Emirates A380 Business Class: Awesome Or Average?

Below average if you ask me. Part of that is the clientele that fly it, buying into Emirates' marketing. Regardless, due to the size of the cabin, the hit and miss crew, i've never had an above average experience in EK J, and multiple below average. First is a different story.

definitely better than the business class on the majority of Lufthansa's fleet.

How many people were using the bar on the quick red eye?

@ Alec -- Basically no one. More useful on other flights, or the flight in the other direction.

Hi Ben,

I suggest you try the new business class (1 2 1) on the BRU DXB route for the way back 😉

Exactly this. I don't want to generalize but: everywhere I see on Facebook I see these middle aged couples flying Emirates on their once-a-year trip saying how it's the best thing in the world, and that everything is absolutely incredible, and that they can't imagine any airlines delivering the same product.

But we all have different opinions and experiences I suppose.

There's an A word you missed that describes the fat, waddling flying pig and the experience: appalling.

Trapped in a metal tube while the world implodes beneath you sounds fun. I would have drank the bar dry with those exit poll number.

I have no problem with Emirates at all. Yes Qatar is better overall in business class Q’Suites, the lounges in Doha superior to Dubai but to me Emirates is a solid product especially on the 380. I’ve never had a problem. Food very solid. Service has been good and I love the bar, terrific amenity kit and the pyjamas now offered in business class.

I don't love their honeymoon seats if you are traveling alone. Other airlines have a separator in the leg area that EK doesn't.

Obviously, a window seat is better when you travel alone, but you aren't always traveling alone.

Based on TV background at the bar. I must ask if you found-out the outcome on your flight?

🙁

@ORD_Is_My_Second_Home

Blud forgot that Emirates is an United partner.

Seat is pretty outdated but the footwells are bigger than what you find in other J products. And the EK soft product is good too.

Take away the fact that it's on an A380 and has a bar, and how much would you enjoy the experience Lucky? You need to try this seat on a flight on the 777 and see if you still find it above average.

i am VERY impressed you turned this review around so quickly! I can barely get anything done the day after a red-eye....

Or the day after a terrible election result, which looks like Ben was watching at the bar.

Yeah, but EK isn't a member of Star, doesn't team up with UA for anything from Chicago, and is the flag carrier of a country of hypocritical homophobes who would stone me to death.

To me Emirates is about opportunity cost.

It's not really significantly better to the point where I would abandon the lesser US airlines in favor of them due to how much longer the itinerary would take via DXB.

And if I was to take a longer detour, I find that connecting via DOH on Qatar is much a nicer experience.

Since I don't fly much to India/Maldives/etc. And those kind of connecting destinations, there just doesn't seem to be a market niche for me to ever fly them.

Couple that with their rather opulent cash pricing and exorbitant fees/cost for award bookings, they're basically never on my radar.

Election would've been called by the time he stepped off the aircraft in Milan -- he flew the 05NOV24 EK206 trip, which gets him to MXP at 6:28 a.m. ET the day after the election. The Associated Press called the race at 5:34 a.m. ET for that clown

We have been flying Emirates business for over 12 years. While the A380 is a fantastic airplane, their business class product has deteriorated over the years. Don't get me wrong, it's still much better than Air Canada's 787 Dreamliner.
For one, they have crammed 76 business class seats on the upper deck and the cabin just doesn't feel spacious anymore. The purser who has been flying with Emirates for 20+ years readily admitted that cost cutting was to blame.
We were on the YYZ-DXB sector where they ONLY utilize the vintage first Gen A380's.
The food too was not the best. For example, the lobster was very chewy. Their supposed lamb biriyani was lamb over yellow rice. Not biriyani at all.
They also don't have lactose free options.

Would we fly Emirates business again, hell YES even though the prices have shot up quite a bit.
It's a shame they do not offer Premium Economy on the YYZ-DX sector.

Just flew this route on Sept 30. A few comments. First time on anA380. (

+1: Very happy that the FA insisted on taking my carryon up the stairs.
I had just somehow developed problems with my hip (just diagnosed as osteoarthritis) and climbing up stairs is a bit uncomfortable so who was I to resist? TY.
+2: liked the well stocked amenity kit. Mine was a rectangular pink one.
+3: food in the lounge was very good - had delicious lamb chops. And lounge was not crowded. Wanted to sleep on flight (10:20p departure delayed, arrival in Milan at 12:15 local time) so don't even remember what I ate onboard - not much and/or nothing memorable.

-1: they woke us way early for breakfast - seemed like a couple of hours or so before landing. I just had some yogurt, fruit and a pastry (croissant?). Meh, but I don't eat eggs, omlets, or big breakfasts (except pancakes). So not much sleep on this flight.
The bar was very crowded right after the light meal service. Empty when I woke up early.

