a total of 28 seats, spread across four rows.
Emirates’ new 777 business class
Then immediately behind first class were another 14 seats, spread across two rows.
New Emirates 777 business class cabin
New Emirates 777 business class cabin
It’s embarrassing that a leading airline has this as their new business class. On the plus side, I find Emirates’ new cabin finishes to be much more understated and beautiful than the old ones. It’s also surprising just how private these seats are. You’d think one advantage of this configuration is that you could easily talk to someone if you’re seated next to them, but that’s not the case. These seats are so private that you can’t even communicate easily with a seatmate.
New Emirates 777 business class seat
Finally I found myself in Emirates’ outrageously gorgeous new first class. Wow, wow, wow. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Emirates’ new first class cabin consists of a total of six suites, in a 1-1-1 configuration. The cabin is so private that you feel more like you’re on a train with private compartments than on a plane.
Emirates’ new 777 first class cabin
On the bulkhead in front of suite 1E is a Ghaf tree, which you’ll find throughout the cabin.
Emirates’ new 777 first class cabin
I won’t get into too much detail on the differences between the suites, though check out my previous post that provides a detailed description of the pros and cons of each suite.
Typically people want to avoid middle seats, though the two middle suites on Emirates have a very cool feature. Specifically, they have virtual windows, so what you see through the virtual windows is exactly what you’d see through the real windows.
New Emirates 777 first class suite
It’s incredible how high definition these windows are.
Emirates first class virtual windows
The center suites have the benefit of being slightly more spacious, as they aren’t impacted by the curvature of the fuselage. So while the width at the base is the same, the wall doesn’t curve as much.
New Emirates 777 first class suite
You can tell the difference in width based on the minibar — the center suites have two full width minibars (one on each side of the TV), while you’ll see that the window suites don’t.
New Emirates 777 first class suite
I had selected suite 1K, which is the window seat on the right side in the first row. Suites 2A and 1K are the best window seats, since they don’t have anyone across from them (the center suite in row one opens up to the left aisle, while the center suite in row two opens up to the right aisle).
I was so impressed by the attention to detail in Emirates’ new first class. The cabin is indescribably beautiful. I feel like Emirates’ old interiors were glitzy and sort of gross (yet fun in moderation), while the more muted tones Emirates uses in their new cabins are actually elegant.
New Emirates 777 first class seat
New Emirates 777 first class seat
You could spend an entire flight just learning all the features of the suites, so I don’t even know where to start. I guess let’s start from the front of the suite.
At the front of the suite is the minibar, with drinks and snacks that you can help yourself to throughout the flight. There’s also a massive 32″ personal television, as well as a vanity with a toiletry kit and writing kit.
Emirates 777 new first class suite
Emirates 777 new first class suite
Emirates new first class vanity
The snack basket is at your seat during boarding, then it’s removed for takeoff (since it’s not attached to anything), and then it’s returned again after takeoff.
Emirates first class snack basket
To the left of this console was a “hatch.” This can be closed during the flight, though has to remain open for takeoff and landing. It’s intended to maximize privacy, though at times you can also be served drinks through this (more on that later).
Emirates new first class “hatch”
The tray table consisted of a single big table that could be extended quite easily. You simply had to push the pole and then it would move. I was impressed both by how large the tray table was, and also how easy it was to move around.
Emirates 777 new first class suite tray table
Immediately to the right of the tray table were two USB outlets and a 110v outlet.
Emirates first class suite power outlet
On the top right of the counter were a pair of binoculars, which are available in every window suite. How hilariously unnecessary.
Emirates new first class suite binoculars
The first class cabin doesn’t have any overhead bins, but there was a large storage compartment underneath the main console. This fit my overstuffed 20″ carry-on with room to spare.
Emirates new first class suite storage
There’s tons of legroom to the right of the storage closet, and you can also store bags there during takeoff and landing if you’d like.
Emirates 777 first class suite legroom
In terms of the seat itself, on the left armrest was a compartment that you could open that’s big enough to store a pair of glasses, or even a phone.
Emirates 777 first class seat storage
There were also four basic seat pre-sets, allowing you to put the seat into bed mode, takeoff mode, dining mode, and “zero gravity” mode, at the push of a button.
