Emirates

Travelled business class on EK434 23 Jan and EK435 26 Jan BNE-AKL-BNE (A380-800). Consistently good service on both flights with attentive crew and impressive product. Seats very comfortable and would definitely make for a pleasant long haul flight. IFE boasts extensive selection of movie/music/TV options. Bar lounge is a terrific space to stretch one's legs and socialise with others. Food a little basic for business class standards and some crew lacked wine knowledge but this didn't really impact too much on the overall experience. Our travel agent ordered a surprise cake for us to celebrate our impending marriage and the crew made a fuss even taking a Polaroid picture for us to commemorate the occasion - such a lovely gesture all round! Would not hesitate to fly EK again in the future.

I flew with my wife in Business class this month from Manchester to Dubai and then changed for another Emirates flight to Singapore. We returned some 7 days later 4 flights with Emirates 3 on the A380 and one on a 777-300. The seats on the A380 are fully flat but so narrow only 18.5" (basically an economy class seat that goes flat) and not very comfortable. The 777 seats are a bit wider 20.5" but not full flat. The cabin service on all 4 flights was awful they have so many different nationalities that clearly do not work well together and they have no real interest in the passengers. They are not organised never smile and do not seem to know what they are doing. Dubai airport itself is a disaster chaotic no helpful ground staff. One of the Business Class lounges was OK but the other one in the older Terminal I think was dirty and run down. We paid over £4500 for the flights I feel really hard done by.

Flew JNB-DXB-LHR. Excellent service and amazing selection of the latest movies and TV series. Both aircraft's (777-300er and A380) were brand new and very comfortable. I have flown this route many times and will always look for a deal with Emirates before looking elsewhere as I know that I can expect the best.

JNB to SEA via DXB 8 hours to DXB 4 hrs transfer time in DXB plus 14.5 hrs DXB-SEA. Overall impression is very good as I arrived in SEA feeling OK and managed a full day of activities despite the nearly 30 hours spent travelling. Flight from JNB-DXB was very full with a few strange seat allocations by ground staff resulting in seat shuffle for many passengers in the Biz cabin so families could sit together etc. Service and food was good although a little rushed; presumably to maximise sleep-time on this 8hr flight. ICE system required re-setting once but then worked well. Staff remembered not to wake me as requested and I was woken with 30min to landing and still offered a quick croissant and yoghurt which was appreciated. 7/10 for this flight overall. Dubai lounge was impressive in terms of size and space although I skipped breakfast. Lounge could possibly do with a few more private areas. I boarded the DXB-SEA flight dreading the 15-odd hours of further flying but this turned out to be a fantastic flight. Half-empty in Biz with professional friendly and chatty crew and a real step up in meal quality over the previous night's flight. I spent the flight alternating between the food and drink sleeping and the huge selection on the entertainment system. I was particularly impressed with their music choice. Only negative comment on the ICE system is that while the size and clarity of the screens are great the screens are so big that it can be very distracting if someone is sitting next to you and watching the TV as well. No such issues on the DXB-SEA flight as I was alone in a pair of seats but seating mishaps on the full JNB-DXB flight meant I had two huge screens from my neighbours as well as mine to contend with when trying to watch a movie. Overall very happy with my experience as it made the extra-long trip very manageable.

MAN-DXB-MAN. Business Lounge was ok nice breakfast. Boarding gate quite a walk from the lounge - T1 pier at Manchester basic and clinical feeling. Boeing 777-300ER was clean and Business cabin was well presented. Crew professional and well groomed - Business friendly. Boarding drinks service promptly after seated. Departure on- time after take off drinks order taken - delivered 1 hour later. Excuse stock in economy. Two meal services Breakfast (average) and Dinner before landing (Ok). Not overly impressed with the quality and taste of the dishes. Attentiveness of crew throughout the flight good Inflight entertainment functionally impressive but choice of films and tv poor. Toilets clean and well stocked. Seat very good fully lie flat with massage function - privacy could be improved. On time arrival into Dubai.