The pajamas were some stretchy jersey kind of material. Not the greatest. Crew was very good, seat comfortable, schedule fit our needs. Overall a decent flight. But didn't live up to the hype. Chalking that up to the timing and route.
Flew Qsuites ICN-DOH-JFK in March. No comparision. Qsuites was the absolute best all the way around.

How often does EK tail swap so that you get one of those awful 2-3-2 seats, and do you have any recourse if this happens?

Looks mid.

Emirates is rubbish. Worst flight I have ever had, and terrible business class. I have had very many long-hall flights and once business with Emirates was enough. Never again.

Flew round trip from JFK to Milan and back last week. I would agree that the food and wine offerings were solid. However, the cocktails were a bit of a hit of miss. Both times I ordered on at the bar, the current flight attendant at the bar did not know how to make the drink and had to ask another FA to help out. Service overall was good and attentive. One area I would disagree is the comfort of the bed. While it is fairly wide with a good sized footwell, it was not comfortable and both my wife and I struggled to get a good amount sleep even though we were both quite tired.

Emirate 380 .. It is so bad that seets are not fitted perfect. Some swiches are not respond. Screens are blinking. Service is moderate.
I was so sorry that i pay for it

The quality of their liquor is hard to beat. Chivas 18 where jw black is common in 1st class for other carriers.

Having only flown first class on the A380, I remember walking back to the bar and feeling like business looked crowded and like an assembly line ...

However I have to say that QSuites almost feels the same these days. I've flown Qsuites 5 times this year, and while the crew tries their best, the huge size of the business class cabin means constant motion and long waits for meals. Often times my first and second choice of meals is out (even sitting in the first few rows, as they swap which sides they take orders from first). They've more recently been telling people not to dine on demand due to long waits. And most recently I waited over an hour for my first meal (and the drink arrived only after I had finished that meal) ... in row 1.

The bottom line is that business class cabins are getting busier and catching up to Emirates' vast size. It's not necessarily a problem, but all expectations need to be tempered!

Indeed, as is the wine selection on board and in lounges.

I've always enjoyed EK but I love drinking!

Lounge and onboard wine and spirit selections are a cut above the other airlines I have been able to fly at the pointy end on.

Ex Australia they are awfully expensive though, they seem to price match with QF inferior rubbish for the Aussie market. Looking at my next trip in May I can get SQ for about 3k less MEL-LHR. No matter how much booze I consume, I'm not drinking that value back.

I have to agree with the article on both the good, and the bad.
One of the biggest advantages to the premium cabin on most flights is the feeling of a small group of clients and extra attentive staff. The massive business class on the 380 basically eliminated that personalized feeling. It was more like economy where everything is on their schedule (and on my Dubai to Sydney trip some off those services times were somewhat odd). And you see a different crew member each time a service rolls around. I found it even stranger when I would make a request from a crew member who was nearby, only to be told that they weren't 'my' crew member and would pass on the request (and didn't). Meanwhile I never figured out who 'my' crew member even was.
But as noted, Emirates does good food, comfortable seats, and overall friendly service in an aircraft that is quiet and unique. The bar is a nice touch as well.
I will say though that I was in a bulkhead row for part of the flight before trading with a co-worker, and the foot box on the bulkhead row was definitely smaller than the other row, and at 6'2” it made sleep uncomfortable.

Overall though, I think for me the downsides outweighed the positives. I'm glad I got to fly the 380 while they're still around, but I think I prefer the smaller J cabin products where the crew seem much more attentive and flexible to your needs.

I found the foot box on my bulkhead row to be very cramped, but then I swapped with a co-worker in a non-bulkhead row and the foot box was much better. In the bulkhead row it was uncomfortable for me at 6'2"

Here's the key though.... If you're going to Italy this is the absolute best way to get there from the US. We've flown both First and Business to and from Milan from JFK, and there's no better alternative, period. The A380 is quiet and comfortable and boarding directly from the excellent lounges at JFK and at MXP is an added plus. We love Italy and Emirates makes it a pleasure getting there!

I flew business class for the first time on Emirates on the A380 this summer to Dubai from Dulles and it was OK. The service was really hit or miss and they didn't even bring me my food for one meal on the return flight. I had to ask a supervisor for lunch while everyone else was served around me despite having my order taken. The same flight attendant just kept skipping me like I had offended her somehow, but the supervisor was wonderful and tried to make up for it. I loved the bar and met some interesting people to chat with on a 13 hour flight. It was strange how different the service was between the two flights there and back on the same equipment and class. The service was way better on the 777 for our shorter flights to and from Nairobi.

Thanks Ben for an amazing review that mirrors my opinions of Emirates amd the A380.