#882743 by Kraken
12 Sep 2014, 15:06
The Emirates Chauffeur Drive pickup went as smoothly as ever & had a surprisingly clear run to Manchester. The only negative here was the pickup time – 09:30 for a 14:05 flight. I was at the airport just after 11:00 – just meant it gave me more time to drink Emirates champagne (more on that subject later). I did query the pickup time with the driver & he said they have to be at the airport in time for the inbound flight (and allowing a bit in case it is early) to do a drop-off from that flight.

You could tell the schools are back now as Manchester Airport was dead quiet compared to my previous trip last month. The check-in agent advised the load was light on todays flight.

In security, I got the random ping on the metal detector. To say that the secondary screener was thorough is an understatement (he stopped just short of the strip / cavity search). He was also 100% miserable too. Then all my electronics got swabbed too. Unsure if they were being extra vigilant because of the date (September 11). The screener almost seemed disappointed that he had not found anything on me. Give me the choice between a body-scanner & that secondary screening – I’d take the body scan any day.

Anyway, up to the Emirates Lounge. Got a seat by the window and had some food (excellent quality IMO, even if it is not prepared to order as in the Clubhouse). I resisted the temptation of the bar until after noon, when I did manage a couple of glasses of bubbly. There is no “alcohol watch” of any kind here as the bar is free-pour. One bloke walked past me six or seven times while I was in the lounge with a fresh glass of champagne each time.

Boarding was called just after 13:30 so down to gate 12. That pier at Manchester is a dump (at best). Got to the gate and there were not a huge number of people around for saying an A380 was parked up. First and Business Class boarding was delayed (so why didn’t they tell the lounge this?) while security checks were completed. After the delay, time to walk up the jetbridge & was greeted at the door. BP checked and greeted “Welcome back Mr Kraken, [name omitted] will take you to your suite”. Said crew member then took me to the suite and explained the features. Initial impressions are “wow”, mixed with “this is a bit OTT”. Not over keen on the wood effect / gold décor, but it is very Middle-Eastern I guess. Having seen pictures on A.Net of the First Class bathrooms with shower, I had to take a look – now this is “wow” – if not a bit crazy being on a plane.

Back to the suite and the Dom Perignon was offered – it would have been rude to say no. Looked at the menu and it is very similar to the Business Class one – in fact some of the items are identical. Did notice that there is not the “We apologize if your choice is not available” anywhere on the First menu. I suspect they load a lot of catering & if they really have problems, take from Business Class. Can’t see food running out being a problem today – First is only half full.

Pushed back about 15mins late and it’s going to be about 7h40m to Dubai. Interestingly we took off from the “new” runway at MAN – I didn’t think they normally used that in the middle of the day to appease the local residents.

Once airbourne the service began. I must have been a very easy passenger for the crew as you will see when you read on. I accepted another glass of Dom when they came round after takeoff. Emirates First claims to offer a true “freedom menu” but lunch was served about an hour out of MAN. As I’d effectively had two starters (a plate of smoked salmon & a cold trout salad) in the lounge, I passed on a starter & just had the Lamb noisette as the main course. It was excellent – certainly up there as one of the best dishes I have had on a plane. Followed the lamb up with the cheeseboard, which as normal on Emirates was very good in terms of quality and portion sizes. I was by now stuffed.

I actually found the First suites to be a little too private. I had a window suite – so a “single” one and with the doors closed, you were in your own space and you could not see any of the comings & goings in the cabin (not that there would have been many – only half full). Clearly this is the idea and it would be ideal if you needed to work on the flight – especially if you’re looking at confidential stuff on your laptop.

In order to see some other faces on the flight, I ventured down to the bar at the back on a few occasions. It was clear that quite a few Business Class passengers had made this their home for the flight (including Mr Champagne from the lounge). On each subsequent visit to the bar, it was louder & rowdier with people clearly getting more and more inebriated. On one of the later visits to the bar I got chatting to a girl from Manchester (no, nothing dodgy) and was there a while. My cabin crew member from First came and found me to ask if I wanted anything off “your menu” serving to me as the bar snacks on the bar were aimed at Business Class passengers. I ordered the Canapes & a short while later, 2 plates of Canapes were delivered – one for me, one for my drinking friend (she had not ordered them).

About 90mins out of Dubai, the seatbelt sign went on and all the crew in the upper deck-rear galley emerged to empty the bar. Some passengers could not remember where there seats were and had to be taken to them. Seriously, there were some p*ssed people on that flight. Oddly enough, we did not encounter any turbulence even though the seatbelt sign was on. I commented on the smooth flight and suggested that the seatbelt sign may have been “arranged” to my crew member and she admitted it was done as the bar was getting out of hand.

