Review: New Emirates Boeing 777 First Class (IAD-DXB)

Review: New Emirates Boeing 777 First Class (IAD-DXB)

FROM: IAD
TO: DXB
CABIN: First
DATE: April 2022
REVIEW RATING:
SEAT MAP: 777-300 ER V.5
BEN SAYS: Emirates' new Boeing 777 first class is the best in the world, with a huge amount of personal space, privacy, and endless gadgets and amenities. What a treat to fly this on a 12+ hour flight, without any other passengers in the cabin.
76

To kick off our trip to the Maldives, we flew Emirates’ spectacular “new” first class from Washington to Dubai. While the product was introduced in late 2017 (over four years ago), only nine planes feature these cabins, and they fly a very limited number of routes.

I reviewed Emirates’ new first class shortly after it launched, but only on the (fairly) short flight between Dubai and Brussels. I was looking forward not only to seeing how this product was holding up (given that I rank it the best in the world), but also putting it to the test on a much longer flight.

This flight was simply incredible — we had the cabin to ourselves, but there were also some service “quirks.”

How I booked our Emirates first class tickets

Often I lock in award tickets pretty last minute, given that airlines tend to release lots of award seats as the departure date approaches. We had a date where we needed to be in the Maldives, though I was surprised by how few award flight options there were.

Fortunately a few days before departure, one really awesome option popped up in first class. I booked the following, with both segments in first class:

04/16 EK232 Washington to Dubai departing 11:00AM arriving 8:10AM (+1 day)
04/20 EK658 Dubai to Male departing 4:20AM arriving 9:30AM

Okay, I’m not going to lie, the 4:20AM departure on 4/20 had me giggling (and that also happens to be my birthday).

The itinerary cost 160,000 Emirates Skywards miles plus $817 in taxes and carrier imposed surcharges per person. Now, a few things to note:

  • Emirates recently increased fuel surcharges significantly, so I hated paying those, but I figured for the Emirates first class experience it would be worth it (especially when you consider British Airways charges similar amounts for a one-way business class ticket from New York to London, and there’s no opportunity to recoup that with caviar and Dom Perignon) 😉
  • Emirates allows free stopovers on one-way Flex Plus awards, so we could get that stopover in Dubai for a couple of nights for “free”
  • What made this most exciting was that Washington to Dubai is the one route to the United States currently featuring Emirates’ new first class, and at the time of booking no one else was even booked in the six seat cabin (and indeed we ended up having the cabin all to ourselves)

The great thing about Emirates Skywards is that the miles are quite easy to come by. Skywards is transfer partners with all major transferable points currencies, including Amex Membership RewardsCapital OneChase Ultimate Rewards, and Citi ThankYou.

Emirates first class check-in, lounge, & boarding

For what it’s worth, we had flown to the area the night before, and spent the night at the Hyatt Regency Dulles Airport. Sadly our Tampa to Washington flight was significantly delayed, and we had a very short night, or else I would have reviewed the hotel. So this is where we’ll start…

We arrived at Washington Dulles at around 8:30AM for our 11AM flight to Dubai. While the check-in hall was pretty empty overall, the Emirates check-in area was packed.

Washington Dulles Airport check-in hall

There were lots of people in the economy line, though no wait in the first and business class line. We were helped immediately, and within a couple of minutes we were issued boarding passes to Dubai. It’s so nice that there’s no longer a testing requirement for vaccinated travelers to Dubai, so we just had to show our vaccine cards.

Emirates check-in Washington Dulles Airport (IAD)
Emirates check-in Washington Dulles Airport (IAD)

Emirates uses the Air France-KLM Lounge Washington Dulles as its contract lounge, which I reviewed in a separate post. Our flight was departing from gate A20, though premium passengers boarded via gate A22 (the airline uses two separate gates for boarding, which ultimately lead to the same jet bridge).

While looking at the plane, I couldn’t help but notice the registration code — A6-EQI — this was the same plane involved in the “incident” that happened in December 2021, on the same route in the other direction (from Dubai to Washington).

Emirates Boeing 777-300ER Washington Dulles Airport (IAD)

Our flight was scheduled to board at 10:30AM (30 minutes before departure), but that ended up being delayed because the inbound aircraft was a bit late. The whole boarding process was chaotic, largely due to lack of communication from the ground staff.

At 10:40AM boarding began for those needing extra time, then Zone C was invited to board, then Zone D was invited to board, and then at 10:55AM all premium passengers were invited to board at once. If you’re going to board economy before first & business class, it would at least be nice to explain that, so that there’s not confusion.

Emirates boarding Washington Dulles Airport (IAD)

Emirates new 777 first class cabin & seats

We boarded through the second set of doors, where we were greeted by one of the supervisors and then escorted to our seats in first class. I had assigned us seats 2F & 2K, so we went to the far aisle, and then turned left.

To the left of the second set of doors are two rows of business class, in a 2-3-2 configuration. While Emirates’ “new” 777s have a slightly updated business class, it’s not much better than Emirates’ standard (disappointing) 777 business class.

Emirates Boeing 777 business class cabin

Emirates’ latest Boeing 777 first class, on the other hand, is simply incredible. The cabin consists of just six seats, in a 1-1-1 configuration. The suites are enclosed floor-to-ceiling, so they offer a level of privacy beyond what you find in your “standard” first class suite.

The way the configuration works, you have two window seats on each side. Then the center seat in the first row opens up to the left aisle, while the center seat in the second row opens up to the right aisle. So if you’re traveling together and want to be as close to your companion as possible, I’d recommend selecting 1A & 1E or 2F & 2K. Personally I’d prefer row two, since the suites in row two are a bit more spacious due to the curvature of the plane.

Emirates Boeing 777 first class cabin
Emirates Boeing 777 first class cabin

Our flight started on a strange note. As mentioned above, I had assigned us seats 2F & 2K (and crews can see seat assignments on their tablets, so the crew should have known that). Yet when I arrived at seat 2F, there was a bunch of stuff already in the suite

So I looked for the flight attendant…

“Hi, I think this is my seat?”
“Oh, you don’t want to sit in a window seat?”
“No, I’d like to sit here, please, if that’s okay.”
“The window seats are much better, you don’t want that?”
“I’d really like to try the virtual windows, as I did a window seat the last time I flew this configuration. We also want to sit as close to one another as possible.”
“Are you sure? Okay…”

She then proceeded to spend a couple of minutes removing all of her stuff from the suite and instead putting it in a different one. It sort of reminded me of when I flew Saudia first class from Dubai to Riyadh, and was accused of taking “the supervisor’s seat” (which also happened to be my assigned seat).

