Emirates

Return Taipei - Amsterdam in business. Cabin crew and food very good. All flights on time, except for a slight delay in AMS due to a sick passenger. For Taipei, they use the China Airlines lounge in Terminal 1. It is interesting that in AMS they give you a choice of lounge use or a restaurant voucher. My biggest gripes were that the meal service seems to be really drawn out. Also, business class bags took a long time to come out in Taipei. Wifi was barely usable-not really worth USD 1.

✅ Verified Review | Doha to Bangkok via Dubai. We chose Emirates as the cost was reasonably good. Flight from Doha to Dubai was good, the time flown was just 45 minutes. We reached the Dubai Airport and purchased some Duty free and was little late to the boarding gate, but somehow managed to be there before 10 minutes. To our surprise at boarding both our tickets have been upgraded to Business Class. My first ever Business Class Experience. Loved the whole journey to Bangkok. The crew were very friendly and courteous. First time I had Champagne and a five star meal, received a grooming set as a compliment.

✅ Verified Review | Johannesburg to New York JFK via Dubai. There was a total of 7 of us travelling on 2 separate bookings (6 people on 1 booking, 1 on another). Our flights home beginning on August 3, 2016 had us travelling with British Airways, Emirates and JetBlue Airways. We had no issues with our flights on British Airways and Jet Blue. Our luck ran out upon dealing with Emirates for our return flight home. I called Emirates August 2, 2016 (24 hours prior to our flight) to request kids meals and a vegan meal for 3 of our passengers. While on the phone with the representative, I inquired on our current seating arrangements to ensure the children would be sitting with the adults in our party. When I provided the booking number for my husband, I was advised his ticket was cancelled. You can imagine my shock upon hearing this. I asked the representative why it was cancelled, who cancelled it and when. I was advised it was cancelled July 24 – 1 day after we started travelling – and 6 months after booking the flight. The representative advised Emirates cancelled the ticket as they saw 2 tickets for a Brett Hale. My son’s name is BH Jr and my husband is BH. There is no space to enter a suffix within the Travelocity website. However, it is noted that one ticket was a child’s ticket and one was for an adult. In addition, I had to input the date of birth for each traveler.I never once received a phone call or email from Emirates to confirm I did in fact book a duplicate ticket. And I did not receive a refund for the cost of a ticket that they cancelled. After the representative informed me that Emirates made the error in cancelling my husband’s booking, I requested his ticket to be reinstated as it was, so we would all be travelling together. I was told that the second leg was full and that wasn’t an option. While informing the representative that that was not acceptable and that Emirates needed to find a way to ensure my husband was travelling with us, I was told he would send an email on an “Urgent Basis” and someone would be in touch with me. At this point, it is 7pm and the first leg of our flight home (via British Airways) is at 8am. I had been on the phone with him for over an hour. We were in a game reserve in the middle of South Africa and my cell phone did not have service. He advised I could try calling back in an hour. Long story short, it took over 4 hours and multiple phone calls to multiple people to get his ticket reinstated. Even then, I was not confident he would be flying home with us. I was extremely dissatisfied with the level of customer service and how they handle their own errors.

✅ Verified Review | Mauritius to Dubai. Our problems began with the meal service. We waited nearly half an hour from first to main course, but it was when the main course arrived that things really went downhill. The menu promised "Braised beef brisket served in a rich jus with mashed potatoes and turned root vegetables". What was served up with a barely warm meal with a dried up chunk of meat minus any jus. Judge for yourself from the photo. When I drew the attention of one of the cabin crew to this, she apologised and said she would find out what had gone wrong and come back to me. 20 minutes went by with no one coming back, so I pressed the call button, which was completely ignored (this in itself is worrying as it may have been an urgent matter that needed crew attention). I finally collared the purser as he was passing, got another apology and an explanation that all the beef meals were minus the sauce and offer of the same again but heated up. When I declined, explained that my partner and I were allergic to fish ruling that alternative out and didn't like curry, the other alternative, he said he would go away and see what else he could come up with. Five minutes later and the offer was beneath contempt - the purser brought the fish and curry meals I'd already rejected and two other dried up meals from economy. He then, very reluctantly said he'd see if there was anything else available from first class and claimed that they had the same meals so there was nothing he could do. I decided to pass and go the the sweet course (15 minutes waiting for that) while my partner decided not to eat at all. For the remainder of the flight, the cabin crew did their best to ignore us, or when they had to interact, their manner was off hand to say the least. Customer focus was lacking completely. The purser came past later and apologised but sincerity was lacking completely. About 30 minutes from landing, my partner pressed the call button to request the return of his jacket which had been hung up. Again, the call button was ignored completely. This was the worst flight I have had. By contrast, the connecting flight from Dubai to Manchester had an outstanding cabin crew and provided a superb flight experience. However, this is not the first time I've found a lack of consistency with Emirates, but it will be the last time. I will never fly with them again and I would recommend others to choose another airline.

