EK05 DXB-LHR 14 JAN 14 (FIRST)

This was our last flight and we knew better than to try and board by any other gate than the First Class Lounge.

On boarding I was greeted by the FSM thanking me for using EK again and shown to my seat. Everything was perfect if a little predictable, no small talk but you just knew it would be a good flight.

Champagne, hot towels, magazines, dates, coffee all offered and after take off the menu and wine list were handed out and my shower time booked. My only concern was that I had pretty much watched everything that I was interested in on ICE and it would have been nice to have a slightly different selection to choose from on the way back. As a result for the first time I was distracted enough to attack the sweet tray consisting of Mars Bars, Twix, Aero etc etc that is left in your Suite. So much for the healthy diet!

As you will have gathered by my previous TR’s I am now a huge fan of the on-board shower. However, this time as soon as I put the water on the plane hit turbulence and the seat belt sign went on. After an initial panic I decided that unless the water stopped or the oxygen mask appeared I was probably alright to continue! As neither happened I can now add showering at 40,000 ft whilst standing in a dodgem car on my CV.


Everything else went smoothly until we landed when it became clear that they couldn’t get the bridge to the upper deck to work. We had to wait a further 30 minutes watching a man out of my windows getting more and more angry that he couldn’t dock his bridge! There was also a female colleague behind him and I could just imagine the “back seat driver” conversations! Eventually they gave up and all the F & J passengers were led through the first class cabin down the stairs and out via the Y door. Due to the confusion the Immigration Hall was full with Y pax by the time we got there but we had the Fast Track tickets and joined a much smaller queue. One poor mother with two small children came rushing through the line, her child was clearly ill and leaving a trail of vomit so we quickly moved aside and she was rushed through. Note to self: must train grandchild to perform this trick!

As with all the flights our suitcases were one of the first off and a great example of how it should work.

Back in T3 we found the EK arrivals lounge. It is really just a smart Taxi office with a fridge and coffee machine but the staff were efficient and the cars called and parked in dedicated bays outside. Very comfortable ride home where we were informed that the CDC service is shared between Tri-Star and Careys according to which flight you are on.

To conclude – on the 4 sectors from London to Sydney and back the on-board experience throughout was superb. Yes it lacks the personal touch but for such a long journey I personally welcomed the consistently high level of service. The price significantly less than BA and SQ so I feel happy with my choice. As this is F it is not fair to compare VS prices but I did originally want to remain loyal and looked at UC as I love the HKG CH , but they were a lot more than I had previously paid and made F on EK look the better option.

I have left the most exciting thing for last. I have to report that for the first time ever I did not suffer any jet lag when I got to Oz. I cannot explain it but believe it is probably a combination of being able to eat delicious food on demand and sleep comfortably without interruption on Sydney time throughout the flights and arriving late evening ready for a nights sleep with the body clock prepared for local time for the morning. You can’t put a price on that!

PS: Too many fantastic experiences to go through but eating dinner in Sydney whilst listening to a live Tim Finn Concert is one I won’t forget!

PS: Too many fantastic experiences to go through but eating dinner in Sydney whilst listening to a live Tim Finn Concert is one I won’t forget!

Grrrr.... How did you manage that?

[Decker]

an awesome conclusion to an awesome saga. Glad you enjoyed it. The few times I've tried F outside of UK carriers I've been blown away! Thanks for taking the time to post these

PS: Too many fantastic experiences to go through but eating dinner in Sydney whilst listening to a live Tim Finn Concert is one I won’t forget!

Grrrr.... How did you manage that?

Pure luck. We had already planned to host a Dinner at the Newport Arms and found he was playing a free concert on the last Saturday so jumped at it. He is rounder and the hair is grey but the talent is still very evident.

Lovely TRs all Jacki, thank you.


I am glad you enjoyed the EK experience, as you know I thought flying EK in F (on miles) was the bees knees of aviation experience, and that was on a triple 7, so no shower.


Other things:

I have never had a check-in experience such as yours, talk about an employee being difficult. For future reference, luckily with EK, you can use PayPal.


The Finn brothers are obviously doing the rounds, Number 2 daughter saw Neil at the Falls Festival in Tasmania over New Year.


I was directed to the digital passport reader at Sydney a few days before you arrived, it worked fine. I think people (including me, before direction) weren't aware of the machines or that their passport worked in it.


And finally, because you mention missing the fun experience of VS, the only fun on the VS200 to HKG on the 19 December, was the newly invented game of "how long before we see a member of the cabin crew" passengers played on that flight!!!

The Finn brothers are obviously doing the rounds, Number 2 daughter saw Neil at the Falls Festival in Tasmania over New Year.

Neil is touring the UK in support of his new album in April...

Thanks HWVlover. I wasn't aware of anyone with a digital passport being re-directed and given the amount of people who had to hand them over for manual processing I don't think it was in place on the day we arrived. I heard the manager complaining to a member of staff that it was not their fault the Department was not ready for the change. That said it does seem to be hit or miss which passports are rejected.

Sorry to hear you had such a bad flight to HKG. I was so impressed with the consistent good service on all our EK flights and I know from your reports that J is as good. Did I tell you about the showers?!!!

Thank you for a TR which left me most envious. Showers .... A suite ..... I can only dream

Showering at 40,000 feet whilst standing in a dodgem car stands out for me, that was laugh out loud funny

Thanks for sharing a great TR,
Bretty

Again, thank you for the great TR.

Thanks for sharing! Great TR's!
I wee'd on myself during some turbulence a few years back, not so much a EK shower but a golden shower!

Darren