- Introduction: Good Morning Milan, Goodnight Moon
- Emirates A380 First Class With Dad: So Fun That I Needed A Day To Recover
- My Furious Emirates First Class Seat Mate: Fair Feedback, Unfair Delivery
- Emirates First Class Menu & Food: Fine Dining, Or Just Fine?
- Review: Park Hyatt Milan, Italy (Stellar, Central Hotel, But Missing Desks)
- Drinking Buy On Board Espresso In Air Dolomiti Economy…
- Review: Falkenstein Grand Koenigstein, Marriott Autograph Collection (Unique!)
- Review: Villa Rothschild Koenigstein, Marriott Autograph Collection (Cute!)
- Ugh: Misdirected Delay Frustration In The Lufthansa First Class Terminal
- Am I A Lufthansa Fanboy Or Hater? Let Me Set The Record Straight…
- Review: Goodnight Moon Suite At Sheraton Boston (INCREDIBLE!)
- Review: Four Seasons Philadelphia (One Of The Best US City Hotels)
- Review: Chase Sapphire Lounge Philadelphia Airport (PHL)
- Review: American Flagship Lounge Philadelphia Airport (PHL)
- American Airlines’ Culture Problem: From Awful To Amazing In 20 Minutes
As someone who has been writing about airlines (and has a particular interest in passenger experience) for nearly 18 years, I always appreciate seeing how other people perceive various flight experiences. After all, we all have our own biases and preferences, so I never claim or believe that my perception is more correct than anyone else’s.
Along those lines, I shared the incredible flight that I had with my dad in Emirates’ A380 first class from New York (JFK) to Milan (MXP), which we enjoyed immensely. However, the passenger seated across from me seemingly had a very different perception, and she wasn’t shy about expressing her displeasure. I think there are a few interesting lessons here.
In this post:
Why an Emirates first class passenger was really angry
I don’t know how one can be anything other than overjoyed when stepping into the Emirates A380 first class cabin. 😉 Toward the end of the boarding process, a woman boarded and took the window seat across from me. She was warmly greeted by the crew, and the flight attendant asked how her day was going.
“Horrible, that was the worst experience of my life,” she responded. I don’t usually eavesdrop on conversations, but she said it in a loud voice with an angry tone, and that certainly got my attention.
She proceeded to quite aggressively rant at the flight attendant about how bad Emirates’ first class ground experience is, posing the question of why she paid more than double as much compared to business class for such a crappy experience. She explained:
- The security lines were really long, and there was no help at security from Emirates staff
- The lounge was crowded, with no special area for first class passengers
- Boarding was chaotic, with all priority passengers having to get in the same line
She explained that she usually flies SWISS first class, and in New York they escort you through security, have a special lounge for first class passengers, and then escort you onto the plane. She just couldn’t believe how chaotic the ground experience was. She swore she’d never fly Emirates first class again.
This went on for at least a few minutes, and the flight attendant handled it really professionally. Eventually the purser also came around to greet each passenger, and then she went through the whole spiel again. The purser was once again apologetic, and said that she’d be sure to document her feedback and share it with the company.
This is the wrong way to share feedback and frustration
Before we talk about the substance of the woman’s complaints, let’s talk about how she presented them. The way that she interacted with the crew was incredibly off-putting, in my opinion.
Based on her tone, you’d think that the crew personally wronged her, as if they have anything to do with the type of ground service Emirates offers. I just find this to be such an unfortunate way to interact with frontline employees:
- As a first class passenger, your feedback at Emirates does matter; by all means send an email to customer relations, or even figure out the email of an executive, and share your opinion, and how shortcomings in some area would prevent you from booking the airline again
- I also think there’s nothing wrong with sharing the feedback politely with the purser, so that they can document it, because at Emirates, pursers do take notes about feedback, and it is reviewed by management
- Crucially, that feedback can be conveyed in a polite tone, recognizing that the frontline employee isn’t in any way at fault for what you experienced
I do agree with the substance of the complaint, though
I actually don’t in any way disagree with the substance of what the first class passenger shared — if what you value is an exclusive first class ground experience, then Emirates first class should be avoided. The truth is that Emirates invests massively in its inflight experience, while the ground experience is a totally different story.
I suspect this is partly because of the sheer size of Emirates’ first class fleet. The airline has over 2,200 first class seats across its fleet, so the airline has more than 3x as many first class seats as the next biggest airline with the cabin (British Airways), and nearly 10x as many first class seats as SWISS (the example she gave).
So while I’m not expecting Emirates to have anything comparable to Air France’s La Premiere first class experience anytime soon, I am utterly confused by Emirates’ complete indifference.
For example, Emirates doesn’t even offer priority boarding to first class passengers in New York. First class and business class passengers, as well as Skywards Platinum, Gold, and Silver members, can all board at once. There are 90 first and business class seats, and that doesn’t even account for elite members.