✅ Verified Review | Emirates has lost it's edge with series of unnecessary changes over the last few years. If traveling to first world destinations, Emirates provide their latest aircraft, with state of the art features and polished services. However, take a flight to a not so developed destination and you are better off flying one of the budget airlines in the sector as there isn't much difference between the services and a whole lot to gain in the price. Flying to London heathrow on their A380 you would expect the best and unfortunately it failed to impress. Had previously enjoyed Emirates design and layout of the A380 but having flown recently, it seems they've tried to save up on costs with reduced spacing between seats with thinner cushions. Emirates staffs feel more likes nannies than polished butlers. Although they speak more than a dozen languages and look fashionably tailored, that's where it ends. An economy return ticket from Dubai to London was priced at a whopping 1200 GBP when other airlines were much cheaper. The only advantage I saw in paying so much was that it was a direct flight and I didn't have any lengthy layovers. One would expect that after having checked in online a baggage drop would be quite a simple task and hardly time consuming. However, it seemed like the baggage drop lines were bigger than regular Check in queues and I don't really find much of a differences in what the staff were doing in the check in counters and baggage drop counters. Overall, I am quite disappointed with Emirates and next time I fly this sector, I might seriously consider other airlines.

✅ Verified Review | Jeddah to Bangkok via Dubai. All sectors on time. Good leg room on this plane and the video on demand is excellent although screen significantly more responsive on the newer and larger product on both the DXB to/from BKK legs. Long 6 hour layover on return but meal voucher provided for basic yet adequate fayre. The exit music is irritating and becomes headache inducing very quickly; it does not provide me any euphoria. Would always fly Emirates from Jeddah as they consistently deliver. Staff 10/10 on all legs but a little overworked on the final DXB to JED sector. Free 10MB wifi superb although would not connect over India then it timed out.

✅ Verified Review | Milan to New York and Rome to Bangkok via Dubai. I've been flying with Emirates for the last 3 years during holidays. I have flown several times both in Economy and Business Class. I have flown in Business Class both on the Airbus A380-800 and the Boeing 777-300ER. Business Class is way better on the A380-800, where you get a lot of privacy (specially in windows seats), great food and a great service. Business Class is good enough in the 777-300ER, but you don't get a lot of privacy and the seats are angled lie-flat, so not as comfortable. Emirates Economy Class, specially on board of the A380-800, is one of the best in the world. I have flown for years with Lufthansa in Economy Class, and Emirates beats it hands down. The PTV screens are huge, there is a good amount of space, the plane is really quiet, and the service is better than on Lufthansa. What I mostly liked about Economy Class, apart from the IFE is the fact that they don't bring your food in hot aluminium trays, but in hard plastic, that is much better looking. In Economy Class, you also have the possibility to see the menu and they pass with drinks many many times.

For my first flight on Emirates, it was fabulous. Even though the flight left at 2.40am (which meant we had to sit around in Melbourne Airport for 7 hours, as we arrived from Wellington), the crew made it bearable. They were attentive, friendly and helpful. The flight was operated by a newish 777-300ER (A6-ENG) which was great. The ICE system was faultless, which on top of the generous size of the screens made the flight fly by. The seat size is a problem however, the 3-4-3 configuration is just mean. But the foot room was better than any other economy class. The food on-board was very average for Economy, as a small snack was provided after take-off and then before landing a large Breakfast was served. I also really liked the fact that the crew handed out hot towels and face wipes before takeoff and before landing. An added bonus was the great (but understandably slow) Wi-Fi, a first for me on a plane. All in all, I would definitely fly again, which I will be in April, but this time on an A380, which should be excellent.

✅ Verified Review | Bangkok to Birmingham via Dubai. Having been a frequent flyer with Emirates for many years, I have to say that the service has dramatically declined over the years. Gone are the days when on the evening flights you got a small amenity pack, even in economy. They have a great TV system but more often than not, the crew are surly, seem not to want to work and if you want a drink, you do have to keep buzzing for it. Whilst the newer A380 planes are great and a lot more comfort, the older B777 planes can be OK dependant on the crews!

✅ Verified Review | Flew Johannesburg to Athens via Dubai with Emirates. Flew the week (a few days) after the incident at Dubai Airport and although there were delays out of Johannesburg we managed to catch our connection to Athens the next day courtesy of efficient ground staff at Dubai Airport. Arrived on time in Athens but without luggage which was a "pain in the neck!" apparently due to operational issues. Fortunately we were headed directly to the Greek islands where a swimming costume is all you need. Luggage arrived within two days but Emirates flights on all sectors were a pleasure and you will use them again on my route next year.