Trip Report: Dubai to London Emirates Business Class A380
what is emirates business class like in covid?
I needed have been concerned. I should have been very worried indeed. I had flown into Dubai from Sydney, and I was underwhelmed indeed, as you can read about on my Trip Report: Emirates Business Class 777 Sydney to Dubai. To say the experience had been woeful would be more accurate, and to some extent that was the fault of Covid - with there being no lounge facilities at all in Sydney - and partly the fault of Emirates, putting on a pretty horrible Boeing 777, with lie-slope recliners in Business Class, with 7 seats in a row, pretty dire IFE, and a crew who served up the pedestrian meals in full PPE and vanished.
However, the next flight was like chalk and cheese: the Emirates A380 is a vastly better aircraft than the Emirates 777, with hugely better seats, and a better IFE system. Add in lounges operating normally from Dubai, and the best perk of all, the inflight bar, it was like travelling on a totally different airline.
Emirates Dubai Business Class lounge
I have extensively reviewed the Emirates Dubai Business Class lounge.
With Four Business Class and three First Class lounges, there are certainly a large number to choose from. However, after a very very long walk about Dubai airport, all the way to Terminal 1 and back, I can report all but one of these lounges was firmly shut.
There were other surprises at Dubai too; the famous Irish Bar has closed, and there is not a trace of it left. There are a few other bars, but many are open. The new Hard Rock Cafe at Dubai Airport is now open, and doing a roaring trade, but many other places were closed.
Consequently I ended up at the Emirates Business Class Concourse B Dubai Lounge.
The vast new Dubai Emirates Business Class lounge at Terminal 3, Concourse 2, B gates, cost 8 million pounds to renovate, and occupies most of the top floor of the terminal which I have already extensively reviewed.
There are some changes, thanks to Covid, but most of the facilities are there, even if shuttered away behind thick wall of plastic. The lounge buffet is back at the Emirates lounge, but you can't serve yourself; instead you have to stand behind the barrier, and tell the lounge staff what takes your fancy. The selection is somewhat more basic than what was on offer Before Covid.
Sandwiches, fruit and desserts are now wrapped in plastic, and served up on demand. It's pretty similar to what was on offer BC (Before Covid), but in somewhat reduced quantities.
Of course, I made my way straight to the gold leaf covered Moet Hennessy bar. It features over 2,400 gold leaves applied by hand, and depending on your aesthetic bent, is either artistically brilliant, or a perfect example of Dubai Bling. The self-service bar features four prestigious bottles: Moet Imperial, Moet Rose Imperial, Moet & Chandon Grand Vintage and Moet Nectar Imperial.
I had a taste of the canapes too. The sweet and savoury menu has changed since BC and had a lovely smoked salmon wrapped in nori with wasabi mayonnaise to complement the Moet & Chandon Grand Vintage 2006. There were also passion fruit and jasmine tea macaroons which paired with Moet Nectar Imperial.
After a couple of hours lounging, it was time to board the A380. Normally Emirates once again allow you to board the aircraft through the lounge, however UK flights are a different matter. I made my way down to the gate, to find various road block style checkpoints. There was (at the time of flying) no need for a pre-departure test, but UK officials were there in force, checking passengers had booked an arrival Covid test, and then at a second desk that the UK passenger locator form was correctly filled out, and scanning the QR codes.
Finally, it was time to board the Emirates A380.
Emirates A380 Business Class seats
Flying the Airbus A380 is a totally different (and superior) experience as compared to Emirates' Boeing 777. The later has seats that fold down to a narrow slope, which are really quite uncomfortable to sleep on. However, the Emirates A380 has fully flat beds which are a delight, which are wider, and which offer much more privacy, plus a mini bar.
On Emirates Airbus A380-800 aircraft, the seats are unusual: half of the seats are much shorter than the others, thanks to an unusual staggered design. The Business Class seats are arranged in a staggered 1-2-1 layout, providing each passenger direct aisle access and a significant amount of privacy. Each seat faces to the front, however when sliding into a flat and level bed, it slips into the minibar pod in front: consequently, the aisle seats (B, D, G, J) have a shorter 70" (5'10") bed, while window and middle seats (A, E, F, K) are longer with a 79" bed. You can save seat and in-flight entertainment settings to a USB Stick. There is a mini-wardrobe, in-seat mini-bar and a larger walk-up bar with sofas at the rear of the cabin.
Consistency is a rare thing in the airline industry, but it is rare to find an airline that has two completely different products, which it sells in parallel with little differentiation. Window seats on the Emirates A380 are the Business Class seat you want at all costs.
Thankfully the cabin was at best a third full, and compared to my somewhat dire experience on Emirates 777 flying to Dubai, this sector was great. It was like flying with two different airlines.
Economy class is on the lower deck, so I was also grateful there weren't a load of passengers walking through the cabin having a look into Business on the way past.
However, I did also have a little sneak peak into First class myself, and although it was Emirates slightly older First product, it was very good indeed, with a lovely large seat and high walls.
Emirates' most common A380 version offers 489 seats in a three-class cabin configuration with 14 private suites in First Class, 76 flat-bed seats in Business Class and 399 spacious seats in Economy Class.
All of Emirates' Business Class seats are located in two cabins on the upper deck: there is a front cabin which contains the bulk of the seats in 14 rows, while the cabin located at the rear of the plane has a much more cosy feel, as there are only 4 rows, although it is also quite close to the bar, which depending on whether you plan to make several visits is either good news, or a hinderance.
