- Bling it on: Introduction
- Bling it on: British Airways Terraces Lounge Seattle
- Bling it on: British Airways First Class Seattle to London Heathrow
- Bling it on: Emirates Lounge London Heathrow (after a surprise!)
- Bling it on: Emirates First Class London Heathrow to Dubai
- Bling it on: Grosvenor House Dubai
- Bling it on: Afternoon tea in the Skyview Bar at Burj Al Arab
- Bling it on: Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi Saadiyat Island
- Bling it on: St. Regis Abu Dhabi Saadiyat Island
- Bling it on: Qasr Al Sarab
- Bling it on: Etihad Airways First Class Lounge Abu Dhabi
- Bling it on: Etihad Airways First Class Abu Dhabi to New York JFK
- Bling it on: British Airways Galleries Lounge New York JFK
- Bling it on: Cathay Pacific First Class New York JFK to Vancouver
I don’t think I’ve ever had a flight that I’ve anticipated as intensely as this one. Part of it was probably that I only had two hours notice about the flight, so my anticipation was naturally more intense than if I had 10 months to look forward to it. But beyond that, Emirates is an airline I’ve always wanted to fly up front. When you ask the average person what the world’s best airline is, chances are they’ll say Emirates or Singapore. Having flown Singapore many times, I was curious to see how Emirates compared.
Lastly, I’ve flown the other two premium Middle Eastern airlines — Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways — so was curious to see how Emirates stacked up.
Emirates 30
London (LHR) – Dubai (DXB)
Wednesday, December 12
Depart: 4:30PM
Arrive: 3:15AM (+1 day)
Duration: 6hr45min
Aircraft: Airbus 380
Seat: 2E (First Class)
The jet bridge let out at the upper deck door right behind first class, where the purser, Toby, was greeting passengers. He escorted us to our seats in row two, and saw the British Midland Gold tag on my laptop bag. He said it was the first of that style he had seen, and as it turned out he used to work for British Midland.
My initial reaction of the cabin? Holy crap, this is gaudy as could be! But awesome gaudy… if there is such a thing. The cabin had 14 seats, with three pairs of center seats and four seats on each side by the windows.
First class cabin
While I was in seat 2E I took the opportunity to snap some pictures of the window seats before the cabin filled up.
Seat 2A
Seat 2A
Seat 2A
Looking towards the back of the cabin
After snapping a few pictures I settled into my seat, 2E.
Seat 2E
Cabin view from 2E
View from seat 2E
While the seat itself is modest enough (in that it’s not gold plated and doesn’t have signage saying “the person sitting in this seat is AWESOME”), the same can’t be said for the rest of the suite.
Everything else is gold-colored, and there’s even a vanity mirror right by the entertainment system. After all, what would anyone rather do for a seven hour flight than, like, look at themselves the whole time?
Seat 2E console
Immediately below the vanity mirror was a kit consisting of Temple Spa branded toiletries, including shower, foot, body, nose, and eye balm (whatever that actually means)…
Enough balms for a mortician
Also below the main console was a writing kit with all kinds of Emirates branded stationery.
Writing kit
Writing kit
Also redefining first class service is the minibar, consisting of soda, juice, and water. There’s such a high degree of irony to the minibar, given that the whole concept of first class on an airline like Emirates is that you don’t have to serve yourself, and instead that someone looks after you. But that’s part of what makes Emirates first class so damn awesome — they have some amenities not for good reason, but just because they can.
Minibar
Also at the seat is a small snack basket with all the things that Emirates imagines their first class passengers wouldn’t eat — Pringles, Mars bars, granola bars, Toblerone, mints, etc. The funny thing is that the snack basket sits loosely on the counter, so it’s there during boarding, then they collect it before takeoff, then bring it back after takeoff, and then collect it again before landing.
Snack basket
One of the aspects of the seats that really impressed me was that there was plenty of storage. There was a huge compartment at the back right of the seat, which could fit just about anything.
Storage unit
Then to the left of the seat was a small compartment for glasses/passports/etc.
