Emirates

Singapore to Brisbane with Emirates was our last flight of a two week trip, so we were a tired family when we boarded. We couldn't believe our luck when we got row 23 (pretty sure that was the row number) which was facing the bulkhead. Plenty of room for the four of us to spread out and also to stretch our legs. The two attendants who looked after us made the four of us feel special. I wish I had taken the name of the Austrian attendant as she deserved special mention.

It was my third trip to Indonesia, and I had always chosen Emirates for that. Me and my mate were flying from Jakarta to Malpensa, via Dubai. The first flight was ok, while the Dubai to Malpensa flight was horrible. A passenger had a health problem when we had just taken our seats and we had to wait about two hours. Then the passenger and his wife left the plane. But the wrong luggage was taken from the plane, and another bag not belonging to anyone was shown by a steward to us all. None of the staff apologised for the delay or inconvenience. I arrived at Malpensa two hours late and very tired, having started my trip the day before in Yogyakarta. The A380 has no place for standing up, just to change position and relax the body in a many hours trip. It is filled with seats and nothing else. I will not choose Emirates for my next flights.

I flew Business Class for the first time on an Emirates upgrade offer from Auckland to Melbourne. Incredible experience, so much space in terms of the seat which also offered a huge variety of functionality, great crew who were really friendly and really enjoyed the bar area at the back of the plane. Great flight and airline, would definitely recommend!

Chose Emirates as part of our package holiday to the Maldives. It was a bit of a mixed bag: I did my back in badly the day before the long flights. Walking/sitting was a real struggle. When we arrived at Heathrow we got a wheelchair and asked about an upgrade. I was not looking for it to be free but hoped a concession could be made. There was no movement however we were given a front seat in economy so I could move around as freely as possible. My discomfort was not a negative against the economy seats as ordinarily there would have been no issue. The A380 flight out I couldn't really settle in to. The food was excellent and immediate service good. The lead attendant saw the pain I was in and said if there was anything he could do just ask. I appreciate their ability to do anything to help me was extremely limited however because of my discomfort I couldn't enjoy the in-flight entertainment but again, not their fault. Transfers etc in Dubai went well. They appeared a bit chaotic but it seemed to be controlled chaos. Because of my condition we were shepherded to a holding area where I could be taken to the right gate at the right time. The 777 flight to Male I slept through as took a strong sedative to knock me out, however I did wake for breakfast which was again very good. By the time we flew back my back was feeling a bit better so I could appreciate the in-flight entertainment more and it really is excellent. A huge choice of music, films, tv shows to eat away the hours whilst flying. The A380 we had from Dubai to Heathrow was newer than on the way out and the tv screen in economy was about the size of an ordinary laptop screen, which I thought was excellent. It was touch-screen and again the food was excellent. My only negatives (discounting my bad back which obviously wasn't Emirates fault) were that I enquired about an upgrade to business class from Dubai to Heathrow. Quoted $5000 for 2 people, which I thought was ridiculous however we wanted to finish off the holiday in style so offered $4000. Didn't move. Would they rather not sell the seats and make the extra cash anyway? She told me that Dubai had the highest upgrade charge of any airport in the word. The flight back from Dubai to London, whilst more comfortable with excellent food and in-flight entertainment, we really felt like we were economy. You get what you pay for I suppose but having your (and your girlfriends) flight-attendant call button on for 20+ mins with no response and no-one going past is unacceptable. I only wanted a drink. In the end I gave up and waited for food to be served but in typical British fashion, didn't say anything. They bragged about having in-flight Wifi. I personally didn't try to connect but my girlfriend did and had zero joy. So, overall very good. A few grumbles where perhaps they could have been more adaptable but recently flew BA to Barbados and Emirates pretty much topped them in every department.

Since we were traveling with golfbags I phoned Emirates in Amsterdam requesting for a Van or MPV to pick us up for our transfer to the airport. A few hours before pick up time we received a call confirming our request and indeed we were picked up by a van. Smooth check in, we could hand-over our golfbags to the groundstaff who delivered them to the special luggage desk. Emirates uses the Aspire lounge in Amsterdam which is hard to find due all ongoing renovation work in this airport. Boarding went OK in group, F and C passengers boarding straight to the upper deck. Arrival in Dubai in the B-concourse and we had to disembark via the forward stairs, making all Y passengers wait. Transfer was smooth, we used the Emirates longe in the C-concourse which was very crowded at that time of the day. In Mauritius the luggage was delivered using 2 belts, one for F/C and one for Y. Our luggage was delivered quickly, the golfbags were hand delivered from a different belt, again a very good service. Being seated in the middle (E/F paired) seats, both of us were served by different flight attendants. We asked them in the beginning of both flights whether they could synchronize their service as much as possible, and this worked perfectly. Cabin crew were very nice and attentive. On both flights the food was plenty and of good quality.

Glasgow to Hong Kong via Dubai with Emirates. The A380 is superb, and this makes for an interesting comparison with the Boeing 777 used on the GLA sector. The latter suffers from ten-across seating in economy, which is okay for GLA-DXB flight duration, but I would resent for any sector more than eight hours or so. Otherwise, recommended. The inflight entertainment system is the best I have ever used.

London Heathrow to Perth via Dubai with Emirates. As a nervous flyer the cabin crew were aware of it and they couldn't have been more attentive and considerate. This was based on the fact that the flight was quite empty so he said he had more time to spend with me. The food was amazing and the inflight entertainment is exceptional. On the way back it was a Qantas flight and their flight staff couldn't give a monkeys that I was terrified. As far as I'm concerned Emirates are outstanding compared to Qantas.

A quality product and service across the Tasman with Emirates from Sydney to Auckland. If you are an economy passenger on this route this is the only sensible alternative. 32-34 inches of space on a wide body jet compared to the cramped narrow bodied aircraft of QF or NZ. Service with a smile, economy meals that include extras QF did away with years ago to cut costs. Buy it with a QF flight number and you still get points, status credits and lounge access if a Club member.

Colombo to Melbourne via Singapore. I was allocated the wrong seat from check-in despite having booked it 2 months ago. I wouldn't have minded except that the new seat was near the toilets. When I inquired, it was found the seat I booked was still vacant. The ground staff at the boarding gate in Colombo were not very helpful except for one staff officer from Emirates. He was very professional and made the seat correction promptly.

Flew with Emirates for the first time. JFK to Bangkok with layover in Dubai. I chose this flight due to short layover. All would be great if the flight was not delayed. We left JFK later than projected and ended up missing our flight from Dubai to Bangkok, resulting is a 8 hour layover. Emirates were not exactly sympathetic or apologetic and only after much fuss provided us with a few dollar worth food voucher (incorrectly printed for 3 passengers only rather than 4, which they were not happy to fix either). The flight was ok. A380 is an impressive plane. Seat are relatively comfortable in economy section, entertainment selection was very good. Food and drink service was ok. The crew was very international and not super friendly. Our seats were close to the galley and the staff not only left the curtain constantly opened, letting bright light in, they were also extremely loud, chit chatting, laughing. When I asked a flight attendant if she could close the curtain in order to reduce noise and make it darker so we could sleep she just walked away, returning in a few minutes with ear plugs, which I never requested. Eventually we ended up moving to the back of the plane (as flight was only half full) and had a peaceful reminder of the trip. Return flight from Bangkok to Dubai was also delayed. At some point there was airport security on board going through all carry-ons. However afterwards the flight took off and was uneventful, with same okay food/drink service and not overly friendly the international crew. Overall I was not very impressed with Emirates, their flight attendants could be more friendly and on ground crew could me more helpful.