After exploring the terminal and taking care of a few phone calls, I made my way to the gate. At each gate we went through a final security check before being let into the holding pen.
We'd be departing from a remote stand and the holding pen was quite full.
Funny thing is they started having busses departing with economy pax before any F or J.
Eventually they had a bus for F pax and we made our way to our 77W. F pax boarded through L1.
At night the elegant lighting looked great and inviting. The best part however was the crew who welcomed and escorted each of us to our seats. They were so incredibly welcoming, friendly and fun - I knew this would be a great flight!
I was shocked, after seeing so many pictures of bling-air I was expecting that, but at least at night, it actually looked really good and refined. Sure, certainly not LX style elegance, but nowhere near as gaudy as I was expecting and things look in pictures.
For my first EK flight, Suite 1A!
There are two rows of 1-2-1 with fully enclosed suites.
The seat itself is plenty wide, definitely more than the A380 version.
The whole setup was great between the mini bar, mirror and giant screen that must've been 32" like LX F.
The seat was wide of comfortable to sit, lounge or sleep. Also barely in the picture is one of the best features of any seat on any place - an air vent nozzle! I wish all seats had them, but kudos to Emirates for having them in each suite.
Then time for the first of several glasses of Dom 2009. While I definitely prefer Krug more, the 09 Dom had a good chalky mineral base, citrus like fruit, slight toasty quality and almost tea like finish.
Let the party begin!
EK F doesn't have luggage bins overhead and you store luggage at the front of the suite, makes it easy although doesn't look elegant.
However it makes for an absolutely unbelievable ceiling. Most airlines have a crew rest right above the F cabin at the front of the plane, but EK doesn't and the ceiling is absolutely massive and vaulted. Pictures do not do it justice and this was the best I could capture, but it was by far the most impressively large cabin I've ever seen.
Then the super friendly crew distributed menus and said they'd try to expedite the meal so we could get sleep on this short 4.5 hours flight. The wine list had a good selection.
Then the food menu.
Even Paradis on a regional flight!
Some good options, choices, choices...
Before we pushed back, time for the signature dates and Arabic coffee.
Really great combo and super tasty, I went for a date with an almond inside.
We pushed back next to a CX cargo 744.
The fantastic front facing camera.
A quick climb out from CMB.
Then playing with closing the doors to my suite.
Fully enclosed, really appreciate the privacy.
Meal time and after some more Dom, time to move onto the Leoville Poyferre, a nice Bordeaux that opened up fairly quickly and had a good dark fruit palate and was fuller bodied.
I started with the famous mezze which was fantastic!
They brought me a chicken appetizer to try, but it was just ok.
I went with the chicken which was one of the best I've ever had on a plane, good flavor and incredibly juicy, I'd be happy with this dish at a nice restaurant.
The wine paired perfectly!
Then time for some of the Taylor's 1966 port, so fantastic with caramel, honeysuckle and nice acid to make this super tasty.
It paired great with the chocolate mousse dessert.
The meal service was done in an efficient 1-hour from takeoff, I really appreciated the service was prompt, friendly and didn't seem rushed. It just worked! Then time to catch as much sleep as possible for the remainder of the flight.
I woke up as we were on final into DXB by one of the flight attendants.
We touched down on time at taxied past a ridiculous number of A380s and 77Ws, so cool!
We pulled up at a remote stand.
Stepping off the plane, I wasn't expecting it to be 38C (100F) at 1am - whoa!
Down to a bus dedicated for first class.
This is about as good as a remote stand can get.
Check out the condensation on the windows!
What a great flight, the hard and soft products were great. What blew me away was how friendly the crew was. I find there are generally two types of luxury experiences, one the classic stuffy type, the other where the staff is super friendly, affable and attentive. Emirates crews based on what I've seen so far are definitely the second style and make sure guests have a relaxed and fun time. I was definitely looking forward to my 16-hours to SFO in the morning!
Trip links:
- Colombo
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