Emirates new first class seat controls
Then on the other armrest was a wireless entertainment controller. I’ve never seen a wireless controller like this on a plane before, though I feel like the first class suite has as many redundant features as the 777 itself — you can control your entertainment by touching the actual screen, using the tablet, or using this.
Emirates 777 first class seat entertainment controls
To the right of that was a small counter with an air vent, more seat controls, and the table with which you can control just about everything.
Emirates 777 first class seat tablet
I love how Emirates has these tablets in first & business class, as they allow you to control entertainment, seat position, lighting, and much more. You can even watch the airshow on the tablet while watching a movie on your entertainment system with these.
Emirates first class seat controls
Emirates first class seat controls
In addition to the closet at the front of the seat, there was another closet to the left of the seat. This one isn’t as wide, so it’s big enough to hang some clothes or maybe put a small bag in. This also has the pouch for the binoculars, headphones, and the magazines.
Emirates new first class suite closet
Emirates new first class suite closet
Speaking of the headphones, Emirates could really up their game here. They have headphones that look fairly nice but are pretty low quality.
Emirates first class headphones
Above your seat is a hidden compartment that you’d never know about unless the crew opened it. This compartment has the bedding for the first class suite.
Emirates 777 new first class suite bedding storage
Also to the left of the seat is yet another monitor that allows you to control the lighting and other features of the seat.
Emirates new first class suite lighting panel
The customizability of the suite is unrivaled. You can control the temperature in your suite (in fairness, you can only make it warmer, and not colder, as the lowest temperature you can set is whatever the cabin is set at). The suite has two individual air vents to maximize circulation, which is great. So even if you can’t turn the air colder, at least you can point more air at yourself, which helps.
Emirates first class suite temperature controls
The coolest part was how customizable the lighting was. The seat has a ridiculous number of lights, and you can choose what color you want them to be, how intense you want them to be, etc.
Emirates first class suite lighting controls
Emirates first class suite lighting controls
Emirates first class suite lighting controls
This monitor also just displayed general flight information. One other cool feature you don’t often see is that the monitor shows you whether or not the lavatories are occupied. See how at the top left it shows the bathroom symbol in red? That means the lavatories are occupied.
Emirates first class suite flight status
I’ll talk more about the lighting in a bit, but the below isn’t your average airplane seat lighting system, eh?
Emirates new first class suite lighting
Now let’s talk about the actual flight. I had an excellent crew, consisting of a purser from Australia, and flight attendants from Poland and the Philippines. The lady from the Poland was primarily taking care of me. For all three crewmembers it was their first time working the plane, so they were excited to see the suites firsthand. It’s always nice when you’re being served by people who are enthusiastic about the product they’re offering, and these three people were.
Moments after settling in I was offered a pre-departure beverage, and of course ordered a glass of 2009 Dom Perignon.
Emirates first class pre-departure drink — Dom Perignon
I was also offered a warm towel.
Emirates first class pre-departure warm towel
Then I was offered Arabic coffee and dates.
Emirates first class pre-departure Arabic coffee and date
I was also presented with slippers and eyeshades, both of which seemed to be pretty high quality.
Emirates first class slippers & eyeshades
Emirates offers pajamas on demand on daytime flights, so I asked for a pair of those (however, they don’t offer amenity kits on the daytime 777 flights to Europe). This was my first time trying Emirates’ new moisturizing pajamas. To be honest, I didn’t love them. I thought they were way too warm and baggy. In fairness, I should have asked for medium ones rather than large ones, as Emirates pajamas tend to run really big.
Emirates first class pajamas
Emirates first class pajamas
The purser also presented me with the menu and wine list, and reminded me that dining was on demand.
Emirates first class menu & wine list
My strategy to take the economy bus really paid off, because the other first class passengers only showed up 15 minutes later. Initially only one other passenger was booked in first class, though there were four last minute operational upgrades, as business class was oversold.
At 8:25AM, captain Nick from Australia introduced himself and his co-captain, Sultan, and advised us of our flight time of 6hr50min, anticipating that we’d arrive on schedule.
At 8:30AM the main cabin door closed, though due to congestion we had a 15 minute delay until we could push back. During this time the safety video was screened.
Emirates 777 Dubai Airport
Emirates 777 Dubai Airport
At 8:50AM we began our taxi. We had a short taxi to runway 30R, though at that point we didn’t move for a while. Captain Nick explained that there were four planes ahead of us for takeoff (all A380s — you’ve gotta love Dubai!), and that we’d be taking off in about 10 minutes.