After the flight attendant removed her stuff from the suite, she set it up mostly as it should be, and then said “oh, I forgot something.” She ran and got the duty free magazine, and didn’t just place it at my seat, but gave us both a duty free sales pitch that rivals the American Airlines inflight credit card sales pitch.

She talked about how many amazing things there were in the catalogue, and in particular about all the perfumes. She also claimed that Emirates was having its biggest duty free sale ever, and that everything was 20% off, but only for 24 more hours. As it turns out, none of that was true — apparently the prices listed already reflected all the savings, yet oddly my flight a few days later had exactly the same pricing.

Ford and I both looked at one another and said that we better buy something onboard if we want to get good service. Anyway, odd start, but back to the gorgeous first class cabin…

Last time I flew Emirates’ new first class I sat in a window seat, so Ford took that seat this time (in this case, 2K). It was as I remembered, though the leather is definitely looking a bit more stretched out and worn than when the product was introduced. Furthermore, there are supposed to be binoculars at the seat, but the crew didn’t put those out (this wasn’t the most “by the book” crew, to put it mildly).

Emirates Boeing 777 first class seat
Emirates Boeing 777 first class seat

I assigned myself the center seat, 2F. It’s rare that I’d voluntarily choose a center seat, but in Emirates’ new first class I make an exception. Why? Because the center seats are a bit more spacious (due to the curvature of the fuselage along the window seats), and most importantly because of the ridiculously awesome virtual windows.

There’s so much to love about this product, from the privacy to the endless gadgets. Emirates’ new first class is definitely a product where the iPhone wide angle camera comes in handy. As you can see, each suite almost feels like an enclosed train compartment, or something. The seat finishes are inspired by Mercedes-Benz.

Emirates first class suite Boeing 777
Emirates first class suite Boeing 777

Each seat has a 32″ high definition touchscreen TV, which is about as good as a personal entertainment screen on a plane will get.

Emirates first class suite Boeing 777

On each side of the TV is a minibar, containing a variety of drinks and some snacks.

Emirates first class suite Boeing 777

Immediately in front of the TV is a vanity, which has a mirror, a writing kit, and some creams. This can be folded down when you’re not using it, so that the TV isn’t obstructed.

Emirates first class suite vanity

The tray table can be extended from underneath the TV, and easily slides in and out.

Emirates first class suite tray table

To the left side of the tray table are AC, USB, and HDMI outlets.

Emirates first class suite power outlets

Then to the left of the seat is a large tablet that can be used to control just about everything — you can use this to select your preferred entertainment, to order room service, to control lighting in the suite, etc.

Emirates first class entertainment & suite controls

That’s right, you can “call room service” from your tablet, including being able to video call the crew to place an order, if you’d like.

Emirates first class room service

What’s also fun about that tablet is that you can track your flight on there while you’re watching a movie or TV show on the main screen.

Underneath the table are the seat controls, allowing you to control the window shades, lighting, and more.

Also in the left armrest is another entertainment controller. I’m not sure exactly why this is needed, since the screen itself is touchscreen, and then there’s also the tablet. It’s not often you a see a triple redundant inflight entertainment feature!

Emirates first class suite entertainment controls

On the right armrest are some basic seat controls, where you can choose from a few seating pre-sets.

Emirates first class suite seat controls

On the right side of the seat is yet another monitor, which controls many of the suite functions. This allows you to control the lighting, the color, and the temperature in the suite. It also allows you to choose the “do not disturb” mode, and to see if the lavatory is occupied.

Emirates first class suite controls

When it comes to the temperature controls, you can’t turn on air conditioning, but you can turn the heat up or down. I always just turn it down all the way, and then thanks to the multiple air nozzles in the suite, the temperature and airflow are great.

Emirates first class suite temperature controls

Then you can also choose your own mood lighting, which impacts much of the “trim” lighting.

Emirates first class suite color controls

How cool is this?!

Emirates first class mood lighting
Emirates first class mood lighting
Emirates first class mood lighting

The Emirates first class suite also has a good amount of storage. At the front right of the seat is a huge compartment that can fit a standard size carry-on bag.

Emirates first class suite storage

Then in the back right of the seat is a closet, where you could hang clothes, or store smaller bags.

Emirates first class suite closet

I’ll talk more about the virtual windows in a bit, but you’ve gotta love how there are even “curtains” in front of the virtual windows.

Emirates first class suite virtual windows

I’d note that in addition to the standard sliding door, there’s also an opening at the front of the seat that can be opened or closed. In theory the crew could serve food & drinks through that opening, for those passengers who want privacy (typically for religious reasons).

Emirates Boeing 777 first class suite exterior

Emirates’ new first class is simply spectacular. I find this to be the single best first class product in the world, as the space is just so well utilized.

I should mention that admittedly this product isn’t ideal if you’re traveling with someone, since you can’t really sit or dine together. Ford and I were seated across from one another, and with our doors both opening we could definitely talk, though we had to raise our voices a bit.

Emirates new 777 first class bathrooms

One major downside of the 777 compared to the A380 is the bathroom situation (and this is of course very much a “first world problem”). While Emirates’ A380s have shower suites, the 777 just has two first class bathrooms that are pretty standard. One is a fairly decent size.

Emirates first class bathroom Boeing 777
Emirates first class bathroom Boeing 777

It’s kind of funny to me how there are single-use soap bars, especially when there’s also liquid soap.

Emirates first class bathroom amenities Boeing 777

There are also some BVLGARI fragrances.

Emirates first class bathroom amenities Boeing 777

The other bathroom is a bit smaller, and it’s the bathroom that crews are generally supposed to use.

Emirates first class bathroom Boeing 777

Emirates first class amenities

After settling in and getting our duty free sales pitch, we were offered pre-departure drinks. While Emirates serves Dom Perignon in first class, this is only available after takeoff when departing the United States, since Emirates doesn’t want to pay the taxes for serving it on the ground. So Veuve Clicquot is instead served on the ground. I had one glass, though wanted to pace myself. There was also a face mask and some hand sanitizer at each seat.

Emirates first class pre-departure champagne

We were then offered the standard Emirates first class amenities. This includes Emirates’ (allegedly) moisturizing pajamas, slippers, and eyeshades.

Emirates first class pajamas & slippers

Then there was the BVLGARI amenity kit, which was very well stocked, and had everything from a shaving kit, to a dental kit, to a comb, to several kinds of lotion.

Emirates first class amenity kit

Also waiting in our suite upon boarding were noise canceling Bowers & Wilkins headphones.

