Emirates

19th May CHC-SYD-BKK-DXB-LHR 31st May LHR-DXB-BKK-SYD-CHC. On all legs apart from DXB-LHR and LHR-DXB flew on 777-300er and on the DXB legs A380. I have to agree with others who have written about the cramped conditions imposed by the use of 3x4x3 cabin layout and the impact it has on both passenger comfort and cabin crew mobility. Of the two aircraft's I flew on I found the window seat most comfortable on the 777-300er curvature of the aircraft body interior on the A380 ate into what little legroom there was. The cabin crew for the most part was professional and good at their job however on the flight from DXB-LHR there was an issue regarding careless parents and a wilful toddler intent on roaming the aisle and not strapped in as we prepared for take off which an obviously inexperienced FA did not have the confidence to deal with. I found all food offered and on such a long series of flights there was a lot of food offered to be acceptable not amazing but acceptable and the drinks service adequate. If I asked for anything it was brought promptly and with good grace. On my return journey I had a crashing headache and had nothing to take for it in my carry-on. When asking if there was anything onboard for a headache a FA swiftly brought me two Panadol and a glass of water for which I was most grateful. I was pleasantly surprised by the hotel used for my Dubai Connect transit stop. I was taken to the Arabian Park hotel and having read some of the horror stories about the Copthorne I was pleased with my allocation. However it was not easy or clear where I was to go to at DXB to avail of the Dubai Connect offer as there is no signage for it specifically and it was trial and error that found it and not due to any help from staff at DXB. If I have any complaints at all about my flights they are mostly about some of my fellow passengers who seemed to go out of their way to make the rest of us uncomfortable and the irrational 3x4x3 cabin layouts. One of these things Emirates can change the other they can't. My final thoughts about my flights are this and one concerns the blatant disregard many of my fellow passengers had for the carry on baggage protocols. The lack of enforcement regarding carry on quotas results in overhead bins being so stuffed that some of us had no space to stow baggage of legitimate size and quantity anywhere near our seats. The other being the reliance of the IFE system to divert us from the cramped cabin conditions. Let's face it no movie is going to stop FAs bumping passengers in aisle seats or avert the ridiculous situation of a 3x4x3 cabin layout.

EK418 BKK-CHC via SYD. Fantastic as usual. Comfortable 777-300ER no issues at all. Crew were superb all the way food was exceptional and the alcohol flowed freely. ICE movies and music exceptional. Arrived on time into SYD and early into CHC. Emirates really are up there with the best of them.

I took flight EK405 from Melbourne to Singapore. My Flight was at 1800 and it departed on time. The cabin crew were very helpful and its customer service was great. The personal television was big and there was a great choice of movies. The cabin lighting was great too. I took the B777-300ER and the seating arrangement was 3-4-3. It was rather cramped but the overall experience was great and I would recommend and definitely take Emirates again.

CHC-BKK via SYD codeshare with QF. Departed Christchurch on QF138 737-800 plane full service ok food quality ok and served with a smile. Unfortunately we were seated right down the back by the toilet so after breakfast people queued beside us to use. Landed in Sydney then transferred to QF A330 to BKK. Old plane broken seat great crew made up for it. I don't understand why Emirates has joined up with Qantas the Emirates experience is far superior to what Qantas can offer.

I flew on 777s from Sydney to Bangkok to Dubai to Geneva. Nice food and good entertainment. The first two legs were full planes and the service suffered because of it. The staff were pretty scarce for much of these flights but they were responsive if you managed to get their attention. I thought it a bit unprofessional that they were often chatting and laughing at the back of the plane while the poor people sitting back there tried to sleep. On the last leg the plane was only half full and the service much better. But at least 20 screens weren't working at all - luckily there were lots of other empty seats to move to.

