Date: 07 April 2017
Departure: 08:50
Arrival: 13:30
Flight time: 6 hours 40 minutes
Seat: 12K, window

I have just completed a course in Al Ain in the United Arab Emirates. The list of course participants includes an Emirati, two Australians, a Kiwi, one Zimbabwean, one Pakistani, two Indians, two Americans and two Brits. Which is pretty cool me thinks. All the people I met on this course were just so friendly and very welcoming. But I’ve been travelling for two weeks now, having previously done a course in Luxembourg before coming straight to the Gulf. So I’m glad to finally be on my way back home again.

Getting to the Airport

I have ordered the Emirates limousine service to pick me up from the Doubletree in Al-Barsha, which is located behind the Mall of Dubai. The service can be ordered online under the ‘manage my booking’ section of the Emirates website or otherwise via the app. You only need to select your hotel from a drop-down menu and Emirates will suggest a time for the car to pick you up to be at the airport at the latest two hours before departure. The limousine service is available at both Amsterdam and Dubai. However, as I will continue from Amsterdam back to Basel later on today by plane, I only needed the service to get me from the hotel to Dubai airport. The type of car you will get is subject to availability.

Check-in

Thirty hours before departure I receive an e-mail reminder from Emirates informing me that check-in is now open. I am seated on 12K, which is a window seat. The check-in process works really well and the upload of the boarding pass to my passbook is seamlessly. Emirates is an airline of superlatives. Where other carriers have a dedicated Business Class check-in area, Emirates and its own dedicated Business Class terminal with its own security screening facility and immigration.

My flight will be departing from gate A23, which is on the pier that was purpose built for the A 380. From security you need to catch an underground train to reach the A concourse.

The main transit area is on three levels. The lower level is for Economy Class passengers, the mid-level for First Class passengers and the top level for Business Class. This means that apart from the fact that you will not need to mix and mingle with the travelling riffraff, you will also be able to board the aircraft directly from the Business Class lounge.

The Emirates Business Class Lounge

The term ‘lounge’ is relative for the likes of Emirates. Given that it sprawls across the entire length of the A pier, I’m not even sure you can still call it a lounge. It certainly does not feel like a lounge and it’s not exactly cosy either. The facilities in the lounge are very good though. There is a fully equipped business centre, numerous buffets with a good selection of hot and cold dishes, newspapers and showers (expect long queues though). The toilets are nicely appointed and clean and Emirates provides toothbrushes and shaving kits. Complimentary wifi is available throughout the lounge. The style of the lounge is rather old fashioned and dated, it reminds me a lot of the lobby in a hotel you might find in the States.

Boarding

I arrive at gate A23 at 07h25. Most of the passengers have already boarded. So I can take my time to snap a few pictures of my chariot to Amsterdam this morning.

The Crew

I step aboard the aircraft, the cabin attendant looks at my boarding pass and says: ‘Bongu, Sur Agius! You must be Maltese too’. She points me in the direction of my seat at 12K, wishes me a good flight and tells me she’ll come check up on me once we’re in the air. Throughout the flight she comes by to check that everything is okay and that I have everything I need. We chat about Malta, Emirates and the likely imminent demise of Air Malta. I know it’s just something small but I think it’s kind of nice that the flight attendant acknowledged also being Maltese. It lends the whole experience a more personal touch.

The Cabin

The seat is comfortable in the sitting, lounging and sleeping positions and if you’re seated by the window on the A 380, there is ample storage space. Emirates or Airbus have taken full advantage of the curvature of the aircraft’s hull by installing bins on the side. There is also plenty of storage space in the seat itself. There is the small bar installed at every seat which contains a selection of soft drinks and juices. Other than that, every seat has an AC power outlet and HDMI and USB port. The seating configuration is 1 + 2 + 1. For a single seat you have a choice between and aisle seat and a window seat. Personally, I much prefer the window seats. Not only because of the view, but also because these seats feel way more private. All in all, I think the Emirates seat on the A 380 is well designed, practical and very functional. The only thing I don’t like is the design. The faux wooden panelling on the cabin walls and the seat just looks really very cheap and quite tacky actually.