Emirates first class headphones

Toward the end of boarding we were offered Arabic coffee, dates, and warm towels. For dates, there was the choice between plain, almond, or orange.

Emirates first class Arabic coffee & dates
Emirates first class warm towel

Emirates departure from Washington Dulles

At 11:15AM boarding was complete, and we were thrilled that we had the first class cabin all to ourselves (even though the flight was full in business class and mostly full in economy class).

At this point the captain made his welcome aboard announcement. It was an international crew up front, as the pilots were from South Africa, Greece, Canada, and Moldova. One of the captains informed us of our flight time of 12hr30min, and our cruising altitude of 35,000 feet. He apologized for our late departure, but said they’d try to make up some time enroute.

We started our pushback at 11:20AM, at which point the safety video was screened. This was my first time sitting in a middle seat in Emirates’ new first class, and therefore was my first time really experiencing Emirates’ virtual windows.

Emirates’ two center first class suites on the new 777s have virtual windows (in row one they’re on the right, in row two they’re on the left), and they’re so darn cool. Thanks to cameras on the side of the plane, the windows show exactly what you’d see if you were seated in a window seat.

It’s unbelievable how realistic they are, and I actually preferred these to real windows:

  • It can be hard to take pictures out of real window seats due to glare, while that’s not an issue with these seats
  • When it’s time to sleep, you can make the cabin truly dark, with zero light seeping through
  • There’s the general novelty of, I don’t know, looking at FAKE WINDOWS ON A REAL AIRPLANE!

My eyes were glued to the windows even more than they’d usually be, which is saying something.

Emirates first class virtual windows Boeing 777
Emirates first class virtual windows Boeing 777

By 11:35AM we were cleared for takeoff from runway 30. We had a long takeoff roll (not as long as on that Dubai to Washington flight… too soon?), and a gradual climb out.

Emirates first class virtual windows Boeing 777
Emirates first class virtual windows Boeing 777
Emirates first class virtual windows Boeing 777
Emirates first class virtual windows Boeing 777

The seatbelt sign was turned off about 10 minutes after takeoff.

Emirates 777 first class entertainment & Wi-Fi

Emirates is known for its incredible ICE entertainment system (with “ICE” standing for information, communication, and entertainment). The entertainment selection is truly endless, whether you’re looking to watch movies or TV shows.

Emirates ICE entertainment system
Emirates ICE entertainment system
Emirates ICE entertainment system
Emirates ICE entertainment system
Emirates ICE entertainment system
Emirates ICE entertainment system
Emirates ICE entertainment system
Emirates ICE entertainment system

As an avgeek, my favorite part of Emirates’ entertainment system is of course tracking the progress of the flight.

Emirates ICE entertainment system

While not as cool as the tail camera you’ll find on A380s, Emirates’ 777s do have a nose camera, which can be fun to watch during takeoff and landing.

Emirates ICE entertainment system
Emirates ICE entertainment system
Emirates ICE entertainment system

Emirates also has Wi-Fi on its Boeing 777s, powered by OnAir. The pricing is as follows:

  • An unlimited Wi-Fi pass with no data caps costs $19.99 (or $11.99 if you’re buying an additional pass)
  • An unlimited messaging pass with no data caps costs $5.99 (or $2.99 if you’re buying an additional pass)
  • A 30 minute pass with no data caps costs $6.99
Emirates Wi-Fi pricing Boeing 777

Fortunately Emirates offers free Wi-Fi to first class passengers who are also Skywards members (and you can switch between devices). So make sure you have your Emirates Skywards number on your reservation so that you can get free Wi-Fi when you connect. I find it a bit strange that Emirates charges non-Skywards members traveling in first class, though I guess the airline wants to incentivize people to join the loyalty program.

Emirates Wi-Fi pricing Boeing 777

The bad news about Emirates Wi-Fi is that it’s slow. OnAir is about as slow as inflight Wi-Fi gets. The good news is that data isn’t split between quite as many people on the 777 as on the A380, so the Wi-Fi wasn’t totally unusable. But I also wouldn’t plan on being all that productive when flying Emirates, assuming you’re relying on data.

Emirates first class menu & wine list

About 15 minutes after takeoff, the purser passed through the cabin to give us greet us and present us with the menus. That was one of the few interactions we had with her. Typically the purser greets passengers before takeoff and again prior to landing, but that didn’t happen here.

Emirates first class menu & wine list

Emirates has a dine on demand menu in first class on long haul flights, and on this flight food options included breakfast, lunch & dinner, and then a light bites selection. You can find the menu below.

Emirates first class menu
Emirates first class menu
Emirates first class menu
Emirates first class menu

You can find the juice, soft drink, cocktail, and mocktail list below.

Emirates first class drink list
Emirates first class drink list
Emirates first class drink list

Then below you can find the wine list.

Emirates first class wine list
Emirates first class wine list
Emirates first class wine list
Emirates first class wine list

Emirates first class lunch service

About 20 minutes after takeoff we had our first class glass of Dom Perignon, which was served with some warm mixed nuts. Yum.

Emirates first class lunch — champagne & mixed nuts

We then had some canapés, in this case developed in partnership with Dom Perignon chef Marco Fadiga. This included buffalo mozzarella with pea cream and smoked olive oil, salmon with panko herb crumble, and bresola with feta and cinnamon poached pear. All were delicious.

Emirates first class lunch — champagne & canapés

Next up we both had the caviar to start. We were asked if we wanted a double portion, as the cabin was fully catered for six passengers. We declined, since we figured we’d have some more later instead. Emirates has some of the best caviar service of any airline, in my opinion (in terms of the caviar itself and the presentation). We accompanied the caviar with some chilled vodka.

Emirates first class lunch — caviar
Enjoying Emirates first class, maybe a little too much

We were also offered a bread basket to go along with the meal, which included toast, garlic bread, rolls, and more.

Emirates first class lunch — bread basket

While I almost always order the Arabic mezze after the caviar, I decided to mix it up, and order the pickled lobster with fennel puree and cherry tomato confit.

Emirates first class lunch — appetizer

For my main course I ordered the pan-roasted Pacific rockfish. It was perfectly okay, but I can’t say that the presentation or food as such was amazing, or was in line with what you’d typically get in a top international first class.

Emirates first class lunch — main course

Ford ordered the chicken mandi, which was roasted chicken in an Emirati spice marinade, served on rice with cashew and pine nuts. He said it was tasty, but again, the presentation wasn’t exactly amazing.

Emirates first class lunch — main course

Lastly, for dessert I had the apple pie with custard and mascarpone, which I enjoyed.