LHR-DXB-LHR. First flight on the Emirates A380. Compared to B777 seats were wider but legroom felt the same. Flight was quieter and smoother than B777. Check in in LHR was good with no queuing and friendly staff. Check-in in DXB no so good 20 minute queue with certain locals known to Airline staff being allowed to jump queue. Check in agent did not smile once. Boarding on both flights very efficient with no queuing or crowding on aircraft or airbridge. Service on outbound flight no so good no drinks served until after meal only one trolley drink service and no breakfast or food before early morning 6.30am arrival. Long wait for trays to be collected. Service on return better with drinks service before and after meal and light afternoon staff. Again long wait for trays to be cleared. Adequate number of toilets on flights with no significant queuing. In flight entertainment superb with good quality screen let down by poor control sensitivity.

LHR-DXB-LHR with Emirates both ways on A380. Aircraft is truly fantastic as we were heading away for a last minute holiday with our son we plumped for economy rather than business which we would usually go for if we had booked further in advance however the comfort of the economy seats on the A380 is superb and fine for 6.5 hours each way. Managed 4 hours sleep on both flights which is something of a rarity for me too. Unfortunately as I've always found with Emirates seemingly irrespective of class booked the cabin crew were absolutely terrible from start to finish on both flights. Bless them they look great in their smart uniforms and clearly only better looking examples are chosen to wear it. Sadly this comes with a built in 'chip on the shoulder' which I've seen on every Emirates flight (more than thirty) which I've taken over the past decade or so. Slow surly service was the order of the day on both sectors. On the outbound flight more than two hours after departure for a meal which for a flight departing at 2040 was very disappointing as it minimised sleep opportunities. Food nice and plenty of it. A request for a second glass of wine was met by a retort from a French stewardess: "I have more than 500 passenger today so I get it when I can". I replied that as she had 23 colleagues on board she needed only to worry about 21 passengers and had nearly seven hours in which to do it. Needless to say my wine was forgotten and I helped myself from the galley instead. Another member of cabin staff ignored my son completely even though he is more than capable of asking for his own drinks. On the way home a two hour ground delay due to passenger illness before departure was handled by the service of half full glasses of water only. Not impressive. Sad really because the aircraft and the product is very good. Just delivered very poorly. My airline of choice is BA.

We travelled from Heathrow-Dubai-Cape Town. The aircraft was a 777 all sectors this airline has to be the most uncomfortable and over rated. The seats were crammed in 3x4x3 so narrow and with narrow aisles to. The whole experience was exhausting. The staff were indifferent and you could tell they couldn't wait to get off and avoid the suffering stares from the trussed up passengers. I would suggest think long and hard before booking if the aircraft is a 777. I understand most airlines had 3x3x3 set up which is civilised. Food was ok TV ok and all on time. Transfer at Dubai ok nothing special though.

LHR-DXB-HKT. Codeshare with Qantas on way out for first leg of the journey. Emirates for the 2nd keg and both sectors for the return. Very nice and able to use BA Business lounge at LHR. Had an excellent vegetable curry before the flight. Arrived at Dubai and followed signs for gate and Business lounge only to be told we were at the terminal. Signage was poor and quite a few other people made the same mistake. Phuket airport was confusing as the terminal is not well signed. Again business class so whisked through security and passport control so no need to queue. Coral Lounge at Phuket is very small and serves First and Business class it is also a lounge were you can pay to enter. NO wines or spirits are on offer was told to go outside and buy wine if I wanted it. The toilets are also a few minutes walk away from the lounge. Dubai again on way back and was told the gate was B16 (the terminal we were at). Luckily I noticed on the departure board that it had changed to A13. No announcement so not sure if anyone missed the flight as it entailed another shuttle train to B gates. New A380 plane and was very nice food etc all good as were the staff.

EK751 Dubai to Casablanca on May 8th 2014. Using miles to upgrade from business to first class on a recent Dubai to Casablanca flight I was beyond disappointed in the product and the experience from what I had considered a world class airline eager to stand out amongst its strong rivals like Etihad or Qatar Airways. Not only was the cabin crew service rude and sporadic the inflight entertainment system was faulty the first class catering was not offered and the headsets were defective. And when all this was reported to customer service there was a very passive response to the feedback. This airline was once a star but it is definitely falling from grace.