So if you’re traveling in first class, you’re potentially boarding with way over 100 people, potentially as many as would fit on a Boeing 737 (and that says nothing of wheelchair and family pre-boarding). For an airline that has such incredible attention to detail onboard, it does confuse me that the airline just completely overlooks this, as this would be so easy to implement.
Similarly, Emirates has the largest international lounge network of any airline in the world, as the airline spends an immense amount on operating its own lounges at outstations, even in many markets where there’s just one daily flight. That’s clearly a reflection of how the airline likes to manage its customer experience from start to finish.
However, I find it odd that the airline operates these huge outstation lounges, but then doesn’t do anything to offer a special experience for first class passengers. You’d think it would be super easy to partition off a small portion of the lounge for first class passengers, and to offer elevated drinks, perhaps a la carte dining, barista coffee, etc.
I fully agree that I wish this were an area Emirates would invest in, as it’s just so odd to see an airline so focused on the inflight experience, while completely dropping the ball with the ground experience. But of course I’ve also flown Emirates first class many times before, so I know exactly what to expect, and I still think it’s pretty awesome, on balance.
Presumably this traveler hadn’t flown Emirates first class before (or at least recently). If what you value is a seamless first class experience where you’re looked after every step of the way, then Emirates absolutely isn’t for you. That’s an area where Air France has no competition, though even carriers like SWISS and Lufthansa do a better job at outstations where they have lounges.
Bottom line
The woman seated across from me in Emirates first class boarded in an absolutely terrible mood, as she was extremely disappointed by the Emirates first class ground experience. She claimed she usually flew SWISS first class, and if what you care about is a seamless ground experience, I can see how flying Emirates out of New York would be disappointing, by comparison.
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with sharing feedback with a purser. However, I think it’s important to do it nicely, and to make your point and then move on. After all, there are better avenues for sharing this feedback. In terms of the actual core of her message, though, I largely agree.
What do you make of this Emirates first class passenger’s “feedback?”
I will never fly Emirates. I flew business class from Dubai to Barcelona there were only a few passengers on board. The start off the bathroom had not been cleaned and I mean there vomit in the bathroom and then they forgot my meal so the whole trip I only received drinks and they couldn’t accommodate gluten free food. I complained on the flight and was told they didn’t have any food for me as...
I will never fly Emirates. I flew business class from Dubai to Barcelona there were only a few passengers on board. The start off the bathroom had not been cleaned and I mean there vomit in the bathroom and then they forgot my meal so the whole trip I only received drinks and they couldn’t accommodate gluten free food. I complained on the flight and was told they didn’t have any food for me as they couldn’t be sure if it was gluten free. I explained that fresh fruit is gluten free. When I wrote to Emirates they offered me a free flight. I never took up the offer as the business class was so old a substandard compared to Singapore Airlibes that was 2017!
At JFK Emirates boards passengers from the business/first class lounge directly into the plane. I do not understand this complaint or article.
@ Frederika -- The jet bridge from the lounge has been under redevelopment for the past year, and I'm told it will be roughly another year before it reopens. Even when it does open, it doesn't work for all flights -- two Emirates A380s depart around the same time, and only one can use that gate.
I flew Emerates economy to Dubai then Malaysia the food was awful and i felt like because i was in ecomy the white air hostesses were not kind to me at all the food was not good stale rolls looked like food left overs miserable food even stsle slice of cake i was so hingry the Economy food was very little i asked for something extra the hostess was not happy at all the flight...
I flew Emerates economy to Dubai then Malaysia the food was awful and i felt like because i was in ecomy the white air hostesses were not kind to me at all the food was not good stale rolls looked like food left overs miserable food even stsle slice of cake i was so hingry the Economy food was very little i asked for something extra the hostess was not happy at all the flight was very very l9ng from Africa to Malaysia i wad hungry until i got to kuala lumpur we are from Africa we eat more to sustaoin our body types we eat wholesome filling food on the plane they ask you Chicken or fish in economy and i was so scared to ask for a roll ... i felt certain Customers close to me were treated very nicely they we chatting and laughing with them with me the lady serving my area was actually sour. My son travels Ethiopia airways up and down from CANADA and says the foodis very very good and they have a variety and air hostesses are truly wonderful.
Totally agree with you.
My wife and I flew on Emirates business class from Clark, Philippines to Istanbul via Dubai 2 years ago and were quite pleased with the flight crew to and from.
We were however very disappointed with the ground crews, especially when we landed in Dubai, where there was no designated bus, unlike Etihad for business class passengers.
Worse was when we got to the terminal, no one was...
Totally agree with you.
My wife and I flew on Emirates business class from Clark, Philippines to Istanbul via Dubai 2 years ago and were quite pleased with the flight crew to and from.
We were however very disappointed with the ground crews, especially when we landed in Dubai, where there was no designated bus, unlike Etihad for business class passengers.
Worse was when we got to the terminal, no one was there and no signage as to the directions for passengers to go to for their next flight or the lounge or anything else.
I emailed Emirates customer service re our unpleasant experience and not only did they reply promptly, they even offered us 20K Skyward miles.