Emirates first class lunch — dessert

We enjoyed the meal at a leisurely pace, given that it was a long flight and we also weren’t tired yet. The caviar and Dom Perignon were excellent, while I’d say the rest of the meal was pretty lackluster, in terms of presentation and taste (don’t get me wrong, it was still good for airplane food, but compared to the other best food you’ll find in international first class…).

Emirates new 777 first class bed

After lunch it was time for a nap, so we asked to have our beds made. First of all, how gorgeous is the lighting in Emirates cabins?! I particularly love the “stars” on the ceiling.

Emirates Boeing 777 first class cabin with mood lighting

It was the purser who made our beds (since the other crew wasn’t in the cabin anymore — I think one flight attendant was resting, and I’m guessing the other was trying to sell duty free in other cabins). On the one hand, this was the sloppiest turn down service I’ve ever seen on Emirates. On the other hand, how darn cozy and comfortable is this suite?

Emirates first class bed Boeing 777

Emirates’ new first class suite has incredible padding, and is exceptionally spacious. While Emirates’ first class suite isn’t as big as Singapore’s A380 Suites, the space is utilized more efficiently.

Emirates first class bed Boeing 777

I think what equally contributes to the coziness is that the suite closes fully, so you won’t find more privacy than this in any first class product (I suppose Air France La Premiere offers a similar amount of privacy when curtains are drawn).

Emirates first class suite privacy
Emirates first class suite spaciousness

For a while I still enjoyed the full view from the virtual windows.

Emirates first class virtual windows

Just like the window seats, you can lower the blinds while still allowing some (fake) light in.

Emirates first class virtual window shades

Or you can draw the blackout shades, so that you have true darkness (and since you’re facing a wall and these windows are fake, it’s actually fully dark).

Emirates first class virtual window shades

I was surprised to find that I managed to sleep for nearly four hours, and woke up over Germany. Mentally the way I think of the Washington to Dubai flight is that it’s like a daytime flight from Washington to London, and then an overnight flight from London to Dubai (and that even roughly matches the routing). So at this point we were over halfway to Dubai.

Map enroute to Dubai
Map enroute to Dubai

It was already dark outside, as we were starting the “redeye” portion of the flight.

Emirates first class virtual window shades

Emirates first class snack

Now that I was wide awake, the first order of business was to hydrate (a lot). I had at least a couple of liters of water, which helped with my ever-so-slight headache. 😉

Emirates first class water & chocolates

About an hour later I figured it was time for another snack, and Ford was awake as well. So we both ordered more caviar, and we figured we had to accompany that with some more champagne. Chilled vodka was also offered proactively.

Emirates first class snack — caviar

I decided to order the vegetable burrito with refried beans, jalapeños, guacamole, cheese, and sour cream, with tomato salsa.

Emirates first class snack — burrito

Ford had the sriracha tofu poke bowl.

Emirates first class snack — poke bowl

Emirates first class pre-arrival meal

I spent a couple of hours working and watching TV shows, and soon enough we were over Iraq, just over two hours from landing. At this point we made a pretty sharp turn, as is standard in this area.

Emirates airshow enroute to Dubai

The sun was slowly starting to rise, so I checked out the nose camera. I noticed there was an Airbus A380 we were flying behind. How cool!

Emirates Boeing 777 nose camera enroute to Dubai
Emirates Boeing 777 nose camera enroute to Dubai

Unfortunately it kept getting further and further away, since the A380 flies a bit faster than the 777. The plane was bound for Dubai as well, though.

I decided to order a cappuccino, which had the Emirates logo stenciled on it — cute! I was offered a couple of biscottis, some chocolates, and a warm towel, to go along with it.

Emirates first class pre-arrival meal — cappuccino

A bit later I ordered a cup of coffee, and was given a couple of pastries as well.

Emirates first class pre-arrival meal — coffee

Lastly, about 90 minutes before landing I ordered some breakfast. Specifically, I ordered the oatmeal and chia in coconut milk, and had some fresh fruit to accompany it.

Emirates first class pre-arrival meal — breakfast

Ford had the poached eggs with hollandaise, turkey, and spinach.

Emirates first class pre-arrival meal — breakfast

Emirates first class service

I hinted at some aspects of the inflight service above, but let me expand on that a bit. Ultimately we interacted with the purser and the two first class flight attendants. One first class flight attendant was perfectly good — he was by the book, responsive, and followed the standard service procedures.

The rest of the crew was a different story. At Emirates, pursers have quite a bit of responsibility and power, and they very much set the tone for the flight, including the service onboard. The purser on this flight was probably the least hard-working purser I’ve had on Emirates.

Like I said, she came by once after takeoff to give us the menus, but that was it. It’s not even that she was in business class managing things there a whole lot, but rather she spent most of the flight either seated in the jumpseat in first class or even seated in an “office” she set up in one of the other first class suites.

In my experience if a purser is sitting in the jumpseat and you go to the bathroom, they’ll be the first to address you by name, ask how the flight is going, ask if there’s anything they can get you, etc. There was none of that. She just sat there and came across as incredibly apathetic.

Then there was the other first class flight attendant. She was hilarious and a good time, but I think that’s also in part because we were being fun. However, she was also not especially professional, to put it mildly. That tone was set when we boarded the flight, and she already set up all her things in “my” suite and tried to get me to move, rather than apologizing.

It’s pretty clear that she was primarily onboard to sell duty free items at any cost, and I suppose that’s fair enough, because on each flight there’s a dedicated duty free sales person, and Emirates creates quite an incentive to sell. But that also shouldn’t come in the form of making up promotions and pressuring people to buy. I’ll just leave it at that…

Emirates arrival in Dubai

At 7:20AM Dubai time, the first officer was on the PA to inform us that we’d be landing in around 40 minutes, and would start our descent within 10 minutes.

Airshow approaching Dubai

The seatbelt sign was turned on around 20 minutes later, so the cabin was prepared for arrival. I was back to just enjoying the virtual windows nonstop.

View approaching Dubai
View approaching Dubai
View approaching Dubai
View approaching Dubai
View approaching Dubai
View approaching Dubai

We had a beautifully smooth touchdown at 7:55AM on runway 30L at DXB.

Nose camera view approaching Dubai

From there we had a roughly 10 minute taxi to our arrival gate, where we pulled in at 8:05AM.

Taxiing Dubai Airport (DXB)
Arrival gate Dubai Airport (DXB)
Emirates Boeing 777-300ER upon arrival in Dubai (DXB)

While it was quite a distance to get to the arrivals hall, there was no queue at immigration. Furthermore, I was impressed that our bags were the first two on the belt — it’s nice when priority tags actually work!

