Fly Emirates

“I wrote a review about Emirates before and I got a ton of $h*t for it. Maybe because I compared it to my Air Canada experience, and it was worse. I flew A380 business from IAD to DXB, then DXB to HKG a year ago. Part of it was my fault cuz I hyped up Emirates so much in my head. The seat was comfortable, food was good. Service was very subpar. No welcome drink. No greeting whatsoever. Even AC would greet you by name. The worse was I was sleeping and the FA woke me up “what do you want for dinner”. I had never experienced that on ANY airline i’ve flown. I asked for a glass of champagne with my dinner. She told me to wait for the beverage service. Gave an impatient look too.”

“Despite the dynamic situation in Dubai, my experience with Emirates on both our first and second legs of the journey (MNL-DXB / DXB-CPH) has been pretty excellent. Our first leg from Manila to Dubai was fully booked. There was hardly an empty seat throughout all classes on the flight, but we still managed to depart MNL and arrive in DXB safely and on time, though we were on a holding pattern for a while before the airspace was clear for inbound flights (presumably due to an active missile threat / interceptions were ongoing.) Once we arrived in DXB, the anxiety started to kick in. Our layover was only for less than 3 hours, but I was thinking of the possibilities that our flight would be disrupted, or worse gets cancelled and I get stuck in the airport. Although the vibes inside the airport seemed pretty much normal - restaurants and stores were open, several passengers walking across the terminals, so at least it gave me the optimism that everything is set to go according to plan.”

“One incredible feature: Emirates first-class passengers don't have to leave the lounge to go to the boarding gate. They can board right from the lounge. My flight departed out of Gate 21, which didn't have a seating area in the immediate vicinity, so my fellow first-class passengers and I stood to wait for boarding to begin. This exclusive boarding experience could be a great perk of flying first class, but the process was a disappointment for my flight. Boarding passes and signage at the gate indicated that boarding began at 7:55 a.m., but that time came and went with no sign of a gate agent.”