Qantas A380 Dubai Airport
At 9:10AM we were finally cleared for takeoff. I had the nose camera on so I could enjoy the views of the runway. The camera is extremely high definition, though I still prefer the tail camera on the A380, as it gives you a perspective on just how big the plane is.
Nose camera Emirates 777
We had a fairly quick takeoff roll, and a smooth climb out.
View after takeoff from Dubai
View after takeoff from Dubai
The seatbelt sign was turned off about 10 minutes after takeoff, and my first order of business was seeing just how private the suite gets. This is a level of privacy I’ve never had before in first class. The only way the crew can “spy” on you is by looking through the small holes that you see in the hatch, which are part of the suite design. Interestingly while Emirates’ old first class suite featured motorized doors, the new doors are opened manually. I’d actually consider this to be an upgrade, as I found the old controls to be unnecessary.
Emirates first class fully enclosed suite
After takeoff I checked out the two lavatories located at the front of the cabin. While the lavatories look nice, they were definitely on the small side, so were nowhere close to being as luxurious as what you’ll find on the A380.
Emirates first class lavatory
It did have some unique features, though, like individual bars of soap, BVLGARI cologne, and several toiletries.
Emirates first class lavatory — individual bars of soap
Emirates first class lavatory — toiletries
Emirates first class lavatory — amenities
On Emirates’ morning flights to Europe, they serve a continental breakfast and then lunch. Since the menu is “dine on demand” you could have lunch twice if you wanted. However, I figured I’d go with the flow of the menu.
The menu read as follows:
The drink list read as follows:
The wine list read as follows:
I was asked if I wanted something to eat, and I figured I might as well have breakfast as soon as possible so I was hungry for lunch. The purser was ready to take my order, though I said “you don’t expect me to order in person when I can do a video call instead, do you?” He laughed, and went back to the galley.
One of the most ridiculous features of Emirates’ new first class is that you can make a video call for room service. You can also call for room service in Emirates’ old first class, though the video call feature is new. On your tablet you just push a button…
Emirates first class room service feature
Then it calls…
Emirates first class room service feature
And then you’re having a conversation with the crew in the galley. How cool is that?!?
Emirates first class room service video order
To start I ordered a cappuccino to drink, which was served with some biscotti.
Emirates first class cappuccino
About 10 minutes later my table was set for breakfast — I had a fresh fruit plate and some fruit yogurt, both of which were great. There was also a breadbasket, though I tried to avoid it as much as possible.
Emirates first class breakfast — fresh fruit and yogurt
Then I had a plate of cold cuts, which frankly I thought was pretty basic. However, this was a perfectly fine snack since I was saving my appetite for later in the flight.
Emirates first class breakfast — continental cold plate
After breakfast I ordered a French press coffee. There aren’t many airlines in the world that will serve you French press, so this is a pretty unique Emirates feature.
Emirates first class French press coffee
The crew set up a basic snack cart in the galley, not that there’s ever really a need for that when you have an extensive dine on demand menu.
Emirates first class snack cart
After that I asked to have my bed made. I was too excited to sleep, but I knew I had to at least try out the bed. The crew did a great job preparing my bed.
Emirates new first class suite bed
One thing to be aware of is that the seat moves to the side when you recline it. The reason I mention this is because you have to be really careful of what you place next to the seat, or else something can easily get crushed. Furthermore, if you keep anything by your feet at the front of the suite, be careful with that as well when you put your seat into bed mode.
Emirates 777 new first class suite
First let’s talk about the bed comfort. The bed is brilliant. The mattress is soft, the sleeping surface is wide, and you feel like you have privacy that can only be rivaled by the Etihad Residence.
I also can’t emphasize enough how much of a difference the suite being fully enclosed makes. Otherwise you’re impacted by whether other passengers decide to keep their window shades open, while having a fully enclosed suite means you can have your window shades fully open without disturbing others, and vice versa.
Emirates new first class fully enclosed suite
I couldn’t sleep, so I spent the next hour just playing around with the seat features. I adjusted the lighting colors, lighting intensity, which lights were on, etc. You could easily spend the whole flight just learning the lighting controls.