Arrivals hall at Dubai Airport (DXB)
Baggage claim at Dubai Airport (DXB)

Bottom line

What a memorable flight this was. Emirates’ newest Boeing 777 first class is spectacular, with an unbelievable amount of personal space, and endless amenities and gadgets. The icing on the cake was that we had the cabin all to ourselves.

Was everything perfect? No. The food certainly wasn’t the best I’ve had on Emirates (though a double caviar portion didn’t hurt), and the service wasn’t as polished as I’ve otherwise had on Emirates. Nonetheless this was a really, really exceptionally fun flight. Emirates’ new first class on a long haul flight is very good.

I’m giving this flight five stars not because everything about the service or food was perfect, but rather because I don’t think the flight could have been much more enjoyable.

If you’ve flown Emirates’ new first class, what was your experience like?

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  1. Tommy Guest

    Travelled on A380 first class long haul. Seat quite narrow and seat controls confusing to use. Food excellent. It was
    a bit warm and dropping the temperature a bit more would have helped. Pillows not firm enough. Helpful crew

  2. Frank Gaster Guest

    Cabin temperature too warm. It was 23c and not conducive to good nights sleep in first class. After several requests, Purser reduced it to 22c which is still too warm and ideally should be 20/21c for sleeping.

  3. Maryland Guest

    Lovely presentation for the caviar & coffee. Somehow the other food looked rather unappetizing. As in perhaps it was plated not as it should have been, but in an uncaring manner. And your bed! Uncaring presentation again. You hinted there were some minor infractions. You had every right for a complaint! And why are they allowing the FA to use the valuable cabin real estate! And no discussion about why her stuff was in your assigned space!

  4. Sam Guest

    EWR TO ATH BEWARE. Anyone that has booked miles business class ticket and wants to upgrade to first using miles at check-in counter, beware. They denied us that option but wanted us to buy the upgrade instead for $2K a pop. Even though 2 seats were available they told us only one was and even then they didn’t let us upgrade with miles. Shortly after we made our way to the lounge, I saw that...

    EWR TO ATH BEWARE. Anyone that has booked miles business class ticket and wants to upgrade to first using miles at check-in counter, beware. They denied us that option but wanted us to buy the upgrade instead for $2K a pop. Even though 2 seats were available they told us only one was and even then they didn’t let us upgrade with miles. Shortly after we made our way to the lounge, I saw that those last 2 first class seats were now occupied. Emirates/ticket agents greed!

  5. Derk Guest

    the first meal mains looked like buffet food

  6. Sean Guest

    I avoid EK now because the service is not consistent. When you strip away the bling there are better carriers with similar route networks.

  7. Alessandro Guest

    Question: in order to book the stopover in Dubai did you have to call or were you able to do it online?

    Thanks

  8. Bob Guest

    With the virtual windows, can you select which side of the plane they are showing? That would be a huge improvement over a regular window seat, never having to worry about missing something visible from the other side.

  9. Ehhhh Guest

    Flying first on emirates end of next month. I was already unhappy about the 1200+ in fees for an awards redemption. Based on this review and others I've seen on youtube, my expectations are LOW. First class roulette, yikes.

  10. Kyle Guest

    Flew this route in Jan in F and unfortunately had a crew closer to Lucky's than EK "norms". No canapes, no chilled vodka (first world problems), no proactive service. We were 2 of the 3 people in F and had to constantly ask for things. Additionally, agree that the food was average at best. Have had better food in B6 Mint, TK Y, even Polaris. Cherry on top was forgetting my passport somewhere in the Suite and not have it be found

    1. dr kim Guest

      food is seldom even acceptible. I flew 100+ flights F with EK and for reference get it served, try it and send it back

  11. Wahoowa Guest

    As always, enjoyed reading your insightful review. After reading your “China Southern+” service level on Emirates F, I am going to stick with SQ A380 suite and AF F as my bucket list flights.

  12. Carrie Gold

    Thank you for a thoughtful review. Dom Perignon, Caviar and Mezze with an excellent ICE system has overcome many an apathetic F EK crew but crew consistency does appear to be a problem. I have experienced both horrendous and excellent Emirates service in F (including one incident of standing in the aisle during descent and imploring a crew member to take my bedding so that I could prepare for landing, having eaten nothing and only...

    Thank you for a thoughtful review. Dom Perignon, Caviar and Mezze with an excellent ICE system has overcome many an apathetic F EK crew but crew consistency does appear to be a problem. I have experienced both horrendous and excellent Emirates service in F (including one incident of standing in the aisle during descent and imploring a crew member to take my bedding so that I could prepare for landing, having eaten nothing and only consuming one bottle of water on a fourteen hour flight as, and I quote, 'we are busy tonight!'). Complacency in any F product should be addressed immediately and this review is an important tool for all airlines.

    1. dr kim Guest

      I fly EK just because timing is convenient and I do about 20 F flights a year. Food is better avoided. Turkish and Aegean offer better food in Business

  13. Steven E Guest

    I felt a little let down after reading this. It was unconscionable that the Flight Attendant had all of her crap in your seat and then tried to make you move?, and do a hard sell on dutyfree - seriously !! the food looked very unappealing except for the caviar set- up which is easy to do - let’s face it. Imagine having parted with cash - no thanks

  14. Dave Guest

    I'm curious if it would be forbidden, noticed, or reported if a married couple were to sleep in one suite, and or spend time in a suite together for another reason with the door totally closed and the DND on? I'm not married, but if I was, and I was flying with my wife, I would think that I would want to be able to truly enjoy the privacy of the suite. You only live - and for many of us - fly this product once.

    1. TravelinWilly Diamond

      What does being married have to do with anything?

      There is no way two people are going to be sleeping in one suite; not enough room for anything other than making whoopee.

  15. JorgeGeorge Paez Guest

    So much for first class and business class "subsidizing" economy.
    The only pax in FC were flying free.
    Rich people trying to feel less guilty.....

    1. TravelinWilly Diamond

      They were NOT flying for “free.”

  16. Marco Guest

    Well if the FA loading her stuff in your suite and the Purser not introducing herself, being the initial issues you had on this flight which were not revealed in an earlier post and which you asked everyone if you should make it known, then we can sigh with relief it was not much worse. You made it sound like something horrible happened, not that the actions above are acceptable. You could have mentioned all...