Traveled DXB-DAR-DXB on Boeing 777-300. Crew was friendly but responded to call after 2 hours. The entertainment system was ICE and had millions of movies and TV Shows to last you a year let alone a 5 hour flight. Seats were comfy but less legroom. Food was excellent no complaints. Overall I really enjoyed Emirates and would recommend it to anyone.

Flights EK412 and 410 between Auckland and Australia. As an airline they are OK - but nothing special. Cabin crew not that good. Have had much better service on cheaper airlines. The A380 economy seats are better than some airlines narrower seats. Boarding and getting off the A380 is a real pain so slow! Maybe its part airport problem also - but it will need fixing. Movie selection large. Not good value for money.

BKK-DXB Jan 2014. Bangkok Emirates lounge ancient tiny and poorly laid out. Food and beverage choice was however very good. Boarding gate minutes+ from lounge. A380 upper deck boarding via air bridge. Very friendly and welcoming crew they seem to love the A380 and explaining its features to passengers actively inviting you to come for a drink in the lounge bar. Impressive seat as anticipated comfortable and spacious with good privacy. Mini bar at seat is a nice touch but nobody wants to drink warm pepsi or fruit juice when you can get a more refreshing drink at the touch of a button or walk to the bar. Massive screen but I remain un-impressed with the range of films and TV programmes on offer. Red eye service cabin lights nice and dim throughout the flight. Full dining service offered despite the 1am departure time with a breakfast served before arrival. Skipped the meal had drinks and canapés at the bar. Nice feature of the Emirates A380 but bar seems to have little space for stock and they constantly run out of things and the poor crew are backwards and forwards from the galley constantly. Lie flat bed was extremely comfortable more so than the 777-300ER beds and combined with the seat liner and nice blankets it was brilliant. Best sleep ever on long haul. Breakfast prior to arrival was decisively average yet again tried the cold cuts and cheese as had enough of the hot offerings and the meat was off poor quality with tasteless cheese. Arrival into Dubai as on time. Very pleasant experience overall A380 is spacious luxurious and a smooth quiet ride on upper deck.

DXB-MAN Jan 2014. Dubai lounge again was very satisfactory stunning array of food and beverages on offer and very busy for all the early morning wave. Boarding on time and direct to aircraft from lounge via a lift. Upper deck boarding via air bridge. Crew friendly and welcoming on the whole some perhaps just business friendly. Menu for flight looks far more enticing than previous sectors. Extremely friendly and efficient steward from Dubai himself was looking after me. Very attentive throughout. Seat again is fantastic but this time a LH window seat with minibar to the window and seat more to the aisle - does not feel as private. Under window stowage is also hard to access. Variety of appetisers and sweets at the bar was great on this sector and the Manchester born girl manning the bar was chatty and genuine. Skipped breakfast and snacked at the bar on and off. Dinner service before arriving in Manchester was lovely Nice soup Beef Steak and a Cheese board to finish. Best meal in 4 flights so far and probably the nicest crew . Overall impression of Emirates after a 4 leg trip aircraft well kept A380 stands out 777-300 are getting overhauled crew attentive and professional and immaculately turned out. Food and beverages - food quite average to be honest only 1 dish got me excited. Choice of drinks good with good quality wines too. Entertainment systems are impressive but found content lacking in comparison with Cathay Pacific and BA. Punctuality was good with only minimal delays on departures at times.

DXB-BKK Jan 2014. Business lounge impressive at Dubai shower facilities clean and spacious. Food and beverage offer good also. Direct lounge to boarding gate access via lift. Older Boeing 777-300 showing its age but still clean and Business cabin well presented. Very friendly and attentive crew through out. Red eye service lights kept nice and dim throughout after take off snack and supper menu was nice - deli sandwich fresh. Inflight entertainment system functionality impressive but lacking in good movie or tv choice. Breakfast prior to landing was decisively average and serving method seems very bitty. On time arrival into Bangkok.