At the rear of the Business Class cabin there is the infamous Emirates lounge. I admit it does look rather cool and certainly makes you realise just what a beast the A 380 is. However, it does tend to get rather noisy at the back when the bar is busy, so if peace and quiet is what you’re after, you may want to sit far, far away from the bar area.

I am very impressed by just how quiet the cabin is during the flight though. There are twenty two cabin crew aboard the flight today. The atmosphere in the cabin is pleasant and relaxed and the crew take good care of the passengers. The service begins with a welcome drink of freshly pressed orange juice, water, apple juice or champagne. Next come the menus and the scented hot towels.

Amenities

Blankets and pillows are on the seat as I board the aircraft. The mattress is stowed in one of the lockers for my seat.

Emirates does not provide vanity kits on day flights. But everything you may need and that you would normally find in a vanity kits is available from the crew upon request or in the lavatories. Socks and eye shades are placed at every seat.

On the way down to Dubai from Amsterdam I was on the night flight that leaves Amsterdam at 21h50. The vanity kit I was given is Bulgari branded and contains a toothbrush with Colgate toothpaste, tissues, a comb, a shaver and shaving foam by Gillette, as well as a range of products of Bulgari’s Essence de Thé noir which is a very heavy scent that seems to be very popular in the Middle East but probably gives most people a seriously bad headache.

The First Service

On flights departing Dubai in the morning, a continental breakfast is served with orange juice and tea or coffee right after take-off. The tray contains:

1. Swiss Emi apricot yoghurt
2. a croissant with butter and Hero strawberry jam
3. asmall dish of cucumber, chicken breast, cold cuts and cheese

The trays are served individually and the crew make repeated rounds with the breadbasket.

The Meal

About two hours and thirty minutes out of Amsterdam, the second service begins, which is in fact the main service. The cabin attendant suggests I should try one of their mocktails. Eventually I can’t decide, so I tell her to surprise me. When she returns a few minutes later, she has both an apple spritzer with mint and an orange fizz made of orange juice and ginger ale. She tells me she’s decided I need to try both. Okay, thanks! The drinks are served with a bowl of warm nuts.

The menu is rather extensive and there are three options for the first course, main course and dessert.

The First Course

For the first course I have the salmon roulade filled with cream cheese and served with seared tuna, smoked halibut and asparagus with a lemon sauce. The first course is served on a tray with a small mixed salad and a warm bun. The flight attendant also comes by offering slices of warm garlic bread.

The Main Course

For the main course I have the roast chicken in a pepper coulis, which is served with baked potatoes and broccoli. This is, admittedly, rather bland and quite vile. The pepper coulis tastes of nothing, the potatoes are like pulp and feel like sand in my mouth and the chicken is giving off such a strong smell I don’t even touch it.

Dessert

For dessert I have the chocolate cheesecake with raspberries and vanilla custard, which is rather tasty.

The meal concludes with a scented hot towel and a box of chocolates.

Arrival

We arrive in Amsterdam fifteen minutes behind schedule. Apparently there had been some delay in leaving Dubai as two passengers and their luggage had needed to be offloaded for health reasons.

Transfer in Amsterdam

In Amsterdam Emirates uses the end gate at the F pier. From here it’s a short walk to the new centralised security checkpoint. It’s fairly quiet and I’m the only person there.

From the security checkpoint it’s another ten minutes to Schengen immigration.

Conclusion

So far I have tried three Middle East carriers: Emirates, Oman Air and Qatar Airways. Of the three I think Qatar Airways is definitely the one that offers a very polished service and a truly premium experience. Oman Air is kind of nice too and is a bit of a boutique airline, if there is such a thing, which is a nice way of saying they sometimes seem slightly amateurish in the way they run their operation. Which just leaves Emirates. Truth be told, I don’t quite get the fuss people always seem to make about them. Admittedly, they have a few nice perks like the limousine pickup or the direct access to the aircraft from the lounge and the crews seem professional and personable. But even with all that I think it’s quite apparent that theirs is a product designed and intended for mass production. It’s not elegant and it lacks finesse. Don’t get me wrong, from the passenger’s perspective I think Emirates are okay. I just don’t think they’re any better or worse than any of the others.