    Well if the FA loading her stuff in your suite and the Purser not introducing herself, being the initial issues you had on this flight which were not revealed in an earlier post and which you asked everyone if you should make it known, then we can sigh with relief it was not much worse. You made it sound like something horrible happened, not that the actions above are acceptable. You could have mentioned all this in a post like this without even asking us lol. You are too nice, I think!!

    Regarding those windows, I'd take the real things any day. How were you not nauseated considering the view in the window furtherest away from you kind of tilts upwards. Even the one closest to you and the middle don't even align in the view outside. 14 hours + of that and I'd have a migraine.

    Regarding service I think they are reserving the best for those who pay full price lol. Like I mentioned in another comment nice to see you in front of the camera, as like me you prefer to be behind it. Ford is missing though.

  17. Stuart Guest

    On another note, given this review, people should be warned that the past few days EK has been using an older 777 with the original F cabin on the IAD flights. They will soon transition to an A380 for IAD so this must be a shifting of aircraft in preperation. This means there is no "regular" scheduled new F now to the U.S. Curious which city the new F was shifted to.

  18. Blaz Guest

    I have been lucky enough to have flown in Emirates first class (upgraded due to business class being full) and it is truly an unforgettable experience.. but there is something very tacky about their somewhat "Trump hotel" style. Too much bling squashed into such a small space.

  19. Michael Guest

    That’s a lot of miles and a lot of dollars for OK food and apathetic service. How you can give that a five star review, given the price point, is beyond me.

  20. Stan Guest

    The crew in EK first class is hit or miss. On my A380 flight this past Jan from DXB to JFK, the crew was utterly abysmal! Wasn't met by any at the door. Never showed me to my seat. Never responded to the crew call button. In other news I'm a huge bvlgari fun @Lucky let me know if you need someone to take that amenity kit off your hands.

  21. D3kingg Guest

    @Ben

    Happy Birthday Ben !
    The FA in your suite during boarding seemed “pushy” but well intentioned many passengers would indeed prefer a window seat. Next time she should know who she’s dealing with. :)

    How good is that Bvulgari eau de parfum ?I’m afraid to use it anymore knowing how expensive it is. Hehe.

    I had the 2012 Dom Perignon and Poulliac French wine.

  22. Mick Guest

    With the virtual windows could you just replicate this as a hotel on the ground. Have a bit of turbulence and some movement for takeoff and landing. Flight attendants bring 3-4star restaurant food. Would be a $300 a night hotel at least! :)

    1. 305 Guest

      On a similar note, Lucky, you should really go to Anthony's Runway 84 in Fort Lauderdale before it gets renovated in late May. It's a legendary spot in the area for huge portions of amazing Italian food. The name comes from its location on SR-84 and being near FLL. Best part: the old school, aviation themed interior. Google it and check out photos. I feel like you'll love a visit there just for the decor, great food is a bonus.

  23. Clem Diamond

    I guess we won't get more details on the service then ;).

    About the virtual windows, something I wonder is if they generate a lot of heat? That could potentially be the deal breaker for me vs a real window seat.

    1. Stuart Guest

      I can't stand hot cabins while flying. I can certainly say that after a 14 hour flight in the new F (in that very seat) it was always very comfortable temperature wise. Never felt anything being generated heat wise from it.

  24. Alonzo Diamond

    Mostly excellent flight. Double caviar certainly doesn't hurt with bottles of Dom P to wash it all down. Hope y'all had some of that Hen dawg Paradis lol. Very disappointed by the service & attitude pre flight and onboard. Food didn't look great either, certainly not what I would expect to see in Emirates first class on their most premier plane on an extremely high cost route.

  25. Donna Diamond

    A little off topic but that business class cabin’s awful seating density/arrangement is exceeded only by the tackiness of the gold and faux wood finishes. And they’re going forward with this same concept for future aircraft? It’s pathetic.

  26. Andy Diamond

    Do you remember which kind of caviar they served and from which origin? For instance AF does not serve caviar on flights departing the US citing problems to obtain (Iranian?) caviar in the US.

    1. Bob Guest

      Great review. One typo: you were served biscotti/cantuccini with your cappuccino, not biscoff.

  27. Jon O Guest

    Has Emirates food ever been a show stopper? Other than caviar and the mezze spread - it’s generally at best forgettable! Frankly shocked to see lobster - in 15 years of flying them I have never seen it , although it features wildly in their promo pics. Not surprised by service snafus, exceptional service while it does exist, is unfortunately the exception.

    1. Willmo99 Guest

      Interesting. I’ve flown EK F just twice and both times I was served lobster

    2. Stuart Guest

      I had that lobster first course on my flight a few weeks ago and was told it is a new addition. The purser was curious as to my opinion. Like Jon O it was the first time I saw lobster on EK. And it was actually, for me, the highlight of the meal. Very tasty.

  28. CF_Frost Member

    @ben have you noticed any outage in booking business & first class tickets today on various sites. For example on Amex Travel and Expedia. They both can ticket economy but not business or first.

  29. Aman Guest

    Great review- ultimately the total experience matters and the Emirates hard product has made their proposition a winner.
    Yet Emirates should be worried. Granted there is always an element of variability and subjectivity in such personalised service environments however the incidents described seem to be red flags.
    It seems that the crew managed had the pizzazz to cover it up and moreover the passengers would be in a good mood. I could have...

    Great review- ultimately the total experience matters and the Emirates hard product has made their proposition a winner.
    Yet Emirates should be worried. Granted there is always an element of variability and subjectivity in such personalised service environments however the incidents described seem to be red flags.
    It seems that the crew managed had the pizzazz to cover it up and moreover the passengers would be in a good mood. I could have seen the seat drama playing out quite differently with a high strung business passenger.
    It sounded like the purser is on notice. However knowing emirates they would probably be all over it by now.

  30. pstm91 Diamond

    Ben, the virtual windows are quite fuzzy in a lot of the pictures. Is that just an affect from taking a photo of them, or do they in fact get fuzzy/blurry? That would give me a mega headache if it's the case.

    1. TA Guest

      Taking a photo of a screen is always going to look weird and not reflective of real life. Think of it as lining up a lattice of pixels over another lattice of pixels. They'll never line up perfectly and can't have the same resolution as your eyes.

  31. Christian Guest

    Very nice review. What does “inspired by Mercedes-Benz” mean?

  32. Juan Guest

    Thanks for a great review!

  33. Bob Guest

    "single-use soap bars"

    It reminds me the Air Inter's soap in the eighties before liquid soap. I liked them soo much. I do not know if the first class emirates are more special but single-use soap bars are fun.

    I can see you were given news about France on the ICE.

