Emirates

Flew from Dubai to Delhi on 26th June 2014 and back to Dubai on 6th July2014. The aircraft was a Boeing 777-300 in both the cases. The aircraft was neat and clean but was a bit cramped. The staff isn't that courteous though. The IFE system seemed very old. Overall it was a good experience.

Flew BCN-DXB on 23/06 in an A380. Comfortable roomy. Excellent IFE although I didn't avail myself of the myriad of choices - too many violent films. I found that the controls are not all that user friendly (flying to/from Europe). Pleasant staff. Food was fine. Arrived Dubai 00.50 am (24/06) and we had 70 minutes to transfer to our connecting flight. When I requested a priority transfer whilst checking in at Barcelona the staff member was disinterested and unhelpful. It took a lot of fast walking and anxiety but we made our 02.05 am connection DXB- ADL. The Boeing 777 made me realise what cattle class is. Cramped and the seats are appallingly uncomfortable. For the 12hr journey we were served breakfast and lunch hot pizza snacks were handed out only to awake passengers. Chocolate bars and fruit were readily available. Very pleasant staff. The toilets were kept pristine on both legs - very impressed. Aisles in the Boeing are very narrow so that when one is walking for exercise or to the toilet one is constantly bumping other passengers. In our hurry to get our connecting DXB-ADL flight my husband left our camera in the seat pocket of the A38! We spoke to the site manager on our arrival in Adelaide (24/06) and gave him the necessary details. The next day (25/06) I received a call from the Emirates office in Adelaide Airport to say that the camera had been located and that it would arrive on the DXB-ADL flight on Thursday night. So professional so helpful.

First class on this brand new A380-800 from New York to Dubai is truly an excellent flying experience. From the time you board to the time you disembark in Dubai you would never know that you're traveling with 500 other pax! I'm always amazed how Emirates is able to create such an exclusive travel experience in first class while also meeting the demands of the other fellow passengers on the plane. The private suite is spacious the personalized service exceptional the IFE works very well. And then of course there is the shower. Just after take off you book a slot for your pre-arrival shower and this does make a difference after a 13+ hour flight for you walk off that flight feeling refreshed and clean and smelling good.

I have had 2 return journeys with Emirates to the Seychelles via Dubai from Heathrow within the last 3 months (EK002 & 3) and from Dubai to Seychelles and back and I have to say I was really shocked at how under-performing the cabin crew were. On those separate four journeys I found the Cabin Crew miserable sarcastic rude and looking like they really would like to be anywhere other than where they were. In a nutshell I have left the planes on each occasion really rather appalled at the lack of customer service and I have no wish to fly again with them anytime soon. On one of the flights food was almost thrown at us and scrambling to find anything to give to us as we were last rows of seats on my most recent flight back from Dubai the stewardess just before landing said I will be back (she was collecting blankets and headsets and checking seats were upright etc) but we never saw her again. Air Seychelles I have been told don't fair any better but on my next trip I shall be trying them out flying from Paris direct to the Seychelles which they start from July and see how they do compare because I really don't want to fly Emirates again!

Flight from Newcastle to Brisbane via Dubai and Singapore. We booked in August with Emirates staff promising seats that would be allocated for me being disabled I have severe walking problems that require me to be able to stand up and stretch my legs. What I got were seats in row 37 seats D and E just getting to the seats was extremely hard as I need to use a crutch to walk with the aisles are too narrow to move to the seats while using a crutch. I will never fly with them again.

Flying the A380 from Hong Kong to Dubai in business class you wonder if there is really any point to pay extra for suites given the amazing product that Emirates has in biz class. This was a new A380 with the improved biz seat and a great IFE system. This flight was pure perfection. Well done Emirates.

Unfortunately Emirates used an older 777-300ER on this 14+ hour route which is a shame. The biz seat is not entirely flat - the ever so slight angle still makes you slide down when you sleep. I would have preferred to see them use a newer 777-300ER on this route with the full flat bed and place this equipment on a shorter route where sleeping is less important than on an ultra-long haul route. Besides that the service the food the IFE are superb and live up to the Emirates standard.

12/6/14 EK355 SIN-DXB. Boarding very orderly by zones. Interior well maintained despite plane being 7-8 years old. IFE as usual very good with ICE being top notch. Too many things to watch and do. There's even a customer service survey under the C component. I didn't like that there were no drink runs done after take off not even a tray of drinks like SQ and CX does. Dinner service 1.5 hrs after take off and drinks another 30m later. People's throats were parched by then. People then begun pressing call buttons this could have been avoided if a simple drink run was done. Food was really good with choices between sweet and sour chicken and beef with mashed potatoes. I had the former and dessert was good too. Drinks service was really generous and there was no limit on the number of drinks both alcoholic and non alcoholic that you could take. No drink runs nor snacks provided after that although menu said so that was disappointing so 1 star less for F&B.

21/6/14 EK354 DXB-SIN. Boarding not by zones this time and some confusion occurred at the gate. Middle aged aircraft by EK's standards 4.4 years old well maintained interior but my seat pocket had a bit of uncleared rubbish. Full flight. IFE as usual very good with ICE being top notch. Too many things to watch and do. There's even a customer service survey under the C component. I didn't like that there were no drink runs done after take off not even a tray of drinks like what SQ and CX does. Due to this passengers kept pressing call buttons to ask for drinks. Snack service 1h15m after take off and drinks another 30m later. Breakfast was 3h before landing. Snack consisted of a roasted chicken sandwich and chocolate chip pecan cookies same as DXB-CDG. This time the sandwich was rock hard and the cookies weren't as good they were soft and weren't baked enough. Breakfast was really good with choices between omelette with creamed spinach (Same as DXB-CDG) and fried noodles with siewmai. I had the former. Omelette didn't taste like airplane stuff but was more bland this time creamed spinach bad this time. There were also fewer potato wedges and they were soggy. Fruits were fresh. I like that they provide croissants in addition to normal bread. Drinks service was really generous and there was no limit on the number of drinks both alcoholic and non alcoholic that you could take. Even during breakfast drink service you could ask for alcohol and no questions asked. Staff service was good on this flight. Smiles during service call buttons answered promptly and drink trays brought around twice after meal service for people who turn thirsty quickly like myself. I went to the galley to ask for my bottle to be refilled and they obliged. Landing was smoothest of 4 legs. After landing during disembarkation I requested to a cabin crew to allow me up to business and first class to have a look. She asked the chief stewardess and got a nod. She then enthusiastically showed me around the upper deck and I was amazed at how luxurious it was. I thanked her profusely after that. Good service from her. As usual EK is really good if you get a good crew. Only disappointment this flight was the food.

Beirut-Dubai. Seats were comfortable check in was smooth food was normal and crew responded on time.