Emirates new first class suite bed
Emirates new first class suite lighting
Emirates new first class suite lighting
Emirates new first class fully enclosed suite
Hell, you can even control the floor lighting.
Emirates new first class floor lighting
The little monitor isn’t lying when it says “explore a world of light.”
Emirates new first class lighting control
I also found it hilarious how the suite has curtains. The window shades themselves have two settings for the blinds (one that allows you to make it completely dark, and one that’s the equivalent of curtains), and then there are additional curtains on top of that.
Emirates new first class curtains
While in bed I browsed the airshow.
Airshow enroute to Brussels
I then checked out the entertainment selection. Emirates unarguably has the world’s best inflight entertainment selection.
Emirates entertainment selection
Emirates entertainment selection
Emirates entertainment selection
Emirates entertainment selection
The 777 also had Wi-Fi at the same cost as on the previous flight. You can buy up to 500MB of Wi-Fi for $15.99, and speeds were fairly decent. If you have your Skywards number on your reservation then you receive free Wi-Fi, though I added my Alaska Mileage Plan number to the reservation, so had to pay.
About two hours before arrival I decided to have lunch. As usual, my table was beautifully set.
Emirates first class table setting
To start I ordered caviar with all the garnishes. Emirates has one of the nicer caviar presentations out there, though it would be nice if they had mother of pearl spoons (which I know sounds ridiculous on one hand, but there are reasons not to use metal, so if you’re going to invest in caviar, then a mother of pearl spoon seems like something silly to overlook)
Emirates first class lunch — caviar to start
Emirates first class lunch — caviar to start
For the main course I ordered the stir-fried prawns with cucumber, served with garlic glazed vegetables and steamed jasmine rice. While the dish was basic, it tasted excellent.
Emirates first class lunch — stir-fried prawns with cucumber main course
For dessert I had the pear and chocolate crumble dessert, which was served warm with vanilla sauce. Mmmm….
Emirates first class lunch — pear and chocolate crumble dessert
After dessert I ordered a Moroccan mint tea.
Emirates first class tea
With about an hour remaining in the flight, I once again closed the suite door for full privacy, so I could enjoy my last few minutes of this beautiful, enclosed product. I couldn’t help but make one more order using the video room service. I asked for a glass of champagne
Emirates first class “hatch”
While they open the door to serve meals, they’ll serve you drinks through the “hatch.” That means you can keep your door closed, and then they just open the hatch, serve you, and close it again.
Emirates first class “hatch”
Around this time the purser and flight attendant brought the Polaroid camera to my seat (which is such a cute thing that Emirates has, especially for kids) and said “how about we take a picture of you?” I agreed, though am too embarrassed to share the pictures. The pictures were given to me in a travel-themed holder.
Emirates Polaroid camera picture
About 30 minutes before landing captain Nick announced that we were commencing our descent. At that point the crew started to prepare the cabin for arrival.
Airshow approaching Brussels
The entire flight, including the descent, was smooth, and we touched down in Brussels at 1:05PM.
View approaching Brussels
Taxiing Brussels Airport
The airport was pretty quiet, and we had a short taxi to our arrival gate.
Taxiing Brussels Airport
Moments before pulling into the gate, captain Sultan said “I need everyone to stay in their seats when we get to the gate please. The seatbelt sign will not be going off.” He paused, and I figured I knew what was happening — it’s not uncommon for the police to meet a passenger for whatever reason, and I figured that was what was going on here. However, he continued and explained that there was a medical case, and that the person needed to get off. That took just a couple of minutes, and then everyone could get off the plane.
Arrival gate Brussels Airport
Emirates’ new first class bottom line
Emirates’ new 777 first class is spectacular. Emirates did an incredible job with the product, in terms of the attention to detail, the comfort and privacy afforded by the suite, and also the number of gimmicks that make it really fun. I think Emirates’ new first class now tops my list of the world’s best first class products. In fairness, I’ll have to wait till I fly Singapore’s new Suites soon before definitively making that call.
My biggest complaint about Emirates’ new first class is how few planes feature the product. Emirates’ new first class will just be available on nine planes by the end of 2019, which represents a tiny percentage of their overall fleet. That’s a shame, especially as they don’t yet have plans to offer it on any ultra longhaul flights, where a product like this would be most useful.
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