In March, I flew to Delhi, India on Emirates Airlines. The first leg, from New York JFK to Dubai Airport was on an A380 plane. I have read many reviews of the “upstairs” quarters on this plane, including the fabulous suites and showers, but not many travelers from my circles have suffered to experience this 14 hour flight in Coach. Well, hello, I did. It was a mistake fare! I paid $225 for JFK-DEL round trip (well, I added an additional $200 to take a 3 pm rather than a 3am flight on the way home, so it added up to $425). For that price, I was willing to sit downstairs.
Here is my review in three words (or two words and one contraction if you want to be exact):
IT DIDN’T SUCK
Sure, I didn’t experience the ultra luxury and pampering of Business or First Class. Sure, I would have liked that. I certainly would not have said no if someone had offered! But, the ride was comfortable, the seats were adequate, the service was good and the food and drinks were plentiful. We even got amenity kits in Coach! (I note that, overall, the flight going from JFK to Dubai was better than the flight returning from Dubai to JFK. I credit that to the fact that I was seated in the front of the plane for the first flight. They tend to forget about you in the back!).
The cabin and seats:
In with the blanket were these cute stickers, which you could attach to your seat indicating whether you wanted to be woken for meals, etc.
The amenity kit is small, about the size of a fist. The contents were basic: a mini toothbrush and toothpaste, a mask and socks. But the case is nice – I think it is perfect for storing headphones or wires.
The inflight entertainment system was fabulous, and there were power ports to stay charged. The selection of movies was plentiful – I think over 1,000 choices. I watched a number of new movies, such as Birdman and Boyhood. That really helped the time go by quickly.
The safety video was kind of interesting – it felt very Houdini with people and objects appearing and disappearing.
I was so excited to learn that there was Wi-fi on the flight. The first 10MB was free, then $1 for the next 500MB. That all sounds nice, and even incredible, but I found that the wi-fi barely worked. In truth, it was very frustrating.
There were three meals served on this flight, and alcohol was free! (note: they had Drambuie!).
First, we had dinner.
Then a pizza snack:
And breakfast:
So, all in all, it was fine. The pilot got the passengers both upstairs and downstairs to the same location.
In my opinion the quality of the service was much better than flying in economy on domestic US carriers. Probably, it was more like a notch (or two) below business class on many domestic carriers.
A New York frequent flyer who elegantly combines her passions for worldwide travel, running a gazillion marathons all over the globe and staying fit ... without sacrificing her fancy for good wine and food.
It’s nice to see a report from the back of the bus! And it’s actually looks quite alright!
it was ok, as long as you block the expectations that usually go along with elite class travel….
We are just back from flying Emirates business class SFO to Dubai, then on to Bangkok after a stopover in Dubai. Our return was on Emirates coach Dubai to LAX (16 hours). We used Alaska miles and had an immediate comparison of the 2 classes. About 6 hours into the return coach flight we both agreed we would do whatever we could to avoid that long of a flight in coach, even on Emirates. The service in coach was barely better than a US airline, although the food and alcohol were better. The coach restrooms were filthy by the end of the flight. There were several babies on the flight and one or more were crying almost the entire time. I am glad we had the comparison, because now we know the difference!
So… What is your “circle” of people?
I guess that sounded funny. Maybe I’ll change or clarify that. Among the points and miles people, one mainly hears of travel in business or first.
I used to fly EK a lot back in 2008-2011 and yes I flew JFK-DXB several times in coach. It didn’t suck at all — especially when the plane is light and you can grab a whole economy row to yourself! 😉 In fact, I have a photo of an entire back area of EK A380 plane that was empty. It was the height of the recession at the time and it was definitely less than 50% full.
Anyways, I’ll admit I flew EK several times back then just to redeem an EK F award (way before Emirates partnered with Alaska and AmEx). This was before the skywards devaluation and before they started charging fuel surcharges on awards — oh and the time when you earned 100% miles flown on any economy ticket. Gosh I miss those days. Ahhhh the good ‘ol days. 😉
Anyway back to your post — I agree that EK economy doesn’t suck at all. What impressed me the most was its IFE. I mean, it makes a 14 hour flight feel like a 5 hour flight! If I ever have kids, I think I’ll make them fly economy longhaul flight 90s style (no personal IFE and you only watch 3 movies from the center giant screen) to appreciate the economy longhaul cabin we have today. 😉
Doesn’t look too bad
only one concern .. seat size .. legroom and width .. if it is decent, economy is bearable .. if it is usa-style crammed, the held energy for so many hours is very debilitating .. ditto the oxygen
airline food? i never eat it .. i know the factories it comes from .. and the stink , when meal time arrives, aiyo
The seat was fine and the seat next to me was open, so I was comfortable (or as comfortable as one can be….). My issue recently has been that there’s always sick people next to or behind me. I had to tell the guy a seat away to cover his mouth when he was coughing. GROSS.
Wow…that sounds incredible to me…have flown a lot in the U.S. and was never treated that well…
Thanks for the report. I haven’t flown on Emirates but my experiences in QF A380 coach were excellent.
This year “so far” I have run LHR to SIN 3 times on Singapore Airlines each time in coach. Again this is a 14 hour trip.
In all 3 cases it has been a 777 on the way out and an A380 on the way back and you know what, it was fine!
The service was good, the food kept arriving and the beer kept on flowing and I was still able to walk when I got off at the other end.
Sometimes I think we loose touch with reality.
There are people all across the world who have no roof over their head, don’t know where their next meal is coming from or have an illness or disability that means they can’t even feed themselves.
So to even consider complaining that you have to spend 14 hours of your life with access to unlimited entertainment, food, drink and what to many would be a warm and comfy seat seems a little unrealistic.
Sure we would all like to be pampered in first class but even in the back, when you put things into perspective, if this is all you have to complain about in your life, then perhaps you should stop and think about just how good life is treating you right now.
Thank you for your thoughtful comment. I couldn’t agree more.
I picked up my first mistake/low fare and will fly coach on Jet (Etihad partner) JFK >>> HNB. I vacillate from worrying about an uncomfortable seat to figuring I have flown long coach flights many times and it will work out. Generally I take a sleeping pill and pass a good chunk of the time that way. As long as I have an aisle seat, I can manage.
I do think having an empty seat next to you makes an enormous difference in whether or not a coach experience is OK or not. Fingers crossed!
PS – I totally agree with Mark. If my worries are based on access to air travel and how comfortable I will be en route to a great vacation, I am one lucky and fortunate lady!