    You may not have understand what the raise of the "smic" means and the raise without "coup de pouce" (typical from Macron).
    And...

    "single-use soap bars"

    It reminds me the Air Inter's soap in the eighties before liquid soap. I liked them soo much. I do not know if the first class emirates are more special but single-use soap bars are fun.

    I can see you were given news about France on the ICE.

    You may not have understand what the raise of the "smic" means and the raise without "coup de pouce" (typical from Macron).
    And of course about the demonstrations in the street against Le Pen. Funny inside a washington originating flight.

  34. Daniel Guest

    Queue liters, etc. Ben are you an American or are you a foreigner American use terms like lines and gallons or quarts pints ounces etc etc etc we don't use the word queue and we use very little leaders although you can buy a 2 l at the grocery store which is basically half a gallon

    1. Dempseyzdad Diamond

      As a citizen of the world and a multi-million mile flyer, I see nothing wrong with speaking the language of the world. Queue, litres, (or, as you so eloquently call it "leaders"), is how the rest of the world speaks. I would not even pay the slightest attention to a fellow American who thinks everyone should adhere to their standards.

  35. Reyyan Diamond

    This doesn't sound like a very appealing flight, to be honest. The crew delivered unprofessional service and the food was not up to first class standards. Although this is masked by the fact that you had an empty cabin, the seat was good and you had an enjoyable time with Ford.

    You can only spend money one time, I rather spend it with an airline that delivers consistency than playing a lottery with crew and food. I would rather fly AF First.

    1. Steve Diamond

      I dont care how first class the food or drink is on an airline, there is not a single airline in the world that can beat a nice meal at a decent restaurant in any city. If food is such a top priority just make a reservation before flying at a good spot. Yes the food in this photo looks underwhelming buts lets be honest, the most important thing is the seat here. Again i...

      I dont care how first class the food or drink is on an airline, there is not a single airline in the world that can beat a nice meal at a decent restaurant in any city. If food is such a top priority just make a reservation before flying at a good spot. Yes the food in this photo looks underwhelming buts lets be honest, the most important thing is the seat here. Again i can get better food and wine on the ground, the seat is the difference and this is no doubt the best F seat.

    2. Ken Guest

      Yeah am not sure how it warrants 5 stars. Can you imagine paying full price for this? Maybe 4 stars for a reward redemption and at best 3 if you paid full price!

    3. Super VC10 Guest

      "I would rather fly AF First"

      Absolutely. My experience over the past several decades has been that Air France flight attendants & pursers are friendlier and more professional than those of Emirates.

  36. DLPTATL Guest

    Lucky, I know you do your rankings of best First and Biz seats, but I'd be curious to see your top 5 best meals (carrier and airport). I'm wondering if they'd all be in First or if an airline like Turkish might sneak in with phenomenal food in Biz.

    1. Steve Diamond

      The best food can be had on the ground, everyone in the comments seems to obsess over food, if you care that much about food wouldnt you rather have a better meal on the ground anyways. I think the seat should make up most if not all of a rating. No steak in the air will be as good as the 10th best steakhouse in any city you are flying from but the champagne and caviar will be and emirates does this right.

    2. Mick Guest

      Yeah but the seat is worse than a Ramada inn room for the night so what’s the difference ?! It’s all the same thing. The bling of having it while you travel.

    3. Other Steve Guest

      This is not a restaurant blog but an aviation blog so yes the food / wine quality served on board a $10,000 flight is relevant.What part of this is so bewildering to you?

  37. TravelinWilly Diamond

    I’m not sure how EK determines who receives this service, but I was met at the gate in DXB by a man holding a sign with my name who drove me in a buggy to security, accompanied me through, and escorted me to the ginormous first class lounge in the A380 terminal. It was a godsend. We had 5/6 people in 1st on our flight, and the flight had one other FC pax being met;...

    I’m not sure how EK determines who receives this service, but I was met at the gate in DXB by a man holding a sign with my name who drove me in a buggy to security, accompanied me through, and escorted me to the ginormous first class lounge in the A380 terminal. It was a godsend. We had 5/6 people in 1st on our flight, and the flight had one other FC pax being met; this was a woman whose trip ended in DXB.

    It could be that those on full revenue tickets receive this service(?), much like only those on revenue tickets get the limo service included, but I don’t have any data to back this up.

    My crew earlier in the month IAD-DXB was phe-freaking-nominal, and it’s too bad your crew on thus flight was so…lethargic. I’ve *always* had great crews IAD-DXB.

  38. Matt Guest

    But did you buy anything from in-flight duty free?!?

  39. JetSetGo Guest

    It seems kinda odd for the flight attendant to leave her stuff in one of the suite. I’m surprised they don’t have a storage area where they can store their stuff?! Obviously it’s not a big deal if she choose to put her stuff in one of the cabinet where no one is sitting but odd that she knew the seat had been assigned but decided to put her stuff there anyways? What was she...

    It seems kinda odd for the flight attendant to leave her stuff in one of the suite. I’m surprised they don’t have a storage area where they can store their stuff?! Obviously it’s not a big deal if she choose to put her stuff in one of the cabinet where no one is sitting but odd that she knew the seat had been assigned but decided to put her stuff there anyways? What was she thinking? Feels unprofessional say the least when she’s trying to convince you to sit at other suite so she doesn’t have to move her stuff. Part of her job is service and she’s thinking about herself instead of client which is antithesis of service. She just seems off. Maybe her mind is somewhere else due to family issues or other distractions? Hopefully she will do better next time.

  40. Sam Guest

    Interesting wine list how, of the four white wines offered, two were Meursault and two were Bordeaux. I'm not complaining, as I would have thoroughly enjoyed that Meursault 1er Cru.

    Per your comments about the quality of the food and presentation, I find that Dulles has some of the worst outstation premium catering I've ever seen. I've always been underwhelmed with the quality and presentation when flying on a foreign carrier in First/Biz ex-Dulles. Such...

    Interesting wine list how, of the four white wines offered, two were Meursault and two were Bordeaux. I'm not complaining, as I would have thoroughly enjoyed that Meursault 1er Cru.

    Per your comments about the quality of the food and presentation, I find that Dulles has some of the worst outstation premium catering I've ever seen. I've always been underwhelmed with the quality and presentation when flying on a foreign carrier in First/Biz ex-Dulles. Such a pity given the size and scope of the operations at that airport.

    1. CJS Guest

      Sam - you bring up a really good point that I think many times gets lost or forgotten about. The catering origin has a lot to do with the food quality and isn't necessarily a reflection of the airline in general. Catering options are limited and airlines have to take what they can get.

