This has been an interesting week here in Dubai. At least I think I now know how much Indian food I can take before I max out. I’m staying at the Sheraton on Dubai creek, where they have an excellent, daily changing Indian buffet for breakfast. Add to that the fact that the Flydubai canteen serves up a mean thali, I’ve basically been eating Indian for breakfast and lunch for the last seven days. I just love Indian food.

Getting to the Airport

Early on Saturday morning the traffic is calm, even in Dubai. Rather conveniently, the airport is only fifteen minutes away by car. My flight departs at ten sharp, so I figure it’ll be enough if I leave the hotel at eight in the morning. I’m a bit surprised as I exit the hotel that it’s windy and overcast this morning.

Check-In at Terminal 1

British Airways operates out of Terminal 1 and checks in at section 2. There are dedicated queues depending on which travel class you’re in. Initially when I arrive, it looks as though there’s a long queue, until I realise my mistake and that the queue is for the Belavia flight to Minsk, which is checking in right next to my flight.

From check-in I head airside, which takes a while as the e-gates passengers are now forced to use are in dire need of a software update. Or a scrapyard. They’re so slow! Eventually, by the time I reach the gate area it’s gone 08h30.

The British Airways Lounge at DXB T1

British Airways has its own lounge here in Dubai, which was recently refurbished. It’s a shame that the lounge has no windows or outside views, not even into the terminal. Other than that, though, it’s an attractive and spacious lounge. I’m not sure how crowded it gets when the A 380 is in town, though.

Boarding

At 09h10, the lounge attendant passes through the lounge informing passengers that the flight is now ready for boarding, which really only means that the gate is open. At 09h30 I quickly go to the loo and then leave the lounge before the poor woman has a coronary at me still being there. I’m leaving already! My passport and boarding pass are scanned as I enter the holding area, and just as I’m through, group 2 is called forward for boarding.

The Cabin & Seat

This is the same cabin I recently flew in when I visited Seattle between Christmas and New Year. It’s a nice and pleasant cabin and certainly an upgrade from the rather awkward and impractical Business Class seat BA still has installed on its A 380. I definitely like this seat. It’s spacious and comfortable. The sliding door provides some much appreciated privacy. There’s also a decent amount of storage for smaller items like phones, kindles, or spectacles.

Amenities

Already at my seat when I arrive are a bottle of still water, the vanity kit, and the bedding for todays’s flight. I think I already mentioned in one of my last posts how much I like that the bedding is in a protective cover. Airplanes are not the cleanest machines, much as I enjoy them. The pillow and blanket are both soft and thick.

The Service & Crew

As I step aboard the aircraft, I’m greeted enthusiastically by two crew. The young lady checks my boarding pass and tells me that my seat 7A is to the left in the forward Business Class cabin. Once I’m settled, another crew member offers me a glass of champagne or orange juice, which I both decline. Just before we push back, the menus are handed out and the crew explain that they’ll be back and taking orders once we’re airborne. The service is something British Airways do really well, in that they’re consistent and efficient. The focus is clearly on making sure passengers get enough rest.

The current closure of Iran’s airspace means we’ll be doing quite a detour. And that, of course, means we have a longer flight time. Our flight today is expected to take us eight hours and 25 minutes. We take off in a northwesterly direction and then make a u-turn to point us southeast, in the direction of Oman, giving us great views of Dubai as we go.

Once the fasten seatbelt sign is turned off, the crew resume their service with the distribution of the hot towels. They also inquire about my choices for the meal and what I’ll be drinking ahead of the meal.

The Meal – Early Lunch

While I wait for the meal to be brought out, the crew serve me a glass of Coke Zero, which is served with a packet of mixed nuts/chickpeas. I’m curious about this meal, mainly because catering ex Dubai tends not to be particularly good on most airlines. And that includes Emirates.

The tray is brought out from the galley with the first course, salad, and bread. For the starter I have the mezze, which confirms my previous comment about the catering. The hummus is not so nice and has an unhealthy artificial taste of plastic. At least the salad of wild rice is good, once I’ve picked out the pomegranate seeds…

And then for the main course, I have the vegetarian option, which is basically pasta in a tomato sugo with small pearls of pasta that are supposed to look like couscous. This dish is surprisingly tasty. The sugo is rich and tangy and has a nice hint of spice. Meanwhile, the crew come to top up my sparkling water.

Once I’m done, the crew remove my empty plate and inquire about dessert. I ask about the milk chocolate thing, and the flight attendant tells me it’s creamy and “rather mousse adjacent”. We both start laughing and I tell him that in that case, I think I’d prefer the cheese plate. It consists of a nice piece of cheddar and stilton, as well as a piece of brie.

Once I’m finished, the tray is quickly removed and I ask for a coffee with milk. The flight attendant returns with my coffee and a little Lindor chocolate. “There you go”, he says, “we’ll get you your chocolate fix after all”. I lean back and watch the view outside unfold, as we cross the Arabian dessert and then from there fly over the Red Sea and the Sinai towards the Mediterranean.

The Second Service – Afternoon Tea

Eighty minutes out of Heathrow we cross into Swiss airspace over Canton Graubünden and continue in a straight line to Basel, where eventually, we’ll exit into France. Around the same time, the crew pass through the cabin taking orders for the afternoon tea. There is a vegetarian and non-vegetarian option.

I just tell the flight attendant I’m happy with either option. A few minutes later he returns with the non-vegetarian variety of the afternoon tea and a big cup of tea with milk. I really to enjoy an afternoon tea at altitude. There’s something rather decadent and old-school about it. The sandwiches are good. The chicken has some good spice and a hint of cardamom.

I try a small bite of both of the sweets, but leave most of them on the tray. They’re very sweet and far too rich.

Arrival in London

Shortly after the trays are cleared away, the cockpit announces that we will be starting our descent shortly and have another forty minutes to run to Heathrow. Luckily, we only do one orbit in a holding, before we are released for the approach on 09L. We touch down with a delay of forty minutes.

All in all, it’s not too bad, though. Thirty minutes after touching down I’m already sitting in an Elizabeth Line train on my way to Tottenham Court Road.

Conclusion

This was another pleasant flight with British Airways. I rather enjoyed it. The seat is comfortable and spacious and the onboard catering is better than what you normally get on the competition, especially from Dubai, which usually has rather bad catering, no matter who you’re travelling with.