It’s been several years since I was fortunate enough to sample the business class offering of multi-award winning airline Emirates.
So when an unexpected invite came up to fly with them to their hub in Dubai, I was happier than a tourist who was just handed the Wi-Fi password.
One of the few benefits of waking up at 3am on a Monday morning to catch a 6am flight is that getting there is fairly stress free and the airport is super quiet when you arrive.
So it was when I walked in to Sydney International to catch EK415 to Dubai. I was so early the customs hall was closed and I was just the second person through when the gates finally opened at 4am.
The other benefit of my trip was that Emirates had very kindly put me in business class, which always makes flying so much more of a pleasant experience. I spent a very enjoyable hour in the Emirates lounge, enjoying the delicious breakfast goodies laid out before me.
Boarding was announced and this was swift and assured, with a chilled glass of Moet champagne proffered by helpful and welcoming cabin steward Alex as I settled into seat 12J.
The business class cabin on the upper deck of the Emirates A380 is laid out in a traditional 1-2-1 formation, giving you the choice of a solo or couples seat. The young newlyweds next to me were certainly making the most of the latter – hard to tell where one ended and the other began!
Checking out my spacious cubicle, there was a handy compartment over my right shoulder containing bottles of Evian and Perrier, some Wasabi peas and Haribo lollies.
The top deck of this compartment was the obvious place to store my phone, while my laptop bag and jumper were dispatched to the large bin beneath my window. More airlines should utilise this often wasted space as it takes the pressure off the overhead bins.
Plenty of charging ports were readily to hand, along with a comfy pair of headphones, a pack containing slippers and an eye mask, which was swiftly followed by a men’s toiletries pack, containing toothbrush, toothpaste, lotions and cologne, shaving gear and a comb.
I was also offered a natty looking pair of pyjamas but olive green is so not my colour.
The airline announced recently that it will soon operate the world’s largest fleet of Starlink-enabled aircraft with “ultra-fast” in-flight internet. Wi-Fi is free for first and business class passengers so I was able to send all the emails that needed sending before settling back to enjoy a movie and a meal.
Emirates has won numerous awards for its ICE entertainment system and it’s easy to see why. I almost got an RSI flicking through all the movies that were available and that was before I perused the TV, games, music and other options.
The large screen is perfectly placed, although being so close to the aisle was a little distracting when cabin staff or my fellow passengers walked past.
Despite the distractions I was able to watch Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson star together in something loosely called a comedy and Ben Affleck reprise a role which the film critic in me thinks might have been an error of judgement.
Dining is often one of the great perks of business class because you can actually identify and taste the food as opposed to economy and in this respect Emirates did not disappoint.
Breakfast was served in a pretty snappy 50 minutes after take–off. A smooth mixed berry concoction from The Yoghurt Shop complemented a still warm croissant, fresh fruit, a white omelette and decent tea, all served on white tablecloth with real cutlery.
When lunchtime came around – and as we were heading to Dubai – I plumped for the traditional Arabic mezze for my starter and followed this up with a truly delicious roasted chicken with ginger lemon sauce, egg fried rice, blanched baby corn and sauteed mangetouts, all washed down with a cheeky Cloudy Bay sauvignon blanc.
The boysenberry cheesecake was probably a dish too far but I felt it was my duty to our readers to give everything a go…
(Another perk of being in this particular cabin is that they don’t seem to be too strict on meal times – if you’re awake they feed you – if you’re asleep they wait until you’re awake. Simples.)
By now we were about half way to our destination so it was time to head down the back of the bus and check out the lounge.
Yes, I said lounge, because on the Emirates A380 you can stretch your legs and have a cocktail (or two) in this specially designed communal space.
The early start was beginning to get to me so I decided to try out the fully flat bed and was delighted to see the controls were simple. Often I’ve found you need a physics degree to work out which button to push but here there were just four options. The push button control to lower the window blind was another funky touch.
Even more pleasing, the footwell allowed plenty of room, unlike other business class offerings where it’s tapered down like a coffin. When you are almost 1.8m tall, leg room becomes a necessity.
Snuggled up with my seat mattress and blanket in place and pillow plumped, I drifted off for a good six hours, waking to find Alex holding a tray of refreshments as we began our descent into Dubai, which I watched with interest via the camera mounted on the tail.
There’s a reason why Emirates has won nearly every award going for its business class service. It’s classy, it’s personal and it’s the way flying is supposed to be…if you can afford it.
Trust me, it’s worth every penny.