    2. DLPTATL Guest

      Sam, I agree with you that there are certainly certain airports where the catering is better than others. I haven't flown much out of Dulles, generally leaving the US out of ATL/DTW/JFK/BOS (can you tell that I'm team SkyTeam?). I generally find food on AF/KLM out of ATL inferior to the food coming back from CDG/AMS which makes sense b/c of home stations, but I also find DL has superior food coming back form CDG/AMS...

      Sam, I agree with you that there are certainly certain airports where the catering is better than others. I haven't flown much out of Dulles, generally leaving the US out of ATL/DTW/JFK/BOS (can you tell that I'm team SkyTeam?). I generally find food on AF/KLM out of ATL inferior to the food coming back from CDG/AMS which makes sense b/c of home stations, but I also find DL has superior food coming back form CDG/AMS than from flights originating at ATL. It makes me think it has more to do with the caterer than the airline's "recipes." I haven't flown them yet but I'm curious what food will be like on Qatar and BA from ATL.

    3. Sam Guest

      Yah, it's interesting for sure. Some airports (like Heathrow) have multiple catering companies and will work hard to get an airline catering contract, with folks from the corporate office flying in often to review upcoming menu's (I saw a documentary recently about the company that does catering for ANA at Heathrow). Then there are airports where there are no options (I speculate this may be the case at many airports with international flights here in the USA).

    4. D3kingg Guest

      @Sam

      You do realize Grand Cru is better that 1er Cru right ? Well for Burgundy at least.

  41. ECR Guest

    Great review. Maybe a small point but that looks like the Darkest Turkey slice I've seen, I thought it was foie gras.

    1. Jimmy’s Travel Report Diamond

      Ha, I thought the exact same thing!

  42. Cal Guest

    Good review! Hope to be able to fly the new suites soon, but disappointing about the overall food and the service :/

    Were there any issues with a US vaccination card when entering Dubai, or is that process quite easy these days?

    1. Jan Guest

      When I went JFK->DXB, they only checked the vax card, once, during check in. Quite painless in my experience

  43. Marko Guest

    You can report the purser - if you haven’t received any survey, there is a submit complaint page on Emirates.

    The FA telling you to move because she put her own belongings in your suite deserves to be reported as well!

    1. Steve Diamond

      Im sure Emirates has already looked into based on the initial flight report he posted last week. I think Lucky did a good job here being fair to not completely throw them under the bus but also being fair and truthful to the readers. This is what happens though when flight crews arent told that VIPs like lucky are traveling with them, so many times when bloggers travel the airlines already know and we never...

      Im sure Emirates has already looked into based on the initial flight report he posted last week. I think Lucky did a good job here being fair to not completely throw them under the bus but also being fair and truthful to the readers. This is what happens though when flight crews arent told that VIPs like lucky are traveling with them, so many times when bloggers travel the airlines already know and we never get a real look at what the service is actually like. So nice to see Ben getting treated like everyone else haha.

    2. Rob Guest

      I actually flew this same route and aircraft, A6-EQI, back in March and had a much more professional, yet still fun and personable flight crew. I chose the middle Suite 1E. Thirteen hours wasn't long enough for my avgeek heart lol.

    3. Stuart Guest

      Agreed, flew the same route the end of March in the same seat as Ben. Service and food was exceptional and very polished. Interestingly, the cabin was full on my flight. I swear service levels get lax when a Cabin is virtually empty. It's like everyone lets their guard down.

    4. Vancouver - Char Diamond

      I agree with Steve's thoughts and appreciate your honesty always - including your recent flights to southern Oman; happy to follow you Lucky and safe travels

  44. DCAWABN Guest

    Those cookies with your cappuccino are biscotti. Though I enjoy Biscoff, too.

  45. tuotuo Gold

    the 4:20AM departure on 4/20 (and that also happens to be my birthday)
    No wonder you are lucky.

  46. Stuart Guest

    Nice review.

    Two thoughts. First the virtual windows are kinda a gimmick to me. The camera tends to be pointed slightly downward so it really impacts watching other aircraft during the taxi, etc. But the extra space in the middle seat is worth not having actual windows. It's incredible how spacious it is.

    Also, that A380 you were behind is the morning departure JFK-DXB flight. IAD and JFK are typically nose to nose the...

    Nice review.

    Two thoughts. First the virtual windows are kinda a gimmick to me. The camera tends to be pointed slightly downward so it really impacts watching other aircraft during the taxi, etc. But the extra space in the middle seat is worth not having actual windows. It's incredible how spacious it is.

    Also, that A380 you were behind is the morning departure JFK-DXB flight. IAD and JFK are typically nose to nose the the entire way and often follow the exact same flight path.

    1. LarryInNYC Diamond

      Strikes me they missed an opportunity with the virtual windows. While I guess it's cool you can see what's actually happening outside during the flight it would be even more fun to pick themed animations so that what's actually happening is replaced or augmented with dragons, sea monsters, etc.

Featured Comments Most helpful comments ( as chosen by the OMAAT community ).

The comments on this page have not been provided, reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any advertiser, and it is not an advertiser's responsibility to ensure posts and/or questions are answered.

Steve Diamond

Im sure Emirates has already looked into based on the initial flight report he posted last week. I think Lucky did a good job here being fair to not completely throw them under the bus but also being fair and truthful to the readers. This is what happens though when flight crews arent told that VIPs like lucky are traveling with them, so many times when bloggers travel the airlines already know and we never get a real look at what the service is actually like. So nice to see Ben getting treated like everyone else haha.

8
Reyyan Diamond

This doesn't sound like a very appealing flight, to be honest. The crew delivered unprofessional service and the food was not up to first class standards. Although this is masked by the fact that you had an empty cabin, the seat was good and you had an enjoyable time with Ford. You can only spend money one time, I rather spend it with an airline that delivers consistency than playing a lottery with crew and food. I would rather fly AF First.

4
TravelinWilly Diamond

I’m not sure how EK determines who receives this service, but I was met at the gate in DXB by a man holding a sign with my name who drove me in a buggy to security, accompanied me through, and escorted me to the ginormous first class lounge in the A380 terminal. It was a godsend. We had 5/6 people in 1st on our flight, and the flight had one other FC pax being met; this was a woman whose trip ended in DXB. It could be that those on full revenue tickets receive this service(?), much like only those on revenue tickets get the limo service included, but I don’t have any data to back this up. My crew earlier in the month IAD-DXB was phe-freaking-nominal, and it’s too bad your crew on thus flight was so…lethargic. I’ve *always* had great crews IAD-DXB.

4
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