I had flown Emirates
numerous times, both in economy and business. I had originally flown Emirates
when they only connected to London, and would connect to Emirates via London
and Dubai. When Emirates introduced flights from America direct to Dubai,
I also flew them in both business and economy; and when Emirates introduced the
A380 to America, I flew on these flights in both Business and Economy. My
most recent experience was flying Emirates from Houston to South Asia in
economy on the outbound and business on the return. Houston to Dubai was
flown on the A380 (both sectors), while Dubai to South Asia was flown on Boeing
777-300 (both sectors). Each airplane and each sector had a different
feel, with some positives and some negatives on both sectors.
Our first sector was on the
Airbus A380 from Houston to Dubai (as of July 1, 2016, Emirates downgraded this
flight to the Boeing 777), and we were flying in economy on this sector.
This flight-time for this flight is over 15h, which means that is a lot of time
to experience every aspect of Emirates service. Through both the Emirates
website and the app, I was able to manage my reservation in choosing my own
seat, add meal requests, pay for excess baggage (there is a small discount if
you pre-pay for excess baggage) and check-in online. The flight was
scheduled to take off at 7pm and check-in opened up at 3pm. Emirates has
a lot of staff, and most agents are familiar with Emirates policy so that helps
speed up the check-in process (some other airlines’ staff are not as
knowledgeable). We went up to the gate and the plane was already there,
having come from Dubai earlier in the day. We started boarding a little
later than usual, around 5:45/6pm. I am not sure the reason for the
delay, given everyone was ready, but the boarding was a bit chaotic and
somewhat unorganized. We were in Group 3 but were the last to board,
behind group 4 and 5. One reason for the delayed boarding may have been
the light passenger load – apparently Emirates had been running lighter loads
on this sector so that is why they were downgrading the plane to the 777.
We boarded and once on
board you could immediately feel the difference of the A380. The bigger
plane allows for more space so you don’t feel as combined. The seats are laid
out in a 3-4-3 formation, and both the seat comfort and seat pitch are greater
on the A380 as compared to the B777. I am a tall person, and this seat is
comfortable to sit on for the long duration of the flight. This flight
was even better because due to the light passenger load, we were able to spread
out throughout the plane so I had all three seats to myself. Each seat
contains a pillow and blanket, individual PTVs, USB port, headphone jack, tray
table, and controller. The seat-back pocket has the in-flight magazine,
the duty free magazine, headsets, and an air sickness bag. As we started
boarding late, our pushback was also delayed; however, most passengers did not
notice the delay as they were preoccupied with the IFE system. The IFE
system is available as soon as you sit down (unlike other airlines which start
the system after their reach cruising altitude) so most passengers were
scrolling through the vast options and were not paying attention to the
delay. The doors closed and we pushed back from the gate. As we
were pushing back, the cabin crew handed out menus for the flight.
The catering for the flight
consisted of meal after departure, a light snack in the middle of the flight,
another meal prior to arrival, as well as a mixture of light snacks and water
available throughout the flight. As we reached cruising altitude, the
cabin crew came round with the drinks cart and then came around with the meal
cart. The meals on Emirates have been rated very highly for both their quantity
and quality. Over their years I have flown with them, their meal quality
and quantity have dropped somewhat but they are still better than most airlines
in both categories. After the meal service, coffee and tea were offered
along with water. By this time, it was almost 9/10p local time so the
lights were turned down so people could rest. Throughout the flight,
Emirates crew were coming through the cabin with water or to check on
passengers (this is also something I have not seen as much on other flights).
Emirates crew also distributed light snacks, such as fruit, throughout the
flight and in the middle of the flight a snack was distribute (to those
passengers who were awake). Approximately 3-hour prior to landing the
lights were turned on as the final meal was being served. This meal with
lighter in terms of portion and heaviness, and that is a good thing as by this
time most passengers are not as hungry as when they first boarded the plane.
