I have to admit that not being a fan of gold I found the duty free a touch “meh” and I got fed up with being pestered by sales types. One thing did make me smile though. The escalators back up to the lounge are emblazoned with my employer’s logo, ironic considering that the only employees allowed to fly business and use the lounges are generally those who can afford to rent private aircraft.
A couple of champers and an ice cream later it was time to board for the final leg of our amazing trip. I did like the look of the food offerings in the lounge, but thinking it likely that a decent meal would be on the flight, I held back. Unlike some in the area, who were tucking in like there was no tomorrow.
When called, the journey to the jetway was so quiet – we were the only people we could see – we did wonder whether we were going to be the only passengers. Of course we were disabused of that notion – this flight had only a couple of seats spare – but it did make for a very pleasant boarding.
And then to…a consistent experience. It would be very difficult to put a cigarette paper between the SYD-DXB leg and this one and it has proved quite challenging to remember what happened on which leg. So I shall limit this to some additional, probably minor, observations.
As noted in the earlier TR, the IFE seemed to be never mind the quality, feel the width. Multiple ways of controlling the same content do not improve the quality of that content, and the censoring of the Steve Coogan film about his last tour was irritating. Enjoyed “Rush” though.
Food was again excellent, though I was very surprised to see the Neil Perry Reuben sandwich promoted as a top offering. I repeat - it’s a toasted sandwich.
Was the First Officer actually called Max Speed? That was definitely the announcement.
The female crew uniform is very smart and co-ordinated, and the headgear adds a touch of class.
We may have been overserviced by a training flight. When serving dinner, there was a definite choreography being led by some of the crew…”and lay the napkin down….now…” . The arrangement of the relationship between crew and passengers seemed a bit odd too; the young lady serving me seemed to have responsibility for every other row rather than a continuous set.
On arrival into LHR, the same pattern of disembarking was followed as before. Curtains to the First section (hello Jacki!) were open until approach to the stand, and then they were closed until the forward section was transported off in their sedan chairs or on the back of swans or whatever.
Having learned the lesson about priority, we eschewed the Fast Track and headed for the e-Gates (is that the correct description?) and were through in a minute or two. Five minutes for luggage, then to the Emirates CDC lounge and a record 1hour 20 minutes home….with no speeding.
And that’s it. It was very significant experience for us, and we’re still trying to analyse why. We still both report dreams of Australia. We've both been only minimally affected by jet lag, so full marks to both outbound and inbound services for helping there. I am glad though that we had the Emirates experience on the way back; Qantas would have been relatively disappointing.
And now the scores on the doors….
CDC: Qantas & Emirates / Virgin – having the CDC offering as standard on all fares (and remembering that the VS Z fares for the same trip were still more expensive than the Emirates price) and the 70 mile radius rule is a big advantage.
Lounge experience: Virgin / Emirates / Qantas – I don’t think it’s the difference between being served and self service, for me it’s about fizzle and a sense of excitement. Maybe if flying was more of a standard activity for me I might change my mind.
Seat Comfort: Emirates / Qantas / Virgin – I found I slept better in both the Emirates and Qantas seats than I have ever managed in the UC suite (old style or new style). That said….
Seat Arrangement: Virgin / Emirates / Qantas – both of the latter were OK as a couple, but are designed for keeping people apart. We much preferred the Virgin layout given the opportunity to dine together, which would not have been possible even in the window suites of the Emirates offering.
IFE – given the same content, Emirates with Qantas and Virgin tying in second. In terms of prevailing selection and using the Virgin website as a guide, the selections were much of a muchness over the period. Emirates boast of a gazillion channels means little given the cultural partitioning of same. On the day the Qantas selection was probably the best, given its Oscar channel which featured favourites new and old.
Service (Efficiency): Emirates / Virgin & Qantas
Service (With a Smile): Virgin / Qantas / Emirates – I know it depends on the crew, but in my limited experience Virgin UC the service has been warmer.
Food: Emirates / Virgin / Qantas – Emirates were clear winners over Qantas, and were I think more generous with the meals than Virgin.
Would I choose Emirates Business again over Virgin UC? If I could be guaranteed an Emirates A380, quite possibly.
We can get better, because we're not dead yet
. That did happen to me once with a chap I correspond with about music; I spent an concert stood next to him without knowing it was him until we shared notes after the event.