Storage unit
Then on the right side of the seat was the entertainment control.
Entertainment control
And immediately above was the control unit for the seat, which controlled lighting, seat positions, etc.
Control unit
Privacy controls
The cabin doesn’t have any overhead bins so that it feels more spacious, but there’s plenty of space in the front of the suite for storing bags.
Once settled in the rather charming flight attendant working my aisle bowed down at the side of my seat, introduced herself, and said it would be her absolute privilege to be serving me today, and to not hesitate to let her know if I needed anything.
I ordered a glass of Dom to start, which was poured at my seat.
Pre-departure champagne
Console with champagne
Meanwhile I was also offered slippers, eye shades, and an Emirates branded beach bag of sorts.
Slippers, eye shades, and Emirates bag
I was also offered noise canceling headphones.
Noise canceling headphones
As the departure time approached the cabin crew offered Arabic coffee and dates, which I gladly accepted. Refills were also offered, though one is about my limit.
Arabic coffee and dates
We were also offered hot towels and the menus.
Yes, that’s what a towel looks like
Menu
About five minutes before our scheduled departure time the captain came on the PA to announce our flight time of 6hr20min, and that he was anticipating a smooth ride to Dubai.
At this point the shower spa attendant made a round through the cabin for reservations. The coolest part of Emirates first class on the Airbus 380 has to be the two shower suites. The attendant is solely responsible for the shower suites, and asked at what time I wanted to shower. I asked to shower after dinner, about 2.5 hours into the flight. It seemed most others didn’t want to shower, so there wasn’t a need to give an exact time.
Shower spa brochure
Shower spa brochure
As departure time rolled around I asked for a pair of pajamas, which I guess the flight attendant forgot to distribute, as she was confused why I didn’t have a pair yet. The pajamas were surprisingly modest for Emirates (I was fully expecting a Flavor Flav bathrobe and gold watch). As the door closed there were only two empty seats in the cabin, so it was a pretty full load.
Pajamas
The safety demo began to play as we pushed back. Once the video finished I began playing around with the entertainment system, ICE (which stands for Information, Communication, and Entertainment). The variety of shows and movies was fantastic, on par with Singapore’s Kris World and Cathay Pacific’s StudioCX.
ICE entertainment system
ICE entertainment system
ICE entertainment system
For takeoff, I switched to the nose camera view, which almost every airline offers on the Airbus 380.
Nose camera on the runway
There was a bit of chop on our climb out of London, though after about 10 minutes it smoothed out a bit. I took the opportunity to connect to Emirates’ On Air Wi-Fi service, as it would be my first time using Wi-Fi on a longhaul flight. The Wi-Fi was reasonably priced at $20 for 100MB. I ended up needing two sessions, as I used the Wi-Fi extensively (I blogged, Tweeted, and Instagrammed just about the whole flight). The only thing I’m a bit confused about is that 100MB costs $20, while each additional 100KB costs 7.3 cents. Unless I’m missing something, isn’t that substantially more expensive — the marginal cost increases the more you use it? That’s why I did two different sessions, though I feel like my math is probably just a bit off here.
On Air sign in page
Anyway, as we continued our climb out meal orders were taken. The flight times were awfully strange, as it departed in the afternoon and landed in the middle of the night, so they had an a la carte menu, whereby you could eat what you want when you want. The menu read as follows:
The wine/drink list read as follows:
Drink orders were taken first, and I ordered a Diet Coke with lemon, which was served with mixed, warm nuts.
Diet Coke with lemon and mixed nuts
This was also served with canapes, including mushroom quiche, a crab cake, and chicken skewer.
Diet Coke, mixed nuts, and canapes
About an hour into the flight the meal service began, starting with the tray table being set. I was also offered a bread basket, which must be one of the biggest I’ve ever gotten on an airplane.
Table setting
For the first course I ordered caviar, with was well presented.
Caviar
For the next course I ordered Arabic mezze, which was top notch.
Arabic mezze
Then I had the roasted tomato soup, which was probably the best soup I’ve had on a plane.
Roasted tomato soup
At this point I wasn’t hungry so didn’t have a main course or dessert, though figured I might get back to that closer to landing.
Meanwhile my friend had the lamb as the main course.
Rack of lamb
And the apricot sponge pudding for dessert.
Light apricot sponge pudding
I found the service throughout the meal from the flight attendant working my aisle to be consistent with what I’ve experienced on Etihad and Qatar. It wasn’t especially sincere or attentive, despite the over-the-top verbiage and gestures. I had to push the call button several times during the meal service for refills, to have my tray cleared, etc.
After dinner it was time for my shower, so I headed to the front of the cabin, where there’s a small first class bar and also the stairs to the main deck.
Stairs to main deck
First class bar
The flight attendant directed me to one of the shower spas, and explained the features to me. I wasn’t given a time limit for actually using the room, though you’re limited to five minutes of water. The good news is that you can turn the water on and off at will, so it really is plenty of time for a shower.
She explained that if there was turbulence I should sit down on the bench in the shower, and also explained the location of the oxygen mask.
Lastly, she familiarized me with the other amenities, and explained that the floors were heated.
Look, I’d like to be all suave about this and play it off as if it’s nothing special, but this was quite possibly the coolest damn thing ever. Ever since this flight, all I can think about is showering on an airplane. For the 20 or so minutes I was in the shower spa, I was giggling almost nonstop.
It. Was. Awesome.
How many people are allowed in the shower spa?! 😉
Shower spa
Shower and sink
The number of towels doesn’t seem sufficiently over the top
Sink
Towel and toiletries
Toiletries
Airshow
Bench in shower
Shower timer
The water pressure was surprisingly good for a plane, and so began quite possibly the most enjoyable five minutes of my life.
I’d like to say a shower on a plane is a gimmick, though I really don’t think it is. As much as I love flying I also associate it with being groggy and tired, and I didn’t feel like that for the first time after getting out of the shower.
The shower attendant was standing right outside the shower spa as I exited, and asked me how I enjoyed my shower.
When I returned to my seat I found a small fruit plate with a dipping sauce.
Fruit plate
At this point I asked for turndown service, and took the opportunity to check out the business class cabin and bar, which takes up the rest of the upper deck.
I find it funny how when you go from first class to business class the seating looks so uncomfortable, while if you hadn’t seen first class it would look perfectly comfortable. The product actually looked quite nice, though, and the cabin was nearly full.
Business class
All the way in the back of the cabin is a huge bar and lounge, with two couches, a bar, and a self serve area with a large flat screen TV.
Business class bar & lounge
Business class bar & lounge
Business class bar & lounge
When I returned to my seat turndown service had been completed with great precision (a bit more than on Thai Airways), and there was even a box of Godiva chocolates and a flower left on my pillow.
Turndown service
Turndown service
Chocolate and flower on pillow
Now, this was a short flight landing in the middle of the night and I wasn’t about to sleep, though I do prefer watching TV while curled up in a comfortable bed with my door closed.
The good life…
Stars on the ceiling
About two hours out of Dubai I decided to order dessert, and pushed the call button to do so. They label this as “room service,” which I thought was hilarious.
Airshow
“Room service”
For dessert I ordered the chocolate chilli tart, which sounded mighty odd. It was a really interesting dessert, as it was basically a chocolate tart with a chilli filing, which is a combo I’ve never had before. I had some breakfast tea with dessert.
Chocolate chilli tart
About 30 minutes out we began our descent, and the flight was nearing an end far too soon. The purser, Toby, once again made a pass through the cabin to thank each passenger for flying Emirates. He was the one crew member that seemed to genuinely enjoy his job, and it showed. The rest of the crew were friendly, though executed the service in a manner that felt a bit forced.
Another crew member distributed the fast track cards for Dubai.
Fast Track card
For our descent I once again switched to the nose camera view.
View on final approach
We had a fairly quick taxi to the gate, and arrived right on-time.
Cabin upon deplaning
This was my first time flying into Dubai Airport, and the terminal had a very airy feel to it.
Dubai Airport
Dubai Airport
Immigration queues were non-existent, so we just had to wait 10 minutes for my bag at baggage claim.
Baggage claim
Just outside immigration is Emirates’ limo service desk. Typically this service has to be booked in advance, though I explained we had been rebooked, and they gladly arranged a limo for us (free of charge) to the Grosvenor House.
Limo desk
Limo to Grosvenor House
We made it to the Grosvenor House shortly after 4AM, where a whole new adventure started as we didn’t have a reservation for that night (given that we were originally scheduled to arrive several hours later).
Conclusion
I’m trying to properly summarize my Emirates experience, and I’m really struggling with it. First let me say this — the flight was awesome, and there’s no airline I’m more obsessed with traveling on in the future than Emirates.
The first class suites were uncomfortably awesome. That’s to say that it doesn’t feature soothing tones and finishes, but instead was blingy as could be.
The purser, Toby, was awesome and sincere, though the rest of the crew was more style over substance. There are some airlines where you get consistently excellent/sincere service, like ANA, Asiana, etc., so I’d say they probably come out ahead in that area.
But at the same time it’s simply a phenomenal product. The food was fantastic. And the amenities themselves were great.
Best of all, there’s just something about Emirates first class that makes you feel like you’re just not worthy… and for whatever reason it makes them even better.
I'm always amazed how little of the bar you 'test'
I just tried Emirates first for the first time, and I should note the most amazing benefit on offer seems to have been overlooked by most, the Hennesy Paradis cognac. That stuff retails for about 750USD per bottle (750ml), which makes it by volume much more valuable a benefit than even Dom Perignon. And it was super tasty!
Its trully awesome and nice to experience it..
@ Ak -- I found most of the time a few people were standing around the bar, though rarely did anyone stay for an extended period of time or sit.
I love how they pay attention to details, looks pretty amazing. However was there enough seating around the "bar/lounge" where people there hanging out or mingling or is the bar mostly for show?
@ DrewBird -- Singapore does often release two Suites Class seats per flight, just not on their routes to the US. However, to Australia and Europe they sure do.
Lucky - from Expert Flyer, it looks as though Emirates at times releases 2 First class tix on a flight. But Singapore only releases 1 Suite seat per flight. Is this correct? If so, is Emirates First the best product available for a 2-person redemption?
When it comes to free internet a LCC in Europe called Norwegian Air Shuttle offers it.
http://www.norwegian.com/uk/about-norwegian/our-company/fleet/in-flight-wifi/
Said to be a bit slow because of all the users.
Read a post on a Scandi board claiming Sas is also installing it in some of their planes, so guess it will end up the same way it has in hotels with almost everybody offering it for free.
The Scandi board also said that the reason the...
When it comes to free internet a LCC in Europe called Norwegian Air Shuttle offers it.
http://www.norwegian.com/uk/about-norwegian/our-company/fleet/in-flight-wifi/
Said to be a bit slow because of all the users.
Read a post on a Scandi board claiming Sas is also installing it in some of their planes, so guess it will end up the same way it has in hotels with almost everybody offering it for free.
The Scandi board also said that the reason the Norwegian/DY installed it was for fleet management and customer use was just a happy side effect. Which might explain a bit slow speed.
Absolutely the first class cabin of emirates airway & Qatar airway is very good. And very good presenting for this blog. Image clearly very clean and information is really awesome. Love reading these trip reports!
I may be fuzzy on this... but I am pretty sure an additional 20MB at the .073/100K rate would have been just under $15... am I wrong?
"For the 20 or so minutes I was in the shower spa, I was giggling almost nonstop."
that was the highlight of the TR lol.
Are you from the future? I've never seen anything that beautiful. Although, I normally take the cheapest possible routes and the cheapest possible seats to get from Point A to Point B, but I guess that I had never really thought about using first class because I thought it couldn't possibly be worth that much money, I was severely proven wrong.
Seriously, this is the forst class flight of Emirates Airline? WOW! You must be very lucky to fly on a first class. I envy you! Excellent review!
@ dave -- It's a total of five minutes of running water, but you can start and stop it as you please.
5 min of running water at a time or that's all you got during the shower? the shower time came on for the last 1 min countdown?
@ LISA -- Wow, thanks!
This is the best trip report I've ever read--and I've read a lot! I really felt like I was there with you. Amazing job!
The B777 actually has even more wood trimming (around the windows and whatnot). The mini-bar is a nice idea, if you like your drinks at room temperature. You're still going to have to ask the FA for a glass and ice, so while nice, it seems rather pointless. As does the vanity mirror. I'm curious to see how this compares to the Singapore suites service.
What really struck my eye was not the gold trim but the glossy wood panels in the suites and doors. It's like they modeled the suites after the interior of a high-end Bentley. The wood in the showers area struck me as well but not as much since the color appears a lot more subdued and looks more like a matte finish...
Color scheme looks pretty awful to me, give me a SWISS first cabin with a shower :D
not a huge fan of the FC cabin layout, its a bit like a cubicle farm.
@ Frequent Flyer University -- It's run by an independent company (On Air), so unfortunately isn't free.
@ TG -- Service overall wasn't as good as Singapore, but they made up for it in other departments.
@ Frequent Miler -- Guess we know different people, then. Even my non-FF friends have heard of Emirates!
@ Dan ray -- Yes, I don't know of any airline that comps internet for any class of service.
Old bf of mine signed a two-year contract to teach in Saudi Arabia. His main flight was Seattle-Dubai on Emirates. He'd been given a coach ticket with the contract and was bumped up, without asking, to business for the flight. I guess it was either because he had a full-fare ticket or the ticket agent somehow picked up that he'd had the worst decade ever and just NEEDED this. Anyway, it was his first business...
Old bf of mine signed a two-year contract to teach in Saudi Arabia. His main flight was Seattle-Dubai on Emirates. He'd been given a coach ticket with the contract and was bumped up, without asking, to business for the flight. I guess it was either because he had a full-fare ticket or the ticket agent somehow picked up that he'd had the worst decade ever and just NEEDED this. Anyway, it was his first business class ever and it may have spoiled him for other airlines!
lol @ FM
I'm surprised that with a ticket probably costing $10,000 they make you pay for Internet use. Is that common in international first class?
"When you ask the average person what the world’s best airline is, chances are they’ll say Emirates or Singapore". Uh, Ben, I'm pretty sure that the average person has never even heard of Emeriates...
Great trip report!
How does the inflight service compared to Singapore airlines?
The wet towel pics are back, YES!!!!!
Was thinking 110,000 Starpoints had better value elsewhere. I'm really starting to have a hard time justifying that. Hello Dubai!
Wow looks awesome! I am though surprised that Internet wasn't free given you were in First Class. Seems odd.
@lucky
that's a bummer since singapore only releases 1 suite per flight... i was hoping emirates would release 2... but i guess it doesn't matter anyway.
@ Mitch -- LOL, whoops. Fixed.
@ AdamH -- There actually are a couple of ways, which I summarized at the end of this post:
https://onemileatatime.com/alaska-mileage-plan-announces-delay-in-emirates-award-redemptions/
So it's definitely not off limits!
@ Rob -- Sorry, I guess I misused the word. You're correct, it's not a limo in the sense that it's a limousine, but rather towncars, sedans, etc.
@ FlyingDoctorWu -- It was decent. Not amazing, but not anything to complain about either. The armrests do go down a bit, which increases the seat width.
Great TR. Need to get me some Alaska miles, I guess.
Another mistake is that, while I'm sure the writing supplies didn't move, the correct noun is stationery.
@ BBTBphile -- Thanks, fixed. That happens once in a while and I'm not sure why. I typed it correctly and when I go back to the draft it also shows it correct, but for whatever reason it displays it as a "0" instead of an "o." Going back and typing it again seems to fix the problem.
@ jon -- Absolutely, the first cabin on the Emirates Airbus 380 is substantially larger than the first cabin on the British Airways 747.
@ Lantean -- They can't be turned into a single bed, no.
Awesome report!!!
And yes, if I were you, I would be giggling non-stop all the way during the trip.
Lol. Love the stars on the ceiling. Awesome touch. Is there any way to actually book this award though? I know AS is suppose to open up so,e space eventually.
Curious about your ride to the hotel. You mentioned a limo ride and I didn't realize EK was doing limo service. As far as I know Chauffeur Drive was provided with (very nice) sedans, wagons, and minivans -- but if they're using limos this is a change from my four EK flights this year.
Wow great trip report. I still can't figure out a way to enjoy Emirates first... damn all those Avios/star alliance miles....
How was the width of the seat for sleeping? It looks kind of narrow...
And, what's the deal with airline serving Woodford Reserve as the premium bourbon in First class... it's definitely not in the same class as Chivas Royal Salute/Johnny Walker Blue/or Glenfiddich.... they got to get a supply of Pappy van Winkle...
Wow great trip report. I still can't figure out a way to enjoy Emirates first... damn all those Avios/star alliance miles....
How was the width of the seat for sleeping? It looks kind of narrow...
And, what's the deal with airline serving Woodford Reserve as the premium bourbon in First class... it's definitely not in the same class as Chivas Royal Salute/Johnny Walker Blue/or Glenfiddich.... they got to get a supply of Pappy van Winkle or something else. America's got to represent...
Typo: "t0" with a zero and not an o. Look at the fourth to the last word here:
Typically this service has to be booked in advance, though I explained we had been rebooked, and they gladly arranged a limo for us (free of charge) t0 the Grosvenor House.
Thanks for the report Lucky. One question: many say 14 seats in BA FIRST is cramped at least in the 747. Is first class a larger piece of real estate on a 380? At least an Emirates 380? Thank you
can the middle suites be connected like they are on singapore?
@ jmd001 -- Hah, fixed, thanks!
Regarding the shower, did her explanation really say "...that the floors were headed." ... as opposed to "heated"? :)
Brilliant article Ben
I couldn't agree more. My experience of EK 1st is identical to what you've written :-)
@ RakSiam -- Yeah, window seats definitely had them as well. Wasn't a huge fan of storing the stuff in front of the seat, simply because I had a hard time getting the bag out of the "seatbelt."
I didn't know about the storage bin at the back. Are the window seats the same? I felt like there was a real lack of storage space. And if you don't put your stuff at the front of the suite in the little corral it will get crushed when you turn the seat into a bed.
Wow, Great pictures. My wife & I just flew Asiana's new First Class Suite last week from ICN to ORD & I thought it couldn't get much better until seeing that!
For me this is almost like reading a fictional story...In a far away land there was a...
Great report. And just think, you were considering not even using that companion pass and going somewhere!
I have to wait 17 more days, and only have half the flight (AKL-SYD), but posts like this are guaranteeing that I will be annoying to talk to in the interim with only showers on the brain.
Love reading these trip reports!
Thanks, guys!
@ Gary -- Ah, it occurred to me that in the process of dishing out every little detail I may have missed some of the "big picture" details. The seat was comfortable for sleeping. Not the most comfortable in the sky, but comfortable. I'd say it was a bit better than Singapore's first on the 777, and a bit worse than Cathay's first on the 777 (which I still find to be among the most comfortable).
Great report,Ben!
What did you think of the seat itself, bling aside? For actually sleeping on a long haul, or in terms of overall comfort relaxing and watching TV?
Compared to, say, CX?
Much enjoyed your trip report!!
If you ever fly into Or out of any of the other terminals, they are sh!t. The emirates terminal is very nice, with palm trees and waterfalls to boot.
Love reading your trip reports!
Emirates' shower spa looks bigger than my bathroom!
stars on the ceiling in Asiana F ORD-ICN too. i didn't know about the stars before my flight so I was definitely wow'ed when i woke up from my nap.
Great report! Cant wait to try Emirates !