I’m incredibly fortunate to be able to travel in first & business class pretty consistently thanks to miles & points. While international first class is always (well, almost always) a treat, some flights are just on a different level. This weekend I had one of those flights, and I’m still pinching myself.
Continue reading: Unreal: A Private Flight In Emirates’ New First Class
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Ben, admit it: You booked 4 fully flex tickets for the pther seats and cancelled them last minute.
@ Max -- Hah, didn't even cross my mind, not that I would do that anyway (I'm grateful enough to be able to redeem for products like this as is)! The flight was "F4" all the way until departure. I figured that there wasn't too much risk of someone just paying for a ticket last minute. The only real "risk" of the cabin filling up was upgrades at the airport or onboard, which can be a great deal. But I guess there weren't too many savvy points people in business class.
With such a closed cabin, I'm not sure it really changes anything. With more open layouts, it really feels like you have the plane to yourself. Like Japan Airline's 787 in C, cabin could be full or empty and you oculd only tell when getting up.
Did you create an alert on expert flyer? or you kept on checking, or both, because I did track this flight a lot and never really sow that it should be available more then one seat.
@ Eli -- Nope, I didn't set an alert, but just monitored patterns. I noticed the flight was "F4" (the most inventory Emirates will show in first class), and there were no seats assigned on the seatmap. Generally two award seats are released a few days before departure, but only if the cabin is completely empty. Otherwise you'll see up to one award seat.
@ Cedric -- Indeed, an empty cabin doesn't make as big of a difference here as on other airlines. Still, it makes a difference in terms of access to the menu items you like, attentiveness of service, cabin noise, bathroom cleanliness, etc.
Ben,
Glad you enjoyed this - with all of the talk about airlines cutting back on F - based upon what you describe, it is hard to understand the financial models of all of this. Maybe the concept that Business class supports the rest of the plan extends to First, except that 1 full-fare paying customer supports an entire week of non-rev upgrades and such for a high-profile product. Although, if my understanding of Miles programs is correct - then the cost center that got reimbursed for your trip probably justifies all of this. Nevertheless, the finances of this must be crazy.... maybe you can share some insights (and I know the rules are different between different airlines and who supports their bottom lines)
great trip!
-m
Ben, how is the new Emirates first class for traveling with a companion? How do you communicate with each other during the flight - does the video chat go seat-to-seat or do you have to walk from one suite to the other? (We have an open F itinerary to use before Feb 2023, and we're looking at DXB-STN as one of the legs.) Thanks!
@ aarnn -- Frankly that's the one downside about this product, as it's not really designed well for people traveling together. However, if you select suites across from one another (so either 1A & 1E or 2F & 2K) you're close enough so that you can talk (somewhat loudly) to one another. I didn't feel bad about talking a bit louder since there was no one else in first class. So it's not ideal and you won't dine together, but you won't be totally secluded either.
@ Michael -- Great point and question. Ultimately this flight being so empty was the exception rather than the norm, or else this product wouldn't be offered on the route. Keep in mind that often flights that have award availability are also the ones that are most likely to be empty up front, which may (incorrectly) lead us to believe that this is how it consistently is. But that's not the case, and many days you'll find first class fully booked in advance, presumably mostly with paying customers.
When award seats are released it ultimately comes down to incremental revenue, and I'd say Emirates still made money on us (compared to the seats being empty). We paid 136K miles per person (transfered directly to Skywards from Amex, and you can expect that Amex is probably paying Skywards around a cent per mile, if not more), and on top of that carrier imposed surcharges were quite steep.
Do you remember how many seats were available in A? and if I may ask where did you check the seat map?
Great report and seats. Looks like Emirates did away with the bling bling and made First Class a bit more classy.
My mate and I just had the same experience on the same route last week. It was amazing. I never imagined that something could make business class feel like an actual let-down.
Fake windows mean no reflection or glare great for taking photos. Really dislike when the cabin lighting creates glare and reflections. Does make the Centre seats more appealing
Was on the same flight a few weeks ago. It ended up a full cabin in F as there were a few last minute upgrades. Interestingly though in that other than the guy across from me (I was in the same seat as you) who I occasionally saw, you never really felt like there was anyone else there in F.
The virtual windows were kinda fun at first but for me it never really captured the same feel as looking out. The cameras seemed to be angled downwards a bit so, for example, the best part of plane spotting during the taxis was difficult. However, no doubt, I would still opt for this seat in the future as at 6-2 the extra space was wonderful. I could really stretch out and move around easily inside.
I flew back in Etihad First and, well, it was nice, but what a letdown after the new EK F.
Thanks for sharing your experience. I love reading all the positive reports of this FC cabin. I’m scheduled to fly it at the end of May.
I’m bummed because I really wanted the A380 experience, but can’t find any availability for my date(s). However, your report makes me excited to try the new FC cabin.
As you've now flown this new one on a longer flight, perhaps in your review can you discuss a bit on whether it's worth forgoing the shower suite on the A380? I've always wondered
If I remember correctly, the suites are more suited for OnlyFans. There is a camera recording all your moves. And the small hatch can be open from the outside. Seat isn't big enough for a bed. But hey, people have done it everyway everywhere, so there's no stopping you.
I had the privilege of flying this route in F a couple of weeks ago and there were only 3 passengers. I had the whole right side of the cabin to myself. The overall load seemed pretty light given the number of passengers at the gate so it's curious that EK is using this plane in this particular US route. Makes me wonder if there are some VIPs flying between Washington DC and Dubai on the regular..
Although it appeared that the two other F passengers were on paid fares are they were greeted at the gate in Dubai when got rides to immigration while I had to walk!
You are indeed lucky. Generally I find the fewer people in first the worse the service. A flight on Korean Air with no service and seemingly no English with only 2 passengers comes to mind. It's not surprising given that the less work one has to do the less most people want to do it. I know there are exceptions of course.
This is wild. Looks like it was styled in 1990 on top of hardware from 1970 with some screens from 2010 squeezed in.
We flew first class from Edinburgh to Sydney it was absolutely pure heaven and being able to have a shower two hours before landing was brilliant. Loved every minute. Thank you Emirate’s ❤️❤️
Non-rev upgrades are a US carrier FA benefit. AFAIK, no other airline offers F upgrades. I also want to say, non-US FAs don't even get J. Could be wrong on the J part (don't think so), but definitely not F.
Product looks amazing, but as you point out in the article it hardly seems like a big deal how many other passengers there are given the privacy of the seat. The whole point of the door is so you don't see other passengers regardless.
I had taken advantage of the Alaska Air miles glitch and booked SFO-DXB-BRU-DXB for 150,000 miles for a February flight. Was fortunate to have the full FC Cabin to myself on the flight from Dubai to Brussels and there were one other person on the flight back. Knocked out 6 bottles of Dom and put a dent in the Hennessy Paradis on the 3 flights. Got to enjoy the virtual windows while resting and other seats for meals. Such a great experience. Only negative was the 380 to SFO was changed to 777 and they were showing Opus for wine option that changed a week before the flight. Regardless a great experience spending 30 hrs flying Emirates FC along with spending 10 hours at the FC lounge.
Our first FC experience was years ago - Air France. Four seats and we were the only two. Gorgeous male flight attendant who found out my wife had been a French teacher years earlier and spent hours talking to her in French. She was over the moon! Been in more lavish FC suites since but nothing ever matched that experience.