By almost every measure, my second flight on Emirates in first class far surpassed the first. With excellent food and service, my only complaint that the flight was too short.
Boarding commenced directly from the first class lounge, a great feature of the A Councourse lounge.
Please note this review is from 2015. Click here for a detailed explanation of why I publish “older” reviews. Put simply, very little has changed onboard. This review still gives a very accurate picture of what to expect onboard.
Emirates 045
Dubai (DXB) – Frankfurt (FRA)
Wednesday, April 01
Depart: 8:25 AM
Arrive: 1:15 PM
Duration: 06hr, 50min
Distance: 3,008 mi
Aircraft: A380-800
Seat: 2A (First Class)
Onboard, I found my seat and snapped a few more pictures. While my previous was booked 10/14, this flight was booked full. I figured this would make service more difficult, but the opposite occurred.
As we taxied for takeoff, I snapped some pictures outside:
Emirates First Class Service
Service shined on this flight. FAs in first class hailed from South Korea, Spain, England, and Austria and were remarkable. Unlike my flight from Los Angeles to Dubai, I was addressed by name the entire flight. That’s a small touch, but shows attention to detail. FAs were also much more proactive.
I overslept, yet FAs still happily obliged my request for a multi-course prior to landing. More on that meal in just a moment. I also received more cold towels on this 6.5hr flight than my 15hr flight from LA.
Emirates First Class Bar
Having totally forgotten about the bar on my previous flight, I headed right back to it after we leveled off. The bar is such a classy feature, hearkening back to the upstairs lounges on the Boeing 747.
I arrived right after the seatbelt light was turned off and was able to snap a few pictures, including one of the lovely Michelle who was working as bartender.
A tip for first class passengers: if you want to be snooty, order a glass of Dom at the bar. If a business class passenger asks for a glass, they will be politely denied. I try not to be snooty and skipped alcohol altogether on this flight.
Other passengers soon arrived and the gentleman holding the in-flight magazine below, already drunk, went on to make a few passes at Michelle. She smiled and remained polite but the guy was so gross.
Behind the bar is a large and very busy galley.
First class passengers also have a private self-serve bar at the top of the forward staircase.
Emirates A380 Business Class Seat
As I retuned to my seat, I surveyed the lightly-filled business class cabin. I’m not sure why first class was full when business class was less than a quarter full, but the lie-flat seat aboard the A380 looks like a very suitable business class product, even if not the most competitive.
Emirates First Class Seat
Returning to my seat, I snapped some pictures of my cabin:
A snack basket offered plenty of treats for the quick journey to Frankfurt and the personal minibar was fully stocked.
And another set of skincare products:
The seat could be adjusted by both push-button on the armrest and a tablet-like device next to the seat.
Power ports and USB ports were available.
Best of all, however, was the individual air vent, which kept the suite cool during the flight.
I love the orchid in the suite…a nice touch that contrasted well with the gold and white color scheme.
I ate a quick breakfast, took a shower, then ended up sleeping for four hours. The bedding is superb and with a particularly smooth flight, I slept very well.
The mirror behind the lamp gives the optical illusion of an even larger suite.
Emirates First Class Dining
This flight featured an a la carte dining menu with both breakfast and lunch items. Upon boarding, I had a glass of sparkling water to start followed by Arabic coffee and a date.
Before checking out the bar, I ordered breakfast…an English breakfast to be precise.
The fruit plate appetizer included sliced mango, pineapple, orange, and a single strawberry and blackberry. Fresh-squeezed orange juice as well. I declined the bread basket, still full from a remarkable meal in the lounge.
The main course featured a cheese omelet with hash browns and baked beans. I skipped the beans and potatoes, but the omelet was excellent.
Prior to landing, I enjoyed a multi-course lunch. First, canapés featuring a grilled beef skewer with lime and ginger, a feta and sun-dried tomato frittata, and a breaded prawn.
Next, a caviar course, including onion, grated egg, sour cream, lemon, and melba toast.