We were supposed to land in
Dubai in 7:05pm, but due to delayed departure and also congestion in Dubai we
landed later than expected. As most passengers were connecting on to
other flights, and most had at least 2 hours or more transfer time, the delayed
arrival did not affect most passengers. We taxied to the gate, deplaned,
and had 2 hours in Dubai Airport before our next flight departed.
Our next flight was from
Dubai to South Asia, and some of these flights are operated by A380 while most
are operated by a Boeing 777-300 (due to heavy traffic load between Dubai and
South Asia). Our flight was operated by a 777-300ER and as you entered
the plane you could immediately tell the difference. The 777-300ER is a
plane designed for long-range travel, is smaller than the A380 so the seat
pitch is tighter and the seat width is smaller. This makes for a more
compact travel experience, and it is not as comfortable. Our flight was
for 3-hours, but I have flown the 777-300ER long-haul as well. The seats
and comfort are fine for the first half of the flight, but in the second half
you feel the tightness and the comfortability. As this plane was
completely full, there was not a lot of room so that made the seat feel even
tighter. Due to the large passenger load, we departed late from
Dubai. As this flight is 3-hours, and only one meal + drinks service is
offered, the cabin crew took their time to serve the meal. It was almost
an hour into the flight before the drinks were served followed by the
meal. There were a lot of cabin crew on this flight, and some of them
seemed relaxed while others seemed rush (I guess too many passengers for the
short flight). Coffee and tea were offered after the meal service, and
again personal PTV’s were available for passengers to enjoy. The service
across Emirates planes is the same, good and professional. The only
difference amongst the planes is the seat pitch and seat comfort. We
landed later than scheduled, taxied to the gate, and deplaned in South Asia.
We had booked economy on
the outbound and business on the return. Emirates allows 2 bags of 50lbs
(23kg) each per passenger as well as a hand carry in economy. You can
pre-book extra luggage and a discounted rate online 3 days prior to your
flight. Business class has a greater luggage allowance, Emirates uses the
upper deck of the A380 for their lie-flat business seats, and you have access
to the nice lounge in Dubai Airport.
Since we were spending a
day in Dubai, we had booked a later morning flight from South Asia to Dubai –
Emirates has two flights a day, either early in the morning around 3am or later
in the morning around 9am. We choose the later flight to allow us more
rest but also because we had scheduled a day layover in Dubai. Emirates
business class allows 2 bags of 32kg each plus 2 carryon – which is very
generous – plus the same discounts on extra luggage pre-booked.
Our first sector from South
Asia to Dubai was on the 777-300ER. The Business Class layout is 2-3-2,
which was fine for our short flight duration of 3 hours; however, if you had a
longer flight and you were stuck in the middle that would make it very
inconvenient to reach over someone to get out into the aisle. The layout
of the Business Class was also a bit odd – there was no first class so there
were 10 rows of business class seats, and then a separation and then 2 more
rows of business class seats. These last two rows were right next to the
door in which passengers enter the plane, so it was a bit of an odd
layout. I have flown business class before on Emirates, and the service was
impeccable. This time the service wasn’t as great as it had been in the
past – it was still good and attentive but there was definitely a noticeable
drop. The seat pitch was extremely good, as there was a lot of leg room
for the seat to lay flat. The personal PTV was huge, and looked like a
computer monitor rather than a PTV. The seat width was also nice, but
from my previous flights the seats have gotten a bit narrower so there is not
as much space as there used to be. Again, we left late and so we landed
late in Dubai. We deplaned and went to the Chauffer service. In
certain markets, Emirates provides Chauffer service for Business and First
class passengers and this can be pre-booked online. The chauffer service
was very nice and convenient for airport pick-up and drop-off.
The next morning, the
Emirates service was early to pick us up from our hotel and drop us off at the
airport. In Dubai, Emirates has a dedicated terminal exclusively for Business
and First class passengers with their own check-in desks, immigration, and
security checks. It is extremely convenient as there are less passengers
so you it is a quick process (although you do have to walk a far distance from
the entrance of the terminal to the security area). After you clear immigration
and security, you take an elevator upstairs – this is a negative aspect as the
elevator drops you off in the middle of the Dubai Airport. From there,
you have to walk a bit to take a set of escalators which will take you to
another floor that has the first and business class lounge; why couldn’t the
elevator just take you straight to the business class lounge?
