Emirates

This was my first time flying Emirates. Comfort wise it is quite good for an economy class, seats being relatively wide. In flight entertainment was good and the screen is really large, but the headsets are extremely bad. The food is acceptable, nothing exciting. Cabin staff was efficient and friendly. Seat selection was not available at the time of booking, even though I had paid for a full fare flexible ticket. This resulted in my partner and I being separated during the flight. For that reason, I will avoid flying with them in the future.

Colombo to Copenhagen via Dubai return. Emirates advertise that a business class ticket include a hotel in Dubai when you travel through this city and that you pick up the voucher in the airport prior to embarkation. We booked online and at the same time reserved the hotels and received confirmation on the hotels as well as of travel tickets during the booking process. In Copenhagen on the way to Colombo this worked as advertised and we were able to break up the journey into two 5-6 hr flights by staying overnight in Dubai. However, on our return flight no voucher was receivable in Colombo and we were told to pick it up in Dubai. In Dubai we were sent from counter to counter in the very large airport and were finally told that no hotel voucher would be issued. The argument used was that although you book online you have to call the Emirate office afterwards to confirm the booking! Apparently this is written somewhere in the small print of the "conditions for sale". In other words you may book online but you can't rely on the confirmation received during booking but have to call the office anyway. So what is the point of having on-line bookings when the information is not valid anyway?

Emirates from Dubai to Nairobi, it was an afternoon flight which was rather full. The flight seemed very uncomfortable since there was very tight legroom, and also the seat width was a bit narrow due to the 3-4-3 seating layout on this Boeing 777. The IFE was bad since it was the old version of ICE. It was only a 4.5hr flight but it seemed to be one of the longest ever.

Dubai to Bangkok in business class. Seats very comfortable and the cabin staff great. I like the A380 with its wide seats and terrific layout. Unlike my earlier flight on Emirates the wines were good and the selection as expected. I did not eat, so no comments on the meal.

Durban to Manchester via Dubai. Very disappointing flight. I'm a frequent flyer and always had faith in Emirates but no more. Departed 28 December from Durban on flight EK776 to Dubai. The area around my seat smelled of urine. My tv screen hung loosely so I could not adjust the angle plus it was sticky to the touch. Cabin staff appeared stressed and smiles were absent. I accepted that sometimes stuff happens and maybe Emirates had experienced some hiccups that evening. However when I was served with a very stale soggy chicken bun and inedible old chocolate brownie I felt most disgruntled. Even economy flight tickets are expensive and I left that flight most unhappy.

Birmingham to Dubai and I was not that impressed. Service was very friendly but so slow. Night flight so the meal should be served up fairly quickly. Getting a glass of wine with the meal was hard, and the wines on this flight were terrible. The food that I choose was not great, but I could have chosen wrong The entertainment system was down for the whole flight for everyone. Emirates have grown so quickly I feel they are neglecting the detail.

I have a serious phobia of flying. I flew Emirates in mid 2015 from Brisbane to London Heathrow on the A380 and I couldn't have asked for a better airline. The staff was impeccable at making sure I felt safe and it helped me feeling comfortable as the flight went on. One staff in particular explained noises that I may hear and let me know what they meant, gave me Emirates cards to keep me distracted, chocolates to calm the nerves and constant check-ups. The take off and landing was superb.

Dubai to Jeddah in November on an A380. New plane and great staff. The seat and IFE as expected. The only problem I had was not really fault of Emirates. Boarding was not a very pleasant experience as most of the passengers were pushing each other and were somewhat loud in their communication. Same story while disembarking. In JED we had to board a bus and it took forever to get to the terminal.

This was the return sector of my trip. Check in was again hampered by business class passengers using the first class counter. The premium lane for immigration really made the airport experience easy. The lounge in Bangkok was excellent and food good, although there was no area seated for first class passengers. On board this time, again the seat was the highlight; personal bar and amenities highly appreciated. Food again was tasteless and disappointing. Cabin staff were friendly. The purser however was never seen, and as a first class passenger I expect to be made to feel a little more important to the airline especially as a frequent flyer member. I would have expected to be greeted by the purser. Announcements were mundane and without particular emphasis on polite service. In summary, my second sector in Emirates first class and all in all I must say, other than the seat which is great for long haul, a very average experience that could be so much better.

This was my first trip in Emirates first class. Check in was average, with the counter blocked by business class passengers. The lounge in Hong Kong was adequate but busy with no separate area for first class passengers. Onboard, the seat is amazing with it's own bar and an ability to close yourself in the suite. Very good. My wife was in 4K however, and that was a noisy seat with a lot of galley noise, not really first class! Food was disappointing with overcooked chicken and half of the menu items not even offered. At no time was I offered cheese or chocolates which are on the menu. The lights in the shower suites were not working and the flight attendant opened the door once when my wife was in there using the toilet. Inflight entertainment was impressive, but the remote for my seat stopped working half way to Bangkok. All in all, a very good seat not backed up by a first class experience.