Yesterday I wrote about how I typically don’t take inaugural flights. However, I decided to make an exception…
Continue reading: A Miami Inaugural Flight I Couldn’t Resist!
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Of course the Dom with the caviar and if you choose the quinoa cakes, go with the Pinot Noir which is a lighter & fruitier red (not sweet but fruity).
Emirates' Fifth Freedom flights are a fantastic way to fly First Class without breaking the (money or points) budget. I flew Singapore to Melbourne last month -- an all-daytime seven-hour flight with full first-class service. It was a lot of fun, the carrier charges were tiny compared with what Emirates usually charges (about SGD 85), there was only one other First Class passenger in the 777 cabin (never had a lavatory on a flight all to myself before!) and yes, I couldn't resist a class of the Hennessy Paradis!
@Ben, I'm so happy you're flying to BOG! Almost all my few and closest friends live there. I hope you get to try some real regional food in Bogotá. I think you've been to the Caribbean part of Colombia, but that's a whole different cuisine. Emirates' pollo a la brasa seems to have nothing Colombian about it, haha. Can't wait to read everything about your trip. Don't spare any details!
I don’t see avocado toast on the flight. Nevertheless, it looks like fun and should make for a good trip report.
The wines they serve are almost always top notch. My recommendation: Don Perignon with the caviar; Opus One by itself (it’s a great wine that really does need good); Chevalier-Montrachet by itself (one of the very best Grand Cru vineyards in Burgundy, although Latour is far from one of the best producers); Valandraud with beef.
Agreed about the Opus One. Got to try that in the 90s and it was so good I remember it all those years later.
Maybe you can ask them to pour a tasting flight into espresso shot glasses? That way you're not incoherent haha.
Love the idea of Ben showing up in Colombia regaling the immigration officer about flight patterns of Mongolian freight-configured 747s or something.
So when I flew on Emirates first from Milan to JFK this year, I told the stewardess how I knew little about wine but would love try some for my meal. So after the caviar, she came back with little pours in small cups and listed them for me.
She said once I made my choice she would begin heating the meal so that the wine would have time to breath. Perhaps you can do something like that?
Now mind you she also poured the rest of Dom Perigion into a coffee cup for me to drink as I left the plane. Amazing flight
How are you seeing the award availability? When I search on Emirates website and app, Bogota doesn’t appear as an option when “classic rewards” box is clicked. Miami to Bogota only is an option as a paid flight. Any suggestions on how to get the reward flights to appear? I’ve been checking on this for weeks waiting for award flights to show up. I assumed Emirates hadn’t opened awards flights yet for the route, so I’m very surprised by this article and hope to get some help here. Thanks!
@ Jeff -- Click on "Advanced search: multi-city, promo codes, partner airlines" on the homepage of the website. Then availability will show. 🙂
Maybe get yourself listed on the organ transplant queue prior to flight just to be safe?...lol
With the amount of binge drinking you do on flights you don't need to drink at home
@UncleRonnie How on Earth are you sometimes Gold and sometimes Guest like right now?
Logged in on my laptop all the time, I’m Gold. On IPhone (like now) my complicated password keeps going missing, so I’m a Guest. 🙁
Maybe just focus on one wine only during the flight and do not mix with two or three wines, like the Bordeaux one, and even maybe do not take the champagne at the beginning, take the bordeaux, all one bottle for you from start to finish.
Rinse and repeat the next week with another wine ... 🙂
So your liver will thanks you 😉
He is probably taking the return flight. Rarely does he spend the night and explore.
I'm also contemplating taking the inaugural (in economy though). I want to do a same day turn in Bogota, and fly back to MIA on the return EK flight (I have work the next day). It seems that for the inaugural only, the BOG-MIA flight departs at 6:55pm (its normally earlier). That gives me 4 hours in BOG.
Will I need to enter the country and go through passport control, or is there a sterile transit at BOG? It's my first time in Colombia, and I'm a US passport holder. Will immigration be suspicious of me for doing a same day turn? If I need to enter the country, is 4 hours enough at BOG to enter the country, go through passport control, and then go through security again and get to the gate in time? I'd appreciate any help.
Expensive alcohol doesn’t give any protection from the health downsides compared to cheap stuff. Perhaps less is more with your drink selections.
I HATE Emirates!!! Every time I fly them them they spoil every other other airline. Here in PHX we are stuck with BA (Bloody Awful). If anyone from Emirates management happens to read this PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE add PHX to your routing - ideally PHX - LHR so that we can continue with you to Dubai and on.
What is it with points people being so classless? They are always gorging and making the experience less classy. No thanks!
4 hours is probably enough to go through passport control and security. Just keep in mind that BOG has passport checkpoints for immigration AND emigration.
International transit is sterile, but I don't have any personal experience doing same day turns. Not sure if EK will let you get both boarding passes in advance, or ask you to visit a check-in desk at BOG though, or give you a SSSS.
I don't think immigration staff will be suspicious as Emirates' arrival to Colombia has been very widely publicized and it's considered quite a big deal for the country. In case you have to see a passport officer, just say exactly that.
Comrade James, the self-appointed, self-righteous, depressed Class Czar, is very cross with Ben for wanting to enjoy his flights and life as he sees fit. Comrade James demands that everyone live in his communist, joyless, tedious misery. Hey Mister Class Czar, Comrade James: how does Ben enjoying his flight make "the experience less classy"??? Are you going to be on the flight, in First? Will this make the flight insufferable for you, personally? How so? Will the flight attendants serving Ben drive you to despair? Why? What on earth does it have to do with you? But of course, you are not going to be on the flight. So what are you moaning about? Who are the so-called aggrieved persons you are attempting to protect and defend? Or is this more of a generalized Bolshevik commentary, that no one should enjoy anything, because we should all be good communist nobodies and nothings, taking orders from our superiors, namely Czars like you, the self-appointed, arrogant, self-righteous, depressed Class Czar? Guess what, Comrade James. You're the one who's classless, and "No thanks" to your Bolshevik commands about how we all should live our lives. Why are you even reading Ben's posts? They are all about enjoying life, and Bolsheviks like you hate that. There's no communist misery in Emirates First Class, and that must be very, very difficult for you.
Jason, points people have made the experience in First Class, for those of us who pay with cash, a complete circus.
It’s repulsive seeing posts like this along with points people take videos and photos of every second. I’ve had to tell one blogger to stop filming as it was disturbing others.
Sounds like you’re a point person, Jason who can’t pay cash. Thankful for Air France restricting access to LP.
How are people so disgusting?! What on earth is it with these recommendations? Anyway, obviously you should take the Tuscan wine.
And another Emirates review… imagine if a restaurant critic only reviewed their favourite meal in their favourite restaurant every few weeks…
Didn’t you fancy trying their business class for a change?
Must be time for another top ten of your favourite first class products soon!
Upon boarding ask them to put a bottle of Grey Goose vodka on chill/frost it pairs excellent with the Caviar.
I think they used to fly to Phoenix 20 years or so ago. Maybe when Phil Gordon was mayor. I may be mistaken as I was not living in Phoenix then
Return flight EK214 (BOG-MIA) shows up as cancelled for today 🙁 I hope there weren't many passengers looking to do a same-day turn (including @Ben).