We just booked a multi-city business class flight to Scandinavia with Emirates to celebrate my wife's birthday and look forward to a great trip starting with our flight in May 2026.
Thank you Emirates
For anyone in the customer servce field, the WORST possilble greeting is "How are you?" or "How is your day going?" and should be avoided at all costs.
A few years ago, I flew from Delhi to Nairobi via Dubai. Due to weather conditions, I missed my connection. The ground service was just terrible and to get a hotel took virtually five hours.
A friend of mine had the same experience last week in the same route for the same reason, and it took hours to get a hotel.
There's no point in getting upset. It doesn't solve anything. I fly Business a lot with my home airline and started noticing really poor food despite charging more than many other airlines in addition to using 2 decades old business seat. Sometimes even charging as much as First class on other airlines. I made it known whenever a flight supervisor engaged or if I get the occasional request for feedback emailed to me. There was...
There's no point in getting upset. It doesn't solve anything. I fly Business a lot with my home airline and started noticing really poor food despite charging more than many other airlines in addition to using 2 decades old business seat. Sometimes even charging as much as First class on other airlines. I made it known whenever a flight supervisor engaged or if I get the occasional request for feedback emailed to me. There was no point getting upset at the flight attendants as they were not the cause of my poor meal. I would go as far as to say, I couldn't blame the caterers or the chefs either if the airline was being miserly. In the end, I accepted that the airline is not going to change just for me and started flying the competition. Today, I enjoy far superior lounge experience worldwide with a superior frequent flyer program than before.
I had a very similar experience recently with a TK flight out of north east. The boarding area was rather narrow, and for a flight with over 300 passengers it became rather chaotic.
TK isn’t widely known for their boarding process anyways. In the end, all the Business class and the TK elite(or above)/Star Alliance Gold passengers boarded first. After the usual wheelchair and any one who needs more time with boarding etc.
However...
I had a very similar experience recently with a TK flight out of north east. The boarding area was rather narrow, and for a flight with over 300 passengers it became rather chaotic.
TK isn’t widely known for their boarding process anyways. In the end, all the Business class and the TK elite(or above)/Star Alliance Gold passengers boarded first. After the usual wheelchair and any one who needs more time with boarding etc.
However this one particular business class “gentleman” was rather furious after the boarding. First they didn’t like the boarding process , then they didn’t like spacious design of the Turkoflot A350 where is there no over head bins in the middle. After learning its supposed AeroFlot aircraft, the passenger had a burst of profanities. One particular flight attendant named Melissa handled the situation extremely professionally. Offered everything she could and at one time even gave the passenger her own phone charger cause their charger wasn’t working.
Again while the complaints were real, it’s the way to express them to flight crew was completely uncalled for.
The woman was wrong in her approach. She was spot on about the ground service. From an airline that claims to have the best first class in the world, it’s not really acceptable. It’s also a strange mix of service. You get a beautiful limo ride to the airport, only to be dropped off and have to walk forever. The number of first class seats has nothing to do with ground logistics. If other airlines...
The woman was wrong in her approach. She was spot on about the ground service. From an airline that claims to have the best first class in the world, it’s not really acceptable. It’s also a strange mix of service. You get a beautiful limo ride to the airport, only to be dropped off and have to walk forever. The number of first class seats has nothing to do with ground logistics. If other airlines can set aside private areas for checkin/security without walking miles, Emirates could to, especially at DXB. Actually would be easier due to higher volume. While I didn’t care about separate lounges, but volume again is a reason to separate. The lounge has to be big enough for large first and business class passengers anyway. I know the logistics problem with so many flights at DXB, but the lounge experience in FCO was so much better!
I agree with the lady if you are paying all that money for first class and business class you should be in a separate queue and separate lounge those people with miles upgrade should be treated differently.I myself experience this when I flew business class no organisation you want to feel special that why you pay all that money thanks
She sounds like a miserable cow.
Emirates First Class ground experience is frequently below par. I regularly fly from Hong Kong, Bangkok, and London, and occasionally NY and Houston. All lounges and boarding are as described in NY. Quite disappointing.
She is absolutely right to feel that way.
She paid a huge amount of money to receive a exceptional experience and she end up with a stressful boarding
Emirates first class is superb from the moment you arrive at the airport and check in right through to the time you leave the arrival airport. Iv experienced it and number of times
What a flog post, maybe mind your own business!
Had a similar experience with Air New Zealand business from Bali to Auckland. The queue at the departure area/security was longer for business/premium etc than economy! I saved my rant for the customer survey...Oh, hold on Air NZ don't have a customer survey. So sent my "survey" to their contact page. Overall quite disappointed with this AirNZ flight.
Curiously, the outrage is focussed upon the operating airline and not the entity which operates the airport. Check in facilities, security arrangements and internal transfer would be the responsibility of the operating entity in conjunction with the airlines.
My heart goes out to you and that passenger for the many hardships you hand and have to endure.
Can’t believe you take yourselves serious .
Karen ?
Hi l went business class with emerites from Glasgow two dubai and had a great journey and excellent service staff was lovely would not hesitate in flying with emerites again keep up the service
Pray for her husband!