A bread basket also appeared with the toast as well as some excellent garlic bread. FAs left the garlic bread in foil, which wasn’t visually appetizing but kept the bread warm. Emirates serves excellent balsamic vinegar and olive oil as well, which made for a great dipping sauce for the bread. Butter as well as salt and pepper grinders were also provided.
That was followed by cream of spinach soup with ricotta-filled ravioli inside. It was tremendous.
Finally, the main course of pan-fried cod with boiled potatoes and vegetables. This was a fabulous dish that had a superb taste and texture.
I was so full and just had a cappuccino to end my meal. The cheese board looked amazing, but I just could not eat anything else.
The catering on this flight was far better than the catering from Los Angeles to Dubai.
Emirates First Class Shower
I didn’t need a shower, but I took one anyway…it’s something hard to resist at 40,000 feet.
See here for my Emirates shower guide.
> Read More: A Golden Shower at 40,000 Feet
The first class bar was transformed into a “spa” area. I enjoyed a cup of green tea after my shower.
Emirates First Class IFE
Emirates’s ICE in-flight-entertainment system features a huge library of movies, TV shows, music, and games. Recent news broadcast are also available. My favorite feature is the tail camera.
Noise-cancelling headphones were provided.
Emirates First Class Pajamas + Amenity Kit
Pajamas were not proactively offered on this 7hr daytime flight. I did request a second pair and they were delivered. Emirates now uses “hydrating” pajamas in first class, but these seem to be just a gimmick: I don’t notice any hydrating effect on them.
No amenity kit was offered either, just eyeshades and slippers. I did not request an amenity kit but suspect those were also available on-demand.
CONCLUSION
We landed on-time in Frankfurt and I was very sorry the flight was over. I am a huge fan of Emirates First Class and this second flight demonstrated how excellent Emirates can be when on top of its game.
Matthew, wow taking a picture of somebody, stating that exactlz this person is drunk and gross, and putting it online? Wow. Speachless and very disappointed, of this blog… of the drunk guy.
I’ll always call out passengers who denigrate women and act like pigs. Sorry if that offends you.
Amen, Matthew.
Did you call him out, to his face? Or simply take a photo behind his back, of his back?
I’m in 2 minds about this; one hand, all for eradicating bad behaviour , as you briefly describe it; on the other, not thrilled about publishing photos of people without their knowledge or the right of reply. On balance, you crossed a line by publishing. Up to you.
Was this ticketed using miles? I’ve read the best redemption available now is using JAL miles. Was wondering if there are other easier methods.
Yes, this was with Alaska miles. JAL is the best deal right now.
If originating in the US, JAL is not so great now with the surcharges anymore… maybe if you originate in HKG.
True, but still better than Alaska if points are limited.
How many times did you jack off in the shower?
I don’t know about Matthew, but in 5 mins, I can finish 10 times.
As usual you scumbags give WAY too much credit to yourselves and your sexual prowess. We usually find you guy come up a couple inches short, wasted, and throwing around a confederate play towel. Maybe you too should go join the mile high club together and save good women a lifetime of hurt.
Mike, what a pervert you are! I’m disgusted by you.
Jane, it’s a fair question. It is so comical how prudish Americans can be.
Interesting that the EK service was better on a DXB-FRA rather than the longer flight from LAX.
I’m not much of an EK traveler but do use QR from time to time. They definitely change the offering and standards depending on the destination and who the competition are or indeed whether there’s any competition at all so for example there’s a big difference in the DOH-BKK service compared to the DOH-KUL or DOH-SIN service and all fall below the standards between DOH- major European cities to a point where you even seem to get different groups of crew.
On services to Europe there’s a huge difference between what may be offered DOH-ATH as opposed to DOH-IST with the latter being better but then TK compete on the route whereas to ATH there’s no competition.
Maybe EK DXB-FRA know they are up against LH in the premium cabins whereas to LAX there is no competition.
So how does the bartender know whether you’re in F or J, and therefore eligible for a glass of Dom? Do you have to show your boarding pass? Or do they just know somehow?
Nothing wrong with jacking off 40,000 feet in the air. You all don’t know what you’re missing! Cheers to my dick.