If the Emirates Business Class lounge is an example of Dubai bling, then the cabin is a perfect example of it. It has lots of plastic burled walnut veneer, gold trim and pearlised plastic, which frames the seats, windows and entertainment screens. It is about as far from modern minimalism as you can get.
A nice touch on the A380 is the personal minibar, stocked with soft drinks sparking water, and juice.
Emirates A380 Business Class IFE
In front of each seat is a large 17-inch entertainment touchscreen. You can control the touchscreen by pressing on it - if you can reach it. However, it is much more convenient to control it by the tablet at your seat.
On the A380 there were the joys of no less than three TV controllers. Along with the main screen, each seat in the Business Class cabin has a touchscreen tablet, which is a detachable controller, and large enough to show a separate screen such as the moving map. Emirates call it a "mode controller", and you can use this to adjust your seat, lighting controls, and browse through the inflight entertainment lists, or even use it as a second screen, such as to display an external aircraft camera or the moving map while watching something else on the big screen.
The tablet can also be unlocked and released from its dock to display content and control your the seat and IFE wirelessly. That's handy if you're adjusting your seat while standing up.
And finally, the small, standard remote, which also had a small mini screen.
It proved to be the most useful.
Alas, one of the weakest elements about the Emirates experience is the inflight entertainment program, which is called ICE (information, communications, entertainment). There are dozens of films and TV boxed series listed, but it must be said finding anything worthwhile among that lot can be a struggle.
There are also three cameras installed in the tail, nose and belly of the A380, so you can see where you are.
Next to the seat there is a mains power socket, plus a USB port, and a reading light. The fold-out tray table is hidden in the arm rest below the console.
Noise reducing headphones are also provided. They are not the best in class, but are quite decent.
Emirates offer free onboard wifi, if you a member at any level of Skywards, and even those without status can enjoy free messenger services, in Business Class. As a Gold this worked quickly, and well. There is also a paid service at $20 for the flight, works.
An amenity kit is only provided during night flights. Since this was a day flight, only a small packet with a toothbrush was provided: this is one of the only occasions where the flight into Dubai, on the 777, was better, which had a huge Bulgari labelled washbag amenity kit.
Emirates A380 Business Class meal service
Alas, Emirates has cut down on the meal service, and only one meal is now served in Business Class, as opposed to the previous two This is served shortly after takeoff.
On my previous flight, the In Flight Service was passable, but really just followed the manual as much as possible, and I got the impression the crew wanted to get it over and done with.
However, this flight was the complete opposite, and the crew just couldn't do enough. They went the extra mile, suggesting dishes to try, and offering cocktails and a trip to the bar throughout the flight. It really was amazing seeing the difference.
I started with a Breakfast Martini.
This was served with warm nuts.
On this flight, in Emirates Business Class, there was a decent menu available, and the food was well described, with four main choices.
Kicking off with the starter options: there were porcini mushroom soup, traditional Arabic mezze or smoked salmon.
I went for the smoked salmon with lemon blinis, and cucumber. Light and delightful, it was just right for late summer, and full of flavour.
Next up were the mains options including Seared beef tenderloin, Bzar Chicken, salmon or a chicken and cheese sandwich.
I went for the Bzar Chicken, in an Arabic spice marinade, on rice with onions and pistachios. This was Ok, with lots of flavour, but was perhaps a bit too simple a dish for Business Class.
There was a small side salad too, which was completely different from my flight from Sydney, with lots more flavour, and different types of lettuce.
Lunch came with individually wrapped bread, the rest was pretty much the same as you would have expected pre-pandemic.
For dessert, there was a wonderful lemon tart.
I followed it with the fruit and cheese boards. The cheese was also remarkably good, with Spanish De La Huz Iberico, Rhone-Alpes Pave d'Affinois Brin & Stevenson Stilton made in Leicestershire using local cows milk and is protected by a PDO.
Coffee and chocolates were offered as soon as I was finished, and I was offered a decent port to go with it.
About halfway through the short 6 hour flight, the flight attendants came round offering ice cream.
You can also order sandwiches at any time during the flight.
Emirates inflight Wine
In the menu was a fantastic cocktail list. As soon as we were in the air, the crew came through the cabin asking for cocktail orders. Options included a Mojito, Breakfast Martini, Kir Royale, Cosmopolitan or a Manhattan.
At least Emirates offer some decent wine, and indeed has won numerous awards for its wine cellar program with the Moet 2008 the standout champers on board.
Other wines include the Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc, with a silky texture with persistent, tangy stone fruit flavours.
But I was almost spoilt for choice, with the Hall Dutton Chardonnay, reds a Collazzi 2015 from Tuscany, a dark and impenetrable red wine that sits heavily in the glass, and a Chateau Lafon-Rochet 2011 which was dark ruby having a lovely nose of dark fruit and blackberry, with a surprisingly high acidity.
There was also Grahams Port from 1995 to go with the cheese board.
This rare, single vintage tawny port has been especially selected for Emirates from the Graham's reserves. Single harvest tawny is a port aged in 550 litre casks until release. The longer the wine is aged in wood, the lighter and more 'tawny' in colour it becomes. IT's great, but as I was to find out later, it wasn't loaded.
With decadent aromas of molasses, chocolate and walnut, the wine is lusciously sweet and full-bodied, combining a rich texture with fresh acidity and a long, mouth-watering finish.
Beer is also available.
Emirates A380 Stand-Up Bar
My favourite thing about flying either Business Class or First Class on Emirates A380 is the stand-up bar at the rear of the upper cabin.
There is only access to First Class and Business Class customