To complete our outbound journey to the Maldives, we flew Emirates' Boeing 777-300ER first class from Dubai (DXB) to Male (MLE). I won't be fully reviewing this flight, since I've reviewed Emirates' "old" 777 first class before, and I don't want to be too redundant. However, I wanted to hit on a few of the…
Continue reading: A Lovely Emirates First Class Flight To The Maldives
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Another near empty flight in first class. How empty are these flights in business class / economy? Something will give here before long
I wonder if the “partner” designation has anything to do with the last minute stopover booking issue that you outlined in your review of the IAD - DXB flight.
You don't need to always justify what you eat, like you did here with the cake. It's ok to partake in things and overindulge, especially since you always talk about getting your steps in and going to the gym.
Concourse C at DXB used to be the concourse attached to Terminal 1, before the current Concourse D was built. So prior to ~2016 it was used primarily by non-Emirates airlines -- and it is a direct walk out from Terminal 1 (like B is a direct walk out from Terminal 3), so it used to be more conveniently located for its users, but now requires walking over from the Terminal 3 "headhouse."
I found it funny that you flew on 4/20 at 4:20 and the card was signed by Mary Jane... unless that said June, i couldn't really tell.
Ben, can you comment on the Covid testing protocol for Qatar and Dubai? I am planning on visiting both in June and I've read Qatar makes you test 48 hours before departure. Is that right, what kind of test, who do you show it to (airline checkin staff, or immigration?). Loving your recent postings but without the prior in depth trip reports I am craving for those little details to help make my trip easier
Perhaps I missed a follow-up comment or story, but did you just spill the beans that the carrier your unprofessional FA experience was on, was indeed Emirates?
QR requires a PCR test unless specifically noted and it is checked by the airline staff at check in. The time requirement varies by destination but last time I flew QR the requirement for the airline was 48 hours prior to departure. Sometimes, the destination you are going to will have stricter rules so you have to abide by them. Conversely, the destination may not have a test requirement but as far as I know QR requires them for certain passengers depending on your point of origin.
Lucky - as always, great review. However, I can't just sit idly by without commenting on a couple of things.
Why is it necessary to show the bottle of Dom by the glass? This either meant one of two things. Either you had to bother the FA to sit the bottle down, then get out of the way for the pic, then pick the bottle back up - I'm sure rolling his/her eyes the entire time. OR, the FA handed you the bottle so that you could sit it down and take the pic. In that case, if I was a fellow passenger, I would not want your dirty little hands all over the same bottle serving me. Either way, the bottle really wasn't necessary. We believe you that it was indeed Dom.
Second, while I know you said that ordering the b-day was to see how it was executed but come on - ordering a b-day for yourself?? And you're how old??? Seems a little bit of attention-ho to me. Just saying. Then, you admittedly just left the cake (only after eating 2 bites) after the FA's went to all that trouble - just for you?? That's just RUDE and WASTEFUL!! At the very minimum, you could have taken it with you and either given it to someone or just thrown it away in the first trash you found after deplaning.
Love you lots Lucky but come on now - come down off that pedestal every once in a while!!
Great review .. BUT once again, being a frequent visitor to The Maldives (2-3 trips a year, usually Qatar Bus class from Florida for the diving across the atolls) the seaplane is not the only way to get from MLE to the islands.. domestic flights are a plenty ....
If I had specifically ordered a birthday cake and then couldn't finish it, I would definitely have thanked for the box and taken it with me – one can always throw it away in the terminal if need be, but it would feel insulting towards the flight attendants not to take it. But that's just me.
The cake is just a vehicle to make sure there is sufficient pampering being provided. Once it is made and delivered, the interest in actually eating it goes away.
@ Anthony -- The flight was nearly full in business class and fairly full in economy. It was just first class that was mostly empty. Generally flights to the Maldives are pretty full in first class, so this was the exception rather than the norm.
@ Zach -- Interestingly it was on my boarding pass, but not on Ford's, so not sure how to explain it.
@ Bgriff -- Ahhh, that explains it. I've definitely done more travel on Emirates pre-2016 than post-2016, so I guess that's why I've never flown out of there.
@ DohaGuest -- Dubai has no real entry requirements for vaccinated travelers, so we just had to show our vaccine cards at check-in, and that was it. Doha is a whole different story, and it was a disaster for us, to the point that we actually missed our original flight (I'll have a post on it soon).
Long story short, you need a PCR test within 48 hours of travel to Doha, and also need to complete a pre-travel authorization form. That form caused serious problems for me, but I imagine other visitors don't have the same issues, or else not many people would be entering Qatar.
@ Tina -- I generally take them with me and then find a good home for them (either with family, or I donate them).
@ TheDude -- See this post:
https://onemileatatime.com/reviews/new-emirates-777-first-class/
@ CS -- Happy to answer your questions. Why is it "necessary" to show the bottle? Well it's not. This whole review wasn't necessary, I suppose. But with my trip reports I like to make people feel like they experience it with me as much as possible, and I know many readers like pictures like that, since Dom Perignon is probably the best consistent aspect of Emirates' food & beverage program.
I didn't touch the bottle (I wouldn't do that), but rather asked the flight attendant if I could take a picture of it next to the glass. She gladly obliged, and seemed happy about my enthusiasm. First class flight attendants deal with a lot of demanding passengers, and I think this was hardly the most annoying request that the flight attendant received this year.
Now I have a question for you now. I appreciate your "love you lots" comment and I'd like to think you're being genuine and not a troll, but why are you so condescending? There's a disconnect between that and you asking if I put my "dirty little hands" on the bottle, no? What's wrong with my clean big hands?
I'm sorry if you're having a rough day, I know there's a lot going on in the world...
@ Travel Girl -- Fair point. I wasn't intending to say it was the only way, but I do think it's how more people fly than with Maldivian, as that is also an option to many places.
@ Daniel from Finland -- I hear you, and I frankly felt bad about it. I suppose in retrospect I should have just thrown it away outside the plane.
In fairness, I wasn't sure if Maldives immigration would make me declare something like this, and that I'd then have to go through an extra inspection for it.
Furthermore, I had checked my carry-on, so only had a backpack on me. I would have been walking with this in my hand in 90 degree heat, while also trying to hold my passport and snap as many pictures as possible.
@ Jcil -- Hah, no, it's a "vehicle" for me to be able to write an updated guide about how to request a birthday cake on Emirates, and what to expect when you get it.
Ohh look at that, cry me a river. Jealous much? don’t act as if your country via proxy such as IMF. You people love the word “debt trap”.
US companies contract the taking of other countries resources to the military… this is not fake news. Just learn some history.
Lucky - I did not mean to come off as condescending. That was not the intent. Looking back, I can now see how it did. Point taken. Certainly not trying to troll. I do love your posts and reviews.
With that being said, I do think the cake situation could have been handled differently. Service industry people (like FA’s) do work hard and should be appreciated. Leaving the cake behind could leave the impression that it wasn’t appreciated. That’s the only thing I’m trying to point out.
@ CS -- Thanks, we're good, and I appreciate you reading. 🙂
As far as the second point goes, I totally get what you're saying and that it wasn't ideal, and I did feel bad:
-- I repeatedly told the crew how grateful I was for the great service, and how they made the flight very special. I also told them that I wish I were hungrier, and that we were catching a seaplane and that I wouldn't be able to transport the cake in a practical way.
-- The main reason I ordered the cake was really to write a guide to what it's like to order a cake on Emirates. I'm not someone who otherwise enjoys in any way being "recognized" for my birthday. I'd prefer everyone just ignore it.
So I hear you, I wish I could have handled it a bit differently, but I hope I at least made it clear to the crew how grateful I was for their actions, as they did go above and beyond.
I took a similar short haul Emirates first flight from DXB to Tehran. I didn't have time to even finish the movie. Once landed, I did not want to leave the plane. Emirates first is awesome!
I will be going to the Middle East soon and also perhaps for the world cup soccer with my "partner". How are they about holding each other's hands in person and showing affection to each other while walking down the street or sitting on in the park thank you first time to the Middle East is it something we could go to jail for or get tortured or maybe get shot or beat up we've been to the south in the US and we've been okay there it just scares us a little going to the Middle East
Great trip report Ben. Have taken QR and Cathay in J to MLE, but would love to fly EK First one day.
Unfortunately you should lower your expectations for Male...did an overnight layover there in 2019 and it was one of the sketchiest cities I've been to traveling (and made my female companion very nervous--including when a middle school child called her evil in a grocery store). I was living in the Middle East at the time and the openness to foreigners is so much lower in Male than anywhere else I had been in the Muslim world.
Is there any possibility that it's because of your job, and they put it there so the employees will recognize you/give a higher service level? Not saying it is, but I wouldn't entirely rule it out. It's not there just because they "mistook" you for an employee.
Just flew this same route, plus a connect to VIE and both of our BPs said "Partner"
At first I was like oh that's interesting must be an AS thing, but then remembered I booked via Skywards.
Nobody mentioned it in the lounge. Interesting.
It is so interesting to compare short haul premium cabins across the world (thinking of a Chicago-SFO flight be comparison); for example your blog inspires me to visit Oman. Also, short-haul premium flights in Southeast and Northeast Asia are also lots of fun
I look QR first from DOHA to MLE - IT was insanely nice! Krug, caviar, the most luxe seats! Best amenities EVER. The flight was On planes leased from Cathay I heard. Careful you get the right plane.