The business class lounge
in Dubai is very large in terms of size and available amenities, and it also
extremely crowded. This is one the negative side-effects of their
expansion is that their airport services have not kept up with the increased
demand. Almost every food station had a long line, there were too few
staff to assist with the numerous passengers, each bathroom had a huge line and
wait, and there was a lack of tables. Emirates is adding more flights and
more capacity each day, and Dubai Airports is getting busier so they need to do
something to deal with the increased number of passengers – otherwise it will
have an impact on the passenger’s experience.
Another negative is that
you cannot access your gate from the Business Class lounge – you have to check
the timings and the gate number on the screens and remind yourself to leave
enough time to walk back down to the main level, find your gate and walk there
in time for your boarding process (and it is usually a far walk).
Our next flight was on the
A380, and Emirates just built a brand new terminal for the A380 that has
bridges to access the upper and lower decks. In spite of this, we boarded
our flight on the lower deck and then had to take the front stairs up, walk
through the first class to access the business class – it was again very odd
that this was done this way given the new terminal. The business class on
the A380 is laid out in a 1-2-1 fashion – which provides every seat with aisle
access and this is a convenient perk. Emirates recently reconfigured the
business class seats, and in my opinion made them less desirable. They
took out the massage feature (apparently there were too many glitches) and made
the seat tighter.
The seat is designed like a pod.
When you enter your seat in
business class, the cabin-crew greet you as there are two cabin-crew for every
4 seats. These are supposed to be your personal cabin crew attendants, and
apparently they are the only ones who are able to handle any request you may
have. When we asked other attendants for items, they responded by saying
they would inform our cabin crew to come and inquire; you then had to repeat
the request to your cabin crew. This type of service was not there
previously, and while I understand Emirates wants to provide
individualized-service the cabin crew are working in a team so they should
respond as a team and not individually (and not in a non-customer-friendly way).
As you enter the pod, there
is a mini bar next to your head which contains water and soft drinks (they are
prefilled but can be modified to fit your preference). The mini-bar is
protected by a silver bar which can be lifted up to access your drinks – but
sometimes it gets stuck so it is not designed well; however, it is nice to have
these options next to you as to not keep asking the cabin crew for drinks (the
cabin crew also come and refill the bar with water as they pass by). Next
to the bar are the USB ports – there are two, which is convenient but the
holder for your device needs to be updated. The seat itself is
comfortable and contains a nice pillow and blanket. The seat does move and
can be adjusted to lie flat or to any angle you desire. Next to your seat
is a space for magazines, reading material, or other things. While this
space is nice, as it provides privacy to your things, it also takes up valuable
seat space and that can be felt. While the IFE is touchscreen, there is
also a remote in case the touch-screen freezes (which it sometimes does).
The tray table is also located on this side and folds out (a bit too close to
the seat so not leaving a lot of room). In
front is the huge PTV, and below that is a cubby space. This space needs
to be cleared for take-off and landing (which is inconvenient for passengers)
and this is where your feet will go when the seat lies flat (if you are tall
enough).
You can modify the seats to
whatever angle you are comfortable with, and the seats lie flat to about the
size of a single bed. After the meals
had been picked up, Emirates crew usually came around and asked if you would
like a turn down service. Emirates crew
would lay the seat flat, add the padding, and essentially make-up the bed for
you. This time, however, none of that happened.
We had to request the bedding, and when it did come it was just handed to
us and we had to make the bed ourselves.
This is something that the passenger is not supposed to do and it shows
that Emirates service has diminished somewhat. The seats were comfortable
enough but the seat comfort and seat width had both been diminished. It
was comfortable enough for the long duration of the flight, but it was not as
comfortable as it once was.
Our flight departed at 8:25am
and scheduled to arrive into Houston at 3:45pm.