After about half an hour [and doubtless removal of all service items from the bar] the sign went off, so it was time for a shower before landing. All I can say is it is a weird experience as you are not used to removing all your clothes and getting soaking wet on a plane (well I am not!) The hot water in the shower has a 5min time limit on it – but I was out before it cut-out.

Not long after I was back in the suite, the seatbelt sign went on for the long slow decent into Dubai. We entered at least two, maybe three holds out over the Gulf before being dispatched to fly over Dubai then double-back for landing.

Landed at Dubai and we were very lucky with gate allocation – got one right in the centre of Concourse B – you could not have got much closer to Immigration / Baggage Claim if you had tried. Unfortunately this did not mean bags on the reclaim belt fast. All looked good at first – got to the reclaim belt and the monitor said “First bags in 3mins” – but there must have been a problem getting the containers off the aircraft as time went backwards [a bit like the estimated time remaining on Microsoft Office updates]. About 15mins later, after a trip to Duty Free, the bags started to appear – containers had been loaded / unloaded in the right order as all the first bags on the belt were First Class / Business Class ones.

So, I am no longer an EK First virgin. What did I think (in short)? Excellent suite, very private (which may not suit everyone). Service was Emirates at it’s best, brilliant crew. Food – excellent. On-board shower – excellent, you arrive 100% fresh. Obviously, the lounge in MAN, ground facilities and IFE are the same as Business class.

Would I fly Emirates First again? Definitely yes (if someone else was paying) – if I was paying, I’d probably go Business class as you still get a good seat, good food and the bar.

The lasting memory of the flight is the amount of alcohol that some people were putting back – even after pre-loading in the lounge at Manchester. I know Virgin have a policy to refuse alcohol based on consumption or behavior. Emirates clearly don’t as they were plying people who were past it with yet more drink. (And don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a drink as much as anyone!)

Hope this has not been too bad to read!

James
#882745 by Bretty
12 Sep 2014, 15:40
Hi James,

Thanks, great TR and sounds like a really good experience. I must say I liked the trick with seatbelt signs and the heavy drinkers, marvellous! And the shower I think is really living it large, but it Middle Eastern, what more can we say? I'm not sure I'd fancy being cut off completely from the cabin though, so I'll stick to the J cabin for now ;)

Hope you have a good time in Dubai.
#882747 by pjh
12 Sep 2014, 15:53
Thanks for the TR. Maybe one day I'll shower in the sky, but for now J is the pinnacle of possibility...

The scenes at the bar sounds like they'd transplanted the clientele of the Deansgate Hilton Exec Lounge on a Saturday night. I am no stranger to the delights of the electric soup, but what do people think they are doing when they get into such a state that they need escorting back to their seats?

On a lighter note, I was told by a BA pilot that the seatbelt sign trick is also used to ensure a clear run to the facilities when nature calls on the flight deck.
#882749 by enjoyingit
12 Sep 2014, 15:59
I love the bar at the back of the A380, it would have been fascinating to see what Virgins take on it would have been. Alas i think we will never know. It does surprise me how drunk people get, especially entering a country like Dubai. Unfortunately i can only see it ending in tears at some stage in the future.
#882750 by Kraken
12 Sep 2014, 16:01
Sarastro wrote:There is actually a camera above the bar that the flight crew can monitor, and yes, they do put it on if it looks too busy, or if the cabin crew requests it.

It wasn't so much that the bar was busy - more that the same people had been there for too long & been given too much alcohol. The crew have to take a bit of blame here - some passengers should have been refused service before the seatbelt sign came on.
#882751 by hiljil
12 Sep 2014, 16:03
Thank you for such an interesting TR. I always enjoy reading about "How the other half fly !!"

Oh how I would love to experience a shower on board !

Have a good time.
hiljil
#882756 by whiterose
12 Sep 2014, 16:28
Super TR, loved it. I've long wanted to fly EK First with the shower too though I'm not sure I'd like to be shut off in that very private cocoon. Amazing that pax apparently want to get utterly pie-eyed and not enjoy the luxury of the flight they're on. n(

Maybe we'll all think next time the seat belt sign goes on mid-flight "Ah yes, someone's been over-doing it at the bar".

