Emirates is known for its excellent inflight first class experience. The airline has now made a nice improvement to its ground experience, which premium passengers will no doubt appreciate.
New Emirates first class check-in at DXB Terminal 3
Emirates has officially opened a new first class check-in facility at Terminal 3 of Dubai International Airport (DXB), which is available to Emirates first class passengers and Emirates Skywards Platinum members. The check-in experience has been upgraded with a new design and more seating, to offer a better check-in process.
Here’s how Emirates describes the design of the new facility, in a press release:
With a neutral palette of warm earth tones subtly blended with accents of Emirates’ signature rich bronze and gold, Emirates First is both visually relaxing and luxurious to the eye, offering a serene escape from the hustle and bustle of the airport. While grand columns flank the space, wooden floors are mixed with elegant marble flooring, while soft carpeting lies underfoot in the seating areas, and plush leather and soft fabric armchairs and sofas await. In a nod to Emirates’ premium First Class Lounges, renowned Emirates’ Rolex clocks indicate the time in major world cities and adorn a feature wall behind a podium with an extravagant fresh flower arrangement. Echoing the iconic interior cabins of Emirates’ newest aircraft, a magnificent back lit Ghaf Tree honours the national tree of the UAE. Within the new area, all digital screens and advertising have been removed, soft integrated lighting has been curated to ensure a tranquil ambience, and natural greenery adds a soothing yet vibrant touch.
Here’s how Adel al Redha, Emirates’ Chief Operating Officer, describes this new facility:
“We invest heavily in upgrading our ground products, and Emirates First is one of the areas that will offer a unique and private environment to our First Class customers and Skywards Platinum members. We know our customers value privacy and convenience, and this will provide another level of hospitality to the check-in experience, as part of our efforts to continuously uplift the overall travel journey.”
“Now, our customers can enjoy a sleek transfer with our Chauffeur Drive Service, a swift check-in at the exclusive Emirates First, explore a world-class lounge before boarding, and relax into a multi award-winning inflight experience with Emirates.”
This looks like a nice improvement, but it’s still not great
Credit to Emirates, this new first class check-in facility looks like a big improvement over the old one. The old check-in facility wasn’t really differentiated in any way, and just felt sterile, and not what you’d expect for first class. Really, the first and business class check-in facilities were basically identical.
This new check-in area is certainly more elegant and feels more exclusive, given that it’s actually separated from the rest of the terminal. At the same time, the ground experience is still the weakest point of the Emirates first class experience (which is otherwise very strong):
- Emirates offers an escort for connections when traveling in first class, but not if originating or terminating in Dubai
- The actual process of getting from check-in to the first class lounge still isn’t that seamless, as it’s quite a trek
- The primary Emirates First Lounge is impressive for its scale, but otherwise isn’t among the best in the world
- Ultimately many first class passengers can bypass check-in altogether thanks to mobile boarding passes, and if you do stop at check-in, hopefully it’s just for a minute, so you can drop your bags
Part of the reason the first class ground experience isn’t that great simply comes down to the scale of Emirates’ first class operation. The airline has, by far, the world’s largest first class network. The airline offers first class on nearly 200 planes, and operates nearly 27,000 first class seats per week.
Of course it’s a little harder to provide a personalized first class experience when you have so many passengers to take care of. So it’s quite a contrast to the Air France La Premiere ground experience, for example. Then again, whatever shortcomings Emirates has on the ground, it makes up for with its onboard wine list. I find the Emirates first class inflight experience to be among the best in the world.
To Emirates’ credit, the airline does provide chauffeur service, which is a great perk, though it’s available to both first and business class. Personally, I wish the airline would instead invest a little more in the airport experience.
Bottom line
Emirates has opened a new first class check-in facility at Dubai Airport. The new check-in space is more private and luxurious than the old one, and it features seating, and a more elegant design. I still wouldn’t call the Emirates first class airport ground experience to be particularly great, though this is an improvement.
What do you make of Emirates’ new first class check-in facility?
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