Emirates had recently modified their scheduled to have the flight leaving
earlier from Dubai to give it a bigger turnaround window in Houston. There were multiple meals served on-board,
starting with breakfast. As soon as we
sat down, we were given a menu and asked to select a breakfast option. When we reached cruising altitude, the cabin
crew came by to open the tray tables and lay down the silverware on white
cloths. Warm nuts and a drink were
served first, followed by the breakfast choice.
The food was decent, but both the quality and quantity of the food had
diminished. Throughout the flights,
passengers were welcome to hang out in the ‘bar/lounge’ at the end of the
plane. Here there was a bar with drinks
available, hors d'oeuvres, as well as bench/couches available for you to hang
out or talk to your fellow passengers.
This is a nice area, and there is more sunlight here so on longer flights
the sunlight really helps.
While small snacks are available
in the lounge, there are larger, heavier snacks available to be ordered. Previously, the cabin crew proactively asked
the passengers if they wanted a heavier snack and worked with the passenger to
modify the snack based on the flight time or health of the passenger. On this flight, we were not asked for heavier
snacks and when we ordered a larger snack, first the crew suggested that snacks
were available in the back and then it took a long time. This was not the type of service I was
expecting from Emirates, and I was a bit disappointed.
Prior to landing another
meal was served. Again, this meal was
decent but was lower in quality and quantity then what I expected from Emirates
(still better than some other airlines).
We landed and taxied to the gate, and at Houston they had a separate
bridge for both the upper and lower cabins of the A380.
Overall, my experience with
Emirates left me a bit disappointed.
They are still a good airline, with great in-flight entertainment, the
airline that operates the most A380’s and those provide a lot of room, and an
airline that offers free wifi to all of its passengers – the basic package is
free and is good for short communication and basic email; a bigger package is
available for purchase. This offer is
available to all passengers and is a great bonus in my opinion. My most recent experience, however, shows
that Emirates may be struggling to keep their commitment to service as they
rapidly expand. The economy class
experience was good, but the business class felt more like premium economy
versus business class. I have talked to
others who flew Emirates in the past and more recently, and they also notice a
drop in service. Their service and their
planes are still one of the best in the world, but they are no longer the best
or the planes. I have had equally good
service on Singapore Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, and Qantas – so Emirates has
lost a bit of that competitive edge in my opinion. I would still take Emirates in the future, they
are no longer a guaranteed choice.
As you enter the hotel’s lobby, the check-in desks are to the left
while straight ahead is the waiting area with couches and chairs. To the right is a little shop where you can
buy snacks, drinks, and some basic items.
Further ahead on the right is the breakfast area and the room is large,
spacious, and can accommodate a lot of guests.
There is a tour agencies desk in the middle of the lobby as well as
bathrooms and meeting rooms as well. I
had arrived around 6am, which was too early for me to check-in but early enough
to access the breakfast so I decided to enjoy the complimentary breakfast while
waiting for my room. I have stayed in
Holiday Inn Express hotels in the U.S., and their complimentary breakfast is
standard and a bit unappealing. That is
what I was expecting here, but at this hotel the complimentary breakfast is
very large and has a decent variety of various breakfast items (the breakfast
was comparable to that offered in 3-4 star hotels). There were hot dishes – including eggs,
beans, and potatoes – bread, cheese, salad, fruit, coffee, and a variety of
other items; overall, I was very impressed with the breakfast. 
Amenities for guests at the hotel included the complimentary breakfast,
parking, a health and fitness center, shuttle to/from the airport (at select timings), laundry service, complimentary wifi, and a computer and printer in the lobby. The complimentary wifi was
available in the lobby for all guests and in the room as well as for
guests. The wifi speed was good enough
for checking email, doing work, and streaming videos on YouTube. The airport shuttle was convenient, but it
was limited in its timings so you had to make sure to schedule around the
shuttle timings. As I said, there was
little to nothing around the hotel in terms of walking distance; the only thing
in walking distance was the metro station, which was a 5-10 minute walk and you
are one-stop way from T1 or two stops away from T3. 