Loved the Microsoft minutes comment as well. :D
#882767 by Jacki
12 Sep 2014, 19:03
Great TR and totally agree that serving alcohol to already drunk pax is irresponsible.
#882768 by Blacky1
12 Sep 2014, 19:22
Great TR James ,one of the pinnacles of flying must be F on EK ,certainly something very close to the top of my wish list but alas not to be at the moment .
I can see the passengers now being led down the aisle like naughty children lol
Thanks for posting
#882777 by Sarastro
12 Sep 2014, 19:52
It's very naughty of EK to over serve. There have been more than a few people arrested at DXB because they have had too much. Being drunk in Dubai is a criminal offence after all....
#882804 by Kraken
13 Sep 2014, 07:34
Sarastro wrote:It's very naughty of EK to over serve. There have been more than a few people arrested at DXB because they have had too much. Being drunk in Dubai is a criminal offence after all....

Indeed - if there is one country I would not want to arrive in drunk, Dubai is pretty near the top of the list. I can't see Dubai Immigration (or Police) being too tolerent of someone who is out of it.
#882806 by slinky09
13 Sep 2014, 08:29
Lovely TR as usual. Remembering my first EK suites on an A380 I observed quite a lot of the same ... the crew in First will often deposit a bottle of your favourite wine for your private consumption if you use the bar at the back of the bus too! I also agree about the privacy in the suites, great for sleeping, but you do feel cut off a bit. I often prefer day flights in business (in one of the right by the window seats) and night flights in a suite for sleeping ...

Showering is weird, but I kinda like it :D .
#882817 by northernhenry
13 Sep 2014, 10:47
Great TR, must give them a whirl on any trip back to blighty, although First maybe out of our current budget!
Watch two consecutive EK A380 's fly over the house descending and lining up for the AKL landing most lunchtimes and have yet to try.
#882822 by lynnewob
13 Sep 2014, 11:35
Great trip report.

We have only ever done the older seats in first between Male and Dubai - the ones that had the soft drinks encased between the two seats. We were the only 2 people in the cabin and I recall the female crew member from Texas saying that I must finish the bottle of Dom before landing. Hubby was on single malt and didn't assist but I have to admit I failed to finish it, probably leaving 1 glass in the bottle. I do enjoy a drink but there are limits and I would certainly never fly whilst inebriated.

I think most EK crew do enjoy a party and encourage others to enjoy themselves, but unfortunately it appears in this instance, they may have gone a bit too far serving countless drinks and realised it later, thus putting the seatbelt sign on to calm the situation. It is a shame for those who enjoy a quiet peaceful drink to have it ruined by others. I imagine the drinkers didn't return to the bar after as they would have just fell asleep in their seats.

I'm glad you enjoyed the shower, it must have felt realy weird on board. That's something else to tick off a to do list.
#882835 by PaulS
13 Sep 2014, 13:17
I think you summed EK first up briliantly. Personally I didn't like being shut in and the cabin was far to bling for my choice (my view of Dubai is the same) but the lounge experience is acceptable. I too had a mixed experience with boarding and the cabin crew were very young and seemed inexperienced. My family have now relocated from Dubai so fortunately I don't have to go back, but if I did it would be on either VS or BA.

On a side note EKs attitude to alcohol dose suprise me especially as it is a Muslim state based airline. My 81 year old mother flying solo in business had to put up with a drunken business man slobbering all over her eventually falling asleep with his head on her shoulder. She felt that the crew were too young to deal with this guy. Not good enough v(
#883633 by Maximus
20 Sep 2014, 17:51
Thanks- a great TR.

I had heard about the showers in First- seems odd but I would still love to try them!
#883672 by iforres1
21 Sep 2014, 11:24
Great TR, as for the drink/drunks it is nothing compared to a Friday afternoon evening in Dubai after the legendary brunches that are served throughout the city. Guilty as charged M'lord.
#883682 by Kraken
21 Sep 2014, 16:08
iforres1 wrote:Great TR, as for the drink/drunks it is nothing compared to a Friday afternoon evening in Dubai after the legendary brunches that are served throughout the city. Guilty as charged M'lord.

Ditto - we went to the Jumeirah Beach Hotel for a Friday brunch - and we got our money's worth :D . The difference is we did not have to stand in front of a Dubai Immigration officer afterwards. Then again, the drunks on the plane probably didn't have to either as it is highly likely Dubai was not their final destination so they were only in transit at DXB.
#883694 by clanger
21 Sep 2014, 17:36
Fascinating, thank you very much for sharing. Great insight into something a great many of us aspire to experiencing for ourselves one day, maybe, I wish...great read.
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