Emirates

Flew from Durban to London Gatwick via Dubai. The first leg of the flight was awful - seat backrest was broken staff could not fix it so they moved us to two different seats which were even worse with a solid lump at the base of the backrests that made it impossible to get comfortable in any position on this long flight. The second leg was great in a two-week old aircraft where we could finally sit in comfort. Unfortunately the Durban-Dubai experience has put me off Emirates.

Travelled on a Qantas ticket from Perth Australia to London Gatwick on 19th December. Firstly we could not find an overhead locker to out our 1 piece of luggage in. I asked an attendant to assist us and he stated "I am not a luggage attendant". Next it took 2 hours to be offered any form of refreshment and then it was abysmal. I wanted another drink and buzzed for assistance but nobody came. The inflight entertainment was excellent though but all in all a bad flight - Perth to Dubai. Dubai airport - the Emirates lounge was the best I have ever been in and enjoyed the 4 hour lay over. Dubai to Gatwick - slightly better as the staff were a little more customer focused. Food terrible though. Will be travelling back in the new year and am not looking forward to it but this time a stop over in Dubai may make the experience a little better. Never again will I travel on Emirates unless I can afford Business class.

Cape Town to Bangkok-departed on time excellent IFE good quality food and drink. Airline staff seemed a bit scarce! But we're mostly engaging and friendly. Transit through Dubai is not a pleasure the airport is one of the most unsettling places to visit. Pity the airline and the airport are so different.

Flew 6 flights recently in business with Emirates. All on 777 and A380. All flights on time Glasgow to Dubai then to Bangkok to Sydney Melbourne to Singapore then to Dubai and back to Glasgow. Every car arrived on time check in a breeze as was passport control with special pass. Made travelling a pleasure. All personnel were fantastic kind and attentive. Food great as was wine and in every detail Emirates are way beyond the competition. Have read some other reviews which are rather negative. Since we flew so many times I fail to understand the problem. Compared to recent BA experience to New York Emirates are on another level.

The fleets are new comfy. Flew Narita-Dubai-Munich and Rome-Narita. Always wanted to try A380. The FA's were awful. On one flight the table was dirty. I took 4 flights in total and every time I experienced something horrible. Firstly they didn't give me the bread and I had to ask 2 times for it next I had to wait over 15 mins to receive my main dish. I asked for water that I didn't receive. This is the worst airline service I have experienced so far.

MUC-MCT via DXB and return. Travelled with my wife and 1.5yr old son. The whole middle front row (4 seats) was just for us. Very comfortable seats pleasant and very helpful flight attendants. A lot of small gifts for the baby and an excellent inflight entertainment. Would definitely fly with them again!

NBO-SIN-NBO. First leg was alright but nothing great. Food service was slow and FA didn't clear trays for ages. Second leg to Singapore on A380 was much anticipated but disappointing seat configuration thus narrow seats thus alot of discomfort. SIN-DXB was much better but had to keep asking for water/drinks. Don't know why they just don't offer bottles of water like in business class. Flying from Singapore to Perth on Qantas we were given bottles of water to rehydrate - great for a 5 hours flight and essential for a 10+ hour flight which Emirates should consider. Last flight was the worst - lots of turbulence so we didn't get any meals. Not Emirates fault but the crew were very unprofessional. Very thirsty flight again as not enough water/drinks provided. Granted we had to remain seated during the turbulence but one cup of water and 1 juice is not enough for a 5 hour flight. Cabin crew on all sectors were not very helpful and not very friendly. Same could be said of counter staff at the business class lounge. We've been flying Emirates for 10 years and except for the last couple of years due to a change in our country of abode and travel patterns have had to use other airlines so have slipped down to Skywards silver status. We were planning to use Emirates more for our 2014 flights but will now consider other airlines. The only saving grace is the ICE entertainment system which helps you forget the lack of water/drinks the bland food and that tray in front of you.

Bangkok to Sydney. Have previously flown this leg 6 times with a well-known Thai based airline. As per our Sydney to Bangkok flight with Emirates the boarding was delayed. At least this time there were announcements from the boarding gate to explain what was happening. The dinner was a decent size but bland and tasteless. The menu only offers 1 dish to choose from. Then the so-called "breakfast" was just a tiny fruit salad with a bread roll. On the other airline I alluded to above the menu has 2 dishes to choose from (for both dinner & breakfast). The breakfast is also a full meal in itself. The cabin crew seemed a little more polite than on the Sydney to Bangkok leg although I still would not describe them as friendly or welcoming. They were a little slow to bring meals and water/tea/drinks etc. I thought the Inflight Entertainment was quite good with a wide selection of programs. I'd say both airlines are equal in that regard. They did hand out a little toiletries pack which is very handy and something the other airline doesn't do. They also gave our child a small pack with some items to keep him occupied. That was a nice touch and again something the other airline does not do. In summary I found Emirates to be overrated. The tickets were cheaper than the other airline by quite a few hundred dollars and did have a couple of little nice hand-outs the other airline does not. However I think that does not make up for the uncomfortable seating and unfriendly service.