EK GLA-DXB 10 FEB 16 (Economy)

My first time flying with Emirates so thought I’d do a trip report on it.

My project requires my presence out in Dubai for a few days, unfortunately as the flight is (just) under 8 hours and it’s not overnight I could only get economy seats. No point going any other route as Emirates are pretty competitive ex-GLA.

Arrived at the airport via taxi with just my hand luggage, used the manned check-in desk rather than the machine and managed to get moved to the over-wing exit for 24B. No lounge access so made my way through security and sat in one of the bars with a view of the apron and had a Scottish brunch while watching the incoming plane land and taxi up to the gate.

An hour later made my way down to the gate past where the flight had mostly boarded, and ten uneventful minutes later I was sitting in my seat complete with complimentary newspaper. I’ve been hearing that the two daily Emirates 777-300 flights from Glasgow average a healthy 85% load factor and this was no exception, there couldn’t have been many spare seats, if any (a colleague on the same flight a few days later said they were looking for volunteers due to overbooking).

One issue with the over-wing exit is the lack of IFE during taxi and take-off however I was able to watch the on-board cameras on the screen and somebody else’s IFE. Such a simply idea but completely additive to watch.

I soon got stuck into reading a newspaper then dabbled with the IFE, watched the Steve Jobs film which was ok but not as good as some of the other documentaries made about him. I also found the headphones they provided to be rather uncomfortable after a few hours. Plane journeys are so much different when not having to look after kids! I logged onto the onboard wifi and managed to send the obligatory “I’m on a plane!” messages to Twitter and Facebook however the system went down after about an hour never to return (the live TV also went down so I assume it was a problem with their satellite link).

Lunch was served, and while it didn’t look the smartest presentation the lamb ragout was very tasty. I felt there could have been more rounds of drinks served, I did go back to the galley at one point for one. The lack of a decent bite later in the flight proved to be a problem. Here’s the menu:

Lunch Appetiser
Salad Niçoise served with green beans, potato and olives with tuna

Main Course
Grilled Chicken with rosemary demi‑glace, roasted vegetables and mashed potatoes with cheese
Lamb Ragoût served with pomegranate and apricot sauce, saffron rice and creamy spinach with artichokes
Dessert
Chocolate Mousse with cherry compote
Chocolate
Hot Drinks Tea or Coffee

Before landing
A selection of beverages will be offered with a sweet treat.

I tried to doze off for a bit especially as I wouldn’t be having much sleep in the next few days but found it pretty impossible in the Emirates economy seats which were fairly hard and I ended up with a numb botty. I had to go for a walk to get back the circulation then use the pillow provided for my posterior. The seats also lacked proper head support for a doze (unlike Virgin’s 747s).

So a fairly uneventful flight later we were coming into land at Dubai, again the IFE had to be put away however the cabin TVs were showing adverts and not the cameras or map which was disappointing. Landed at 12.15am local (on time) and taxied to the dreaded remote stand where we had to wait to disembark until enough busses showed up. The bus journey across the airport took a while as we had to cross active and busy taxiways at what is a crazy, crazy airport. Finally got into the main terminal, through a reasonably busy security (plenty of desks open at 1am) and into a taxi where I arrived at the hotel tired and reasonably hungry. Sadly the hotel couldn’t fix me up with any food so I hailed a taxi and he took me to where the taxi drivers go to eat, had an excellent curry at 2.30am.

Here’s my star ratings:

Ground 4* Great in Glasgow, not so great in Dubai
Crew 4* Pretty anonymous, functional, but did well for a full flight
Food 3* Main meal was great, let down by lack of drinks and substantial snack
Seats 4* Great having the ELR seats but they’re not as comfortable as Virgin EC seats
Entertainment 4* Great selection, few niggles with headphones and service

Overall it was a pretty good flight, maybe I was expecting too much as Emirates are held in pretty high regard but I didn’t find them to be any better than Virgin and indeed I found Virgin to exceed them in some ways. Would definitely use the route again.

EK28
IMG_4532.JPG (439.88 KiB) Viewed 2717 times

Thanks for the TR.

I guess ultimately economy is economy whichever airline you fly with - they're all much of a muchness food and service-wise.

It's only in the premium cabins that they start making an effort to differentiate.

Incidentally I notice today EK have announced a sixth daily LHR-DXB rotation. They're obviously doing something right.

Sadly the hotel couldn’t fix me up with any food so I hailed a taxi and he took me to where the taxi drivers go to eat, had an excellent curry at 2.30am.

An adventure! Good approach though.

Here’s my star ratings:

Crew 4* Pretty anonymous, functional, but did well for a full flight
Food 3* Main meal was great, let down by lack of drinks and substantial snack
Seats 4* Great having the ELR seats but they’re not as comfortable as Virgin EC seats
Entertainment 4* Great selection, few niggles with headphones and service

Overall it was a pretty good flight, maybe I was expecting too much as Emirates are held in pretty high regard but I didn’t find them to be any better than Virgin and indeed I found Virgin to exceed them in some ways. Would definitely use the route again.

I did two legs in Economy with EK a year and a bit ago outbound to India, and thought pretty much the same as you, though your rate the IFE more highly than I. The return legs where I used miles to upgrade to Business was much more fun .

It's only in the premium cabins that they start making an effort to differentiate.

Incidentally I notice today EK have announced a sixth daily LHR-DXB rotation. They're obviously doing something right.

Meant to add the elbow room was poor so I was unable to get the laptop out and do some work, I shall use this reasoning next time to get my work to pay for the upgrade although it looks like I might have enough miles to pay for it myself in future.

I've kept an eye on the ex-GLA load factors posted on pprune to see if the new Qatar flights from EDH had any impact but given the healthy loads there's definitely the justification to put an A380 on the route (although it's more likely to be a 3rd daily 773).

I did two legs in Economy with EK a year and a bit ago outbound to India, and thought pretty much the same as you, though your rate the IFE more highly than I. The return legs where I used miles to upgrade to Business was much more fun .

In hindsight it was generous given the problems it gave me, I think I marked it up for the huge choice available (although half of this was non-English language)

I did two legs in Economy with EK a year and a bit ago outbound to India, and thought pretty much the same as you, though your rate the IFE more highly than I. The return legs where I used miles to upgrade to Business was much more fun .

In hindsight it was generous given the problems it gave me, I think I marked it up for the huge choice available (although half of this was non-English language)

I'd venture it's more than half. A case of "never mind the quality, feel the width". Also censored, so no bare behinds per "Mamma Mia" never mind the last scene of "Kingsman".

[buns]

Thanks for an interesting TR

I for one am pleased that EK continue their aggressive pricing as it keeps VS prices keen

Of course having the benefit of not having to travel via LHR must be a bonus - even if your employer is not kind enough to allow you a seat in a premium cabin

Thanks once again

buns

Thank you for the TR. I always enjoy reading about V-Flyer's experiences other than on VS.