Didnt take long for one of these pigs to show up
I have to agree with the complaint on boarding all tiers of Travel in one single line. I have flown over 8 million miles on EK and have been Platinum since the program created the tier and it upset me to be standing behind an economy passenger with a silver tier card
Ooooo! Some might accuse you of being a snob McD, or, not forgetting that overused word …. “Privileged”.
As for me, I simply continue to chill out with Classic Calm FM on Global Player. Shut out the proletariat banter, let them frustrate themselves in line and then wait for me to board at my leisure. I always receive a warm welcome and knowing smile from the airline staff.
Sounds like she had a valid complaint however I would be discreet. Not the crew’s fault however don’t they have iPads in order to proactively take her feedback and forward it ?
It would be simpler for the crew to listen , apologise, ask what they can do during the flight and say they will escalate it.
I had an issue once on an longhaul flight with a European carrier, and the crew...
Sounds like she had a valid complaint however I would be discreet. Not the crew’s fault however don’t they have iPads in order to proactively take her feedback and forward it ?
It would be simpler for the crew to listen , apologise, ask what they can do during the flight and say they will escalate it.
I had an issue once on an longhaul flight with a European carrier, and the crew took down my complaint asked me to review it, and forwarded it.
The ground staff were positively rude ( third party handing ) and also ignored my status whilst I was at the priority counter. Refused to accept my additional bag allowance and made me check it in. In fact it was the second time.
On arrival at my destination I was met by the station manager who was aware and apologised. She was really kind and walked me through arrivals.
That was great and I thought the end of it. Not at all. She asked whether they could arrange a taxi to my hotel and of course I said yes.
The following day an email from the executive office with apologies and 25000 miles. Then on my return trip, 2 weeks later, the same manager was there, recognised me and we chatted. Met by the crew who were very welcoming.
I wasn’t bothered about 25k miles and it was how proactive they were in dealing with my complaint that mattered.
I must agree the boarding procedure of Emmerites is not good. Flying Sydney to Christchurch business class saw all classes boarding at the same time. Was a push and pull experience
Entitlement is an ugly thing
If one is unhappy then you have the right to complain by taking the high ground of humility and stating you case
She should come board an AA New York/Miami flight. She'd really have something to complain about.
So there are people dieing in middle east, Ukraine and the rest of the word but this is what winds her up . I hate sharing the 380 Emirates lounge with first class passengers , since I hate wealthy trash, but I stuck it up
Well said the proletariat preacher, rob.
People like you never fail to make me so pleased that I was able to support myself, my family and also accrue wealth too, all without having to resort to living off state benefits, etc.
You continue to preach your Marxist manifesto rob, the First Class passengers luv watching your hatred eat you up.
I have just flow Qatar from Singapore to Brussels. First flight Qsuite. The lounge in Singapore is really lovely with a la carte dining. Unbeatable. Service onboard makes BA and Lufthansa look like Ryanair. Only ever been on Emirates economy and enjoyed that flight a lot Of course, I am not usually paying for my own flights.
I’ll bet the woman never existed and this is all fabricated to write this.
Totally agree. Never read such a naive premise for article. We won't even start on it's patronising tone.
I just completely wasted a few minutes of my life reading this article. I thought it was going to contain a legitimate grievance about the Airline. The woman ranting on the plane AND the author need a serious wake up call about life.
She sounds like an entitled brat. I feel badly for the FAs just trying to do their jobs!
I’ve never flown Emirates but those I have tried (SQ, JAL, United - back in the day) it was nice but I am perfectly happy with Business class. I don’t get why people pay so much extra for First tbh. But I guess if you’re loaded then sure - why not!
Are there too many ‘Beckhams bling brigade’ type customers now booking into the EK A380 F cabins? Are they now untenable for the discerning travellers? It was always considered to be a decent ride, however, not as nice as EY or our favourite SQ A380 Suites.
The BA A380 F cabin might not be private as one would like, that said, thankfully, no such nausea was experienced on our recent canter down to the RSA....
Are there too many ‘Beckhams bling brigade’ type customers now booking into the EK A380 F cabins? Are they now untenable for the discerning travellers? It was always considered to be a decent ride, however, not as nice as EY or our favourite SQ A380 Suites.
The BA A380 F cabin might not be private as one would like, that said, thankfully, no such nausea was experienced on our recent canter down to the RSA. Luckily, a new experience awaits us in the New Year, when we will take the AF New La Premiere suites for a gallop to SIN. Tally-ho!
In my experiences of being in first class lounges with Emirates, all depend from which country you fly from, in Dubai there's definitely first class lounge is available there. So to in Singapore changi airport, they have a first class lounge out there.
It's a bit like the lounge experience one gets in SFO with Qatar..it's a disgrace, flat out..
Even worse is they tell you you get to use the Air France lounge and you don't yet it's still represented that way on their website. Instead you get plastic cups, 2 shared toilets, no showers, and extremely uncomfortable seats.
I've written nicely worded emails and no response, which is quite typical of Qatar customer service.
I hope Emirates ban Karen's such as her for life.
Children dying from genocide everyday, natural disasters left right and centre and she feels she needs to berate a low paid flight attendant for having to stand in line for a couple of minutes?
I do think she sounded a little over the top, but she was literally asked how her day was going.
Don't ask a question if you don't want to hear the answer.
Qatar Lounges in Doha are a much better experience. I will take them over Emirates any Day now.
Don't go to SFO.
EK invests in the onboard F soft product…and that’s it. The hard product is underwhelming, outstation lounges are terrible and even the DXB F lounge isn’t great, and ground service is lousy. I don’t really get why people are so smitten by EK and why they fall for all the bling. Just smoke and mirrors IMHO.
Int’l version of domestic Delta? Most travelers have been duped.
Name her and shame her !
SHAMEFUL!!!!!!! The more I think about this the angryer I get!! 70% of the globL population does not have clean water access and more than 55% of people are classified as Malnourished and she complains about this??? WTF!
Seeing as there are "multiple criminal charges that she could be convicted of", what do YOU think will happen?
She's a slob. How does she even get in First Class? If I were running the airline, I'd kick her off. I'd look her right in that fat, ugly face of hers and say, 'Piggy, you're out.
For shame!!! What a crazy bitch!!!!!
Little miss piggy boards Emirates A380 first class – a cabin with private suites, onboard shower, and unlimited Dom Perigon – and this is somehow the "worst experience of her life" because the JFK ground ops weren't SWISS-level hand-holding? Give me a break. Pointless whining from someone who's clearly never flown anything less than premium and thinks yelling at the cabin crew (who can't fix airport logistics) makes her look sophisticated.
If I were sitting...
Little miss piggy boards Emirates A380 first class – a cabin with private suites, onboard shower, and unlimited Dom Perigon – and this is somehow the "worst experience of her life" because the JFK ground ops weren't SWISS-level hand-holding? Give me a break. Pointless whining from someone who's clearly never flown anything less than premium and thinks yelling at the cabin crew (who can't fix airport logistics) makes her look sophisticated.
If I were sitting there, I would've love to slap her across the face and tell the piggy, "If you don't like it, you can leave!" Plenty of us would kill for that seat without the princess expectations. Emirates delivers arguably the best inflight first class on earth – if you want escorted security and a private terminal, stick to SWISS and stop ruining the vibe for everyone else.
This kind of entitlement is why airlines are pulling back perks. I'd still take PAL's no-frills ground experience any day for their solid onboard service without the drama queens.
The funny thing is that Swiss themselves don't offer anywhere near that level of service in the vast majority of their outstation airports!
"the worse experience of my life" - i want to puke...
With the exception of AF (that I have had the pleasure of experiencing) and LH and LH (not yet tried), other airlines are on the par with EK on the ground.which is perfectly acceptable.
Perfect - absolutely not, Room for improvement -yuo, "Hideous" - far from it but on the whole, EK offers an excellent travel experience..
in the future, she can always go to JFK via ZRH or MUC but .....
I have always felt emirates on the ground is crap. The outstation lounges are hideous, the Dubai lounges are clinical and you can fire a cannon and not get anyone. Shower rooms in the dubai EK lounges are the worst I've experienced ... they're like saunas. No matter how many comments have been made and nothing changes.
"She swore she’d never fly Emirates first class again."
I've never understood why complainers think saying that is a flex...when you're on the other side, it's exactly what you want to hear, the promise of never seeing that customer again.
Agreed, JDS. That customer is a Bitch.
Some people just don't come back when they swear and I am pretty sure that is the case for her. If I were ek management I would have taken a note and change things because people with money and willing to spend is what ek wants, not point collectors who want a cheap deal yet judge others....money talks
I too have had bad experiences on Emirates, only flown first class once with them and it was a big deal and a lot of money from me, I was in the first seat and my first choice of meal wasn't available, I can remember being really surprised and incredibly disappointed but instead of a rant to anyone I swore, to myself, never to fly with them again - and i haven't. Mindyou this came...
I too have had bad experiences on Emirates, only flown first class once with them and it was a big deal and a lot of money from me, I was in the first seat and my first choice of meal wasn't available, I can remember being really surprised and incredibly disappointed but instead of a rant to anyone I swore, to myself, never to fly with them again - and i haven't. Mindyou this came on top of a number of disappointing flights with them, in my opinion the only way I would ever fly with Emirates again would be in their economy section, you start with low expectations and they are met, with ease.
In Melbourne the Qantas first class lounge is available for Emirates customers. We sent in some polite feedback to Emirates regarding the chauffeur service in Venice this year and they sent back a very personal response and 10000 miles.
The biggest issue I see is that the ground experience is not under the purview of the cabin crew. She's complaining to the wrong people if she wants her feedback to actually be effective.
I don't see how a flight attendant in charge of service and food on the plane can do anything about the lounges or boarding process.
Emirates is a bit overpriced and their crew is not diversified enough! Some flight hosts are annoying. Agree about unpleasant boarding experience!
When people rant about the worst day of their life, and it's not in a hospital or about someone dying ...
I certainly hope so. With the most compassion.
You can have a bad experience and direct feedback correctly without hyperbolizing about how awful life can be.
Emirates first class ground experience is comparable to Silversea pre-cruise experience. Once you are on board Emirates or Silversea, everything is wonderful.
Let's face it. Emirates is a business class oriented airline. First class is just a shower on an A380.
The reality is that she's not wrong. Especially in the U.S. I use the IAD flight in F often enough and the lounge experience is absolutely awful. To the point I go to other lounges to avoid it. The contracted AF lounge just can't handle the number of premium passengers and others for the A380 flight, even when they open the windowless basement spill over. Further, AF does actually have a section for its F...
The reality is that she's not wrong. Especially in the U.S. I use the IAD flight in F often enough and the lounge experience is absolutely awful. To the point I go to other lounges to avoid it. The contracted AF lounge just can't handle the number of premium passengers and others for the A380 flight, even when they open the windowless basement spill over. Further, AF does actually have a section for its F passengers - but for some reason will not open this to EK F passengers...which would be such a simple thing.
With that, I find the inflight experience so great (normally) that I just choose to accept it. It's not the end of the world. But yes, EK could do better in little ways without much effort or cost such as working with AF to open the F section for its passengers.
It’s not like I agree on using customer facing employees like FAs as one’s emotional/complaint dumping ground, but it’s harder to make that argument when the brand kind of encourages it. These airlines encourage a culture of brand cohesion, an emphasis on high quality service, and a “customer first” attitude, or at least that’s what the marketing for Emirates indicate. Emirates, like many similar airlines, is quite strict on the appearance, grooming, and service attitude...
It’s not like I agree on using customer facing employees like FAs as one’s emotional/complaint dumping ground, but it’s harder to make that argument when the brand kind of encourages it. These airlines encourage a culture of brand cohesion, an emphasis on high quality service, and a “customer first” attitude, or at least that’s what the marketing for Emirates indicate. Emirates, like many similar airlines, is quite strict on the appearance, grooming, and service attitude of their FA’s. Of course you’ll get difficult customers in a $15k First Class seat who don’t care about the difference between FA’s and ground staff and management when this is the message about the brand the airline is conveying. Add to the fact the complaints are valid too.
if that's the worst experience of her life... she's living a pretty charmed life.
I just do not see a purser or dedicated F Class FA on Air France, Swiss or JAL start a conversation with a First Class passenger with "How is your day going?" Call me a snob or a time warp from the past, but it is just not done.
Different Premium passengers see different high points in a F Class service. For you it's "Caviar à gogo" and a very expensive champagne, nothing wrong with...
I just do not see a purser or dedicated F Class FA on Air France, Swiss or JAL start a conversation with a First Class passenger with "How is your day going?" Call me a snob or a time warp from the past, but it is just not done.
Different Premium passengers see different high points in a F Class service. For you it's "Caviar à gogo" and a very expensive champagne, nothing wrong with that, for others it will be the ground service preflight and/or on arrival. Some passengers board the plane, go straight to sleep and (maybe !!) ask for a cup of coffee just before landing as they wake up. Different types, different expectations.
On a personal note, I haven't flown "La Première" in a very long time, shall do so next week on a flight leaving JFK at... 11.30 PM (!!), and have a busy afternoon in Paris after landing at 1 PM. I haven't quite decided whether I shall go straight to sleep (seems reasonable) or, on the contrary, enjoy the service (tempting).
The perfect attitude by the purser would have been to message the arrival station (Milan or Dubai) and request, explaining why, a "meet and greet" personal service for that passenger. Somehow, I do not see an Emirates FA or purser doing this, they are not programmed to think of anything happening outside the plane.
Par for the course for the ME3 carriers. When everything is going well, it's glamour and shiny and Instagram. When things don't or you feedback, its deaf ears, as long as you paid they have the money and don't care anymore. Qatar and bus gates with first-then-last-bus boarding for C is another example.
I can commiserate. Flew Etihad Apartments out of ABU, so their home airport, over the summer and was pretty cheesed about the gate/boarding experience. Check-in and security and lounge were all stellar and mimicked the first class ticket status, but then we went to the gate, after being mis-told we could board straight from the business class lounge (we could not - the gate had moved, but no one helped us and we walked back...
I can commiserate. Flew Etihad Apartments out of ABU, so their home airport, over the summer and was pretty cheesed about the gate/boarding experience. Check-in and security and lounge were all stellar and mimicked the first class ticket status, but then we went to the gate, after being mis-told we could board straight from the business class lounge (we could not - the gate had moved, but no one helped us and we walked back and forth for a good 10 min trying to find it), not escorted and left to our own devices to find the gate and figure out how to get in (NOT easy!). Then waited in the same area as an entire A380, which is a LOT of people. The flight was delayed with NO communication (I feel like the lounge agents should've known, as it was actually delayed before we had even left the lounge, but no one told us!), then boarding started EN MASSE with zero separation of the priorities/classes. Total letdown. I did email Etihad but never got a reply. I kinda feel for this lady, as 115k AA miles isn't $10k but hey it feels like it to me!
Grumbling about sub-par service is one thing, calling that sort of thing the worst experience in one's life is quite another and proves that the passenger is a complete idiot. I think that the post is way too kind with that person. I can't comment on AF P, but I have personally experienced the lack of any special services at GRU and EZE flying LH/LX F, an experience which is pretty typical across their outstations...
Grumbling about sub-par service is one thing, calling that sort of thing the worst experience in one's life is quite another and proves that the passenger is a complete idiot. I think that the post is way too kind with that person. I can't comment on AF P, but I have personally experienced the lack of any special services at GRU and EZE flying LH/LX F, an experience which is pretty typical across their outstations if the relevant Flyertalk thread is accurate. It's public transport and the passenger is a fool for spending all that money without having done her research.
I feel bad for the FA in first place, I would not have that courage to answer that morron in that way, even if my job was depending on it.
I'm pretty sure that passenger never ever flew any First before. Yes there are other kind of Carriers with First but I personnaly prefer a good inflight service over a ground service. Why did she even booked an EK ticket if she would have...
I feel bad for the FA in first place, I would not have that courage to answer that morron in that way, even if my job was depending on it.
I'm pretty sure that passenger never ever flew any First before. Yes there are other kind of Carriers with First but I personnaly prefer a good inflight service over a ground service. Why did she even booked an EK ticket if she would have other (better) experiences?? That's the kind of people who just want to come in the daylight with stupid comments.
Raving n ranting is out of bounds. But all her comments on the ground/lounge experience are 100% valid and were endorsed equally by Ben's comments. It is mind boggling how "un-caring" EK is to any feedback it gets on these shortcomings on the ground service. I have commented on it several times and - even as a Platinum twice over - did not ever even get the courtesy of a reply.
LH/LX: been there, done...
Raving n ranting is out of bounds. But all her comments on the ground/lounge experience are 100% valid and were endorsed equally by Ben's comments. It is mind boggling how "un-caring" EK is to any feedback it gets on these shortcomings on the ground service. I have commented on it several times and - even as a Platinum twice over - did not ever even get the courtesy of a reply.
LH/LX: been there, done that. And, yes, their ground service is fantastic with the personal escort to the cabin etc. HOWEVER, get away from JFK, MUC, ZRH, GVA, FRA and the level drops dramatically! As for in-flight service I consider EK superior to both LX and LH.
To each his own, I guess.
Etihad is better. I flew Emirates from AUH-JFK and the lounge check in experience was not great. They did not mention the massage, so only if you knew about it could you get one. The male flight attendants sucked compared to the females in Etihad first and the service was not good. I was dissapointed.
While I can't comment on EY's F as I haven't flown it, I do agree about EK's lounge at DXB. I was lucky enough to fly their First once on a redemption, but the lounge service was a really poor way to start the trip. The reception staff similarly didn't mention anything about the complimentary massage, there was no "have you visited this lounge before?" or attempt to share any info about its facilities. When...
While I can't comment on EY's F as I haven't flown it, I do agree about EK's lounge at DXB. I was lucky enough to fly their First once on a redemption, but the lounge service was a really poor way to start the trip. The reception staff similarly didn't mention anything about the complimentary massage, there was no "have you visited this lounge before?" or attempt to share any info about its facilities. When I asked, I was very bluntly directed to look at the map on the wall. That said, I had a terrific onboard experience that I couldn't really fault in any substantial way, but their lounge service definitely needs an improvement.
It’s mostly fair feedback to be honest, speaking as an Emirates Platinum (who flies in First). It would be an easy, cost free improvement for Emirates to allow First / Platinum to board first. A couple of times they’ve done this in the LHR lounge recently but it’s not standard procedure. There is also no real reason there isn’t an F lounge section with a la carte dining at larger outstations like LHR, JFK, BKK,...
It’s mostly fair feedback to be honest, speaking as an Emirates Platinum (who flies in First). It would be an easy, cost free improvement for Emirates to allow First / Platinum to board first. A couple of times they’ve done this in the LHR lounge recently but it’s not standard procedure. There is also no real reason there isn’t an F lounge section with a la carte dining at larger outstations like LHR, JFK, BKK, SIN etc, there are more than enough F equipped flights to justify it.
The only significantly subpar parts of the Emirates First experience are the outstation lounges and boarding, though (plus Perrier for sparkling water and the coffee). I’d still take Emirates over Swiss given Swiss’s largely mediocre onboard product.
Feankly, I prefer the LH experience of getting on the plane last. If I am going to spend 12/13 on the plane, I am more comfortable relaxing in the lounge.
Would agree with that if the lounge was worth staying in, but Emirates outstation lounges are often quite crowded and have very below par food and wines for First, so I’d rather just turn up at the airport late, spend as little time in the lounge as possible and then board and get settled in instead. Allowing First to board last requires paying someone to escort passengers from the lounge to the gate which would cost money also so even less likely.
Can't wait for this Swiss first class passenger to fly out of ORD and enjoy the exclusive lounge experience there
Gosh, no kidding, hopefully she doesn't grab stale cheese cubes to throw at the flight attendants after the ORD experience...
It's unfortunate to take it out on flight crew. I was thinking more the opposite. I think it's nice to appreciate the staff especially during holiday times. When would be a good time to thank the crew with gift cards for a long-haul flight? Any help is appreciated. Thanks in advance!
Do you also distribute gift cards to nurses and doctors? What about call center agents? Do you dictate the gift card codes to them over the phone on Christmas Eve?
Does the maintenance staff also deserve a gift? And customs officers, border guards, police officers, and our friends at the CDC are surely always happy to receive gifts...
Okay. My answer is a bit blunt.
I wouldn't consider tipping the crew, especially on a long-haul flight.
But in principle, there are several approaches:
1) Give it at the beginning of the flight, or 2) Give it after the flight when disembarking if the service was great, or 3) Give it during preparations for landing.
I wouldn't do it at the beginning because you might send the message that you expect...
Okay. My answer is a bit blunt.
I wouldn't consider tipping the crew, especially on a long-haul flight.
But in principle, there are several approaches:
1) Give it at the beginning of the flight, or 2) Give it after the flight when disembarking if the service was great, or 3) Give it during preparations for landing.
I wouldn't do it at the beginning because you might send the message that you expect special treatment.
After landing, things get hectic and YOUR flight attendant might be at a different door.
So I would give the card shortly before the seat belt signs light up. That gives the FA enough time to say thank you.
Ask loaded questions, get loaded answers. I mean, if I pay 15k+ in cash for a first class flight, I'm going on an epic fucking rant too. Worldstar worthy.
Alonzo foul mouth ranter …. yes, you dipstick!
I’m having my rant at you now, in public to illustrate how easy it is to make one’s point without resorting to the use of expletives.
Why on earth do commentators allow themselves to be reduced to the lowest form of humanity, simply because they are anonymous? Beats me why Ben, has not slapped you down for lowering the tone of this website.
Your “Epic...
Alonzo foul mouth ranter …. yes, you dipstick!
I’m having my rant at you now, in public to illustrate how easy it is to make one’s point without resorting to the use of expletives.
Why on earth do commentators allow themselves to be reduced to the lowest form of humanity, simply because they are anonymous? Beats me why Ben, has not slapped you down for lowering the tone of this website.
Your “Epic rant” is about as far from “Worldstar worth” as one can possibly get, don’t you know! You represent yourself as being a lowlife foul mouthed nobody, who could never dream of elevating oneself beyond the economy low cost carriers.
Bad form old bean, don’t you know, yes?
What is “Worldstar?”
What the hell are you talking about Alonzo?! Settle down, you dirtbag!
A clear case of the kettle calling the frying pan black, yes Jessy?
Given that she usually flies Swiss, of course anything else will disappoint
I agree except that Swiss’ hard on board product is inferior. I am looking forward to trying their new A350 experience next month.
But yes, LX ground staff in BOS, ZRH and GVA tend to be quite good.
Read the Emirates Conditions of Carriage. "Passengers agree that when a flight attendant asks them how their day is going, it is not intended to elicit any comments about the actual quality of service provided up to that point by Emirates, and to refrain from remarks that tend in that direction. Furthermore, First Class passengers are aware that Emirates has ten times as many seats as some competitors, and therefore should be expected to provide...
Read the Emirates Conditions of Carriage. "Passengers agree that when a flight attendant asks them how their day is going, it is not intended to elicit any comments about the actual quality of service provided up to that point by Emirates, and to refrain from remarks that tend in that direction. Furthermore, First Class passengers are aware that Emirates has ten times as many seats as some competitors, and therefore should be expected to provide only 10% of comparable services."
She was obviously frustrated and I don't see anything wrong with her complaint. Based on what you say - I would be too. Not flown Emirates - so all I can say is WOW to such bad service. I have flown out of Dubia when Qantas code shared with them - so I have experienced the boarding from the First Lounge (or Business) via elevator direct to the plane. Of course others provide car service...
She was obviously frustrated and I don't see anything wrong with her complaint. Based on what you say - I would be too. Not flown Emirates - so all I can say is WOW to such bad service. I have flown out of Dubia when Qantas code shared with them - so I have experienced the boarding from the First Lounge (or Business) via elevator direct to the plane. Of course others provide car service to the plane like LH, AF, etc. At least on Qantas (out of Syndey) you can get an escort to the gate and bypass the lines - QF has 14 F same as EK's 14.
It's JFK T4. Better than T1 but eh, JFK really sucks (in winter even more so).
Well, EWR EK situation is even more pathetic.
I don't normally agree with ranting and raving about poor service BUT...she got your attention AND you wrote an article about so maybe there will be an improvement in the ground service.