30 July 2006

Airbus A340  First Class

The suite was a magnificent experience! The ICE system was wonderful. I was very impressed with the technology level of the suite. The hospitality of the staff was excellent.

30 July 2006

Airbus A330  Business Class 

Very good seats. Great Functions on the seats and great Inflight Entertainment Systems. I found the seats a little narrow and uncomfortable at first but later got used to it !

28 April 2006

Boeing 777  First Class 

Why are the leg rests in First Class of the 777-300ER's the worst design of any reclining chair. The takeoff-landing position is fine. The flat position is mostly fine. However, the intermediate recline position is almost impossible to tolerate. The leg rest is woefully short on extension with a sharp metal foldout foot rest. If the foot rest is open with my feet on it, my knees stick up almost to my chin. If the foot rest is closed, then the fully-extended leg rest ends at the middle of my calves. I am only six feet tall. Even people who are 5'5" will not be able to use the foot rest properly.

23 April 2006

Boeing 777    Business Class 

Having been a supported of Emirates in the 1990's, sad to report that my latest trip in Business class was the worst ever. Seats are simply diabolical, and Emirates staff service standards have gone through the floor. Staff inattentive, food right down on older standards - IFE is great, but you do need more than that to suffer the discomfort of these Emirates Business class seats. This is really a Premium Economy product, but fares are still too high for this. Having used Qatar Airways on 2 recent trips, strongly recommend you try the current star of the middle east - and see that they are rated as 5 star carrier by Skytrax as well!

27 March 2006

Airbus 340-500  First Class 

JFK-DXB-JFK in Feb/Mar 2006. The suites are excellent product and ICE is great. I was able to sleep for 9 hours on return -- most ever and it was quite comfortable for sleeping. Would request Emirates to get duvets. Blankets are small for tall customers and not as comfortable as duvets would be.

13 February 2006

Airbus A340   Business Class 

Two legs of the London - Melbourne had two different seat types. London - Dubai had "old style" seats, and Dubai - Melbourne had the new massaging seats. I found the new seats quite uncomfortable, and they didn't go anywhere near flat. The older seats were much better. Plenty of room in either style. Service was excellent and the ICE system is nothing less than fantastic.

13  February 2006

Boeing 777   First Class 

JNB-DXB. Fast check , good service, warm champagne, loads of caviar. Flat beds hard, pillow lumpy, cheap nylon blanket too small. No pyjama, no sheets or quilt. Landing Dubai, miles from terminal, first class passengers have to wait in bus until it is full of other passengers - promised fast track denied by uniformed guard.

7  February 2006

Boeing 777-200   Business Class 

777-200 was used for the Dubai-Paris leg of my trip from New Zealand and was somewhat more comfortable than the 777-300. again, no quibbles about seat width but leg/foot rest not high enough. Again I resorted to piling up pillows etc. Not good enough. Entertainment much improved. The 777-300 was the economy entertainment. On long haul trips, foot rests are useless unless they allow you to raise your legs and feet almost horizontal.

3 January 2006

A340-500   First Class 

I have now had chance to experience the new first class suites on the new T7-ER's. I was impressed. The new "massaging" flat beds are good, and the ICE system is impressive. I am aware that some people have knocked Emirates lately due to some falling standards linked to their rapid expansion. I have flown with them 10 times in the last year and have only had one flight that was not up to standard.

21 October 2005

A330-200   Business Class 

Much prefer the business class on the 777. A330 cabin is too narrow to accommodate a 2-3-2 in business class. Seats are too narrow and the fuselage curve really cuts into your personal space if you are by the window. 777 has much wider seats, even if the distance between seats is a little less. For what I fly most of the time (between London and Dubai), I'll take the wider seat any day.

13 October 2005

A330-200 / A340-300   Business Class 

GLA-DXB-JNB Return. Service on GLA-DXB sector was exceptional. The Scottish Cabin Service Director was highly attentive yet not intrusive and she expected the other flight attendants to be likewise. Although J class seats are nothing compared to BA Club World in terms of pitch and recline, the price was considerably less and the cabin still felt quite spacious - especially on the A330 which has only 4 rows. Food was highly palatable and Mercedes "S class" chauffeur drive service a nice extra. DXB-JNB was very average in service terms - disinterested cabin crew who were reactive rather than proactive. A340 cabin was "tired" looking on outbound sector in particular - Probably looking for faults as service was so average compared to earlier sector! Just booked GLA-DXB-SYD J class return and looking forward to experiencing the A340-500 J class product on the DXB-SYD sector as well as the 777-300 J class product now operating on the GLA-DXB sector.

23 May 2005

Boeing 777  Business Class 

Flew out from Sydney and found seat footrest was broken off completely and so seat was not supporting the body weight - useless. Then out from Dubai to find seat had not been cleaned, radio control handset coated with food debris, and control recess with stale food in it. Wrote letter of complaint and to date had no reply - and this is Business Class !

20 May 2005

Boeing 777-300   First Class 

My personal preference is to travel on the 777's, a much wider cabin and better "feel". Although the leg room is slightly smaller on these they are now starting to put first class suites into all their 777 fleet, starting with the new 300er's and then retrofitting the older ones. (similar to that on the A340-500).

12 May 2005

Airbus A340-500   First Class 

A truly wonderful product and the semi suits are superb to make a really quiet and private space. Slept for 7 hours without a problem. Comfortable and great blankets and pillows to get maximum comfort. The feet end of the chair/bed is slightly lower than the rest of the seat, but still found it comfortable and restful. A great way to fly. More privacy than British Airways, but still prefer BA 1st class on all long haul trips.

19 January 2005

Airbus A340-500   First Class 

The new First Class seat on this aircraft was amazing, even for a tall passenger like myself (6ft 7inches) It provided more comfort than any other first class seat I have " slept " in. On a negative note, as so many people above have mentioned, there is no overhead bins to store large cabin baggage, however the benefit to me of this was that the headroom in the cabin made it easier when I stood up, not to have to crotch. I slept for a number of hours, and listened to the ICE entertainment system, which HAS to be the best in any aircraft I have ever been on. The only thing is that directly after that flight, I switched planes to an Emirates 777-300 and was VERY disappointed.

19 January 2005

Airbus A330-200   Business Class 

The seats really let the J class cabin down. Legroom is ample, design and ambiance of the cabin very good, however the recline in the seats is very poor. Very difficult to sleep comfortably on both your side and back.

18 December 2004

Airbus A340-500   Business Class 

Service was wonderful as was the inflight entertainment. The problem was adjusting the seat with the touch pad. It just did not respond properly. Thus a lot of effort was involved in getting the thing to work. The seat was a bit short to really stretch out and be comfortable.

31 August 2004

Airbus A340-500   First Class 

I never sleep on planes but this time I slept for most of the 14 hour flight. I really enjoyed the flight and could have happily stayed on the aircraft, taking all things into account (cabin, entertainment etc) I was quite possiby the happiest person in the sky.

6 August 2004

Airbus A340-500   First Class 

SYD-DXB-LHR, June 2004 - First Class. Flying 14 hours even in business is a daunting prospect so upgraded to first for the leg into Dubai. Worth paying the premium for the bed alone. First time I've managed to sleep more than the odd hour on a flight. Slept through for 9 hours - not bad for someone who's 6'4". The individual cabins in first are a great idea but they have one major design problem. i.e. over engineering. With so many motors and switches to control, combined with a less than instant response to pressure on the keypad this will inevitably lead to faults. The doors on my cabin were already broken and wouldn't shut and the drinks cabinet needed a bit of 'help' to retract. Question for the powers that be at Emirates. I was looking forward to the new business class experience out of Sydney. Service is always great but why install a seat that is not that much better than the old one and is not flat? That alone is enough to make me think of trying Qantas or BA next time.

21 April 2004

Airbus A340-500   First Class 

DXB-JFK on one of the first flights on that sector. With one exception it was the best first class that I have ever flown. The exception is limited space for carry on luggage. A small soft bag can fit on the side of the compartment but a regular wheeled bag that fits overhead in virtually all aircraft had to be stored in the forward closet.

21 April 2004

Airbus A340-500   First Class 

Osaka to Dubai. Certainly a vast improvement on Emirates tired and outdated first class seats on its other aircraft. Not as comfortable as I had expected as it's a couple of inches too short, although the massage function is great. Leather seats in cream are probably not that practical and already were marked and cracked. Cabin feel is ok but a little tomb like when all the lights are off. The ICE system is too fiddly for those middle of the night adjustments but perhaps with familiarity that will become easier. Not enough storage space as there are now no overhead bins, so that a larger bag is hidden by the crew around various parts of the galley and lavatories. Individual wardrobe is super-slim and accommodates at best a jacket and a coat. "Sleeper suits" are decidedly cheap in looks and quality.

21 April 2004

Airbus A340-500   First Class 

Over the last 15 years I have travelled Sydney -London many ,many times on different airlines. The last three years on Emirates. Having now been in my own suite on the new A340 I will not travel any other way. I was in heaven, laying full length, in sheer luxury, under the stars. My wife is always with me on the flights as we have two sons living in London with families. She had a spinal operation 30 months ago and has found previous flights a little uncomfortable. Our last trip in January 2004 on the A340 was without discomfort. Our praise of Emirates cannot be high enough.

2 March 2004

Airbus A340-500   First Class 

DXB-SYD-DXB in first class. Emirates A340 is a huge leap forward by all means. First class is truly revolutionary. Excellent food, brilliant in-flight entertainment and quite frankly the best sleep you can have in the sky.

1 March 2004

Airbus A340-500   First Class 

Flew on this aircraft from DXB-LGW. The Suite is certainly a step forward from the current first class. In its favour is the ICE system, privacy doors and meal presentations. Against is the fact that the seat is not fully flat. For some absurd reason the knee section of the seat is higher than the foot par and you cannot sleep sideways without wedging something under your lower leg to even out the seat. Blankets full of static are a poor show when duvets would make for a more comfortable sleep.

22 January 2004

Airbus A340-500    First Class 

Decided to use a few of my frequent flyer miles to upgrade to sample the new first class suite on Emirates latest aircraft. Beware should you take a large suitcase style bag - it will not fit. Individual slimline wardrobes are provided for jackets. After takeoff, I reclined the seat to a fully flat position (and closed the suite doors) and found that both length and width were generous. The gentle massage setting helped me drift off for 6 hours shut eye.

13 January 2004

Airbus A340-500   First Class 

I travelled on the new A340 just before Christmas from LON to DXB. I rarely sleep on any flight, even after taking sleeping pills ! This seat was like a dream - comfort was unbelievable, the seat provides any position you want anywhere within your little compartment. Watched a film whilst having lunch and then laid back, turned the massage on and promptly fell asleep, only to be woken about 40 minutes from landing. I have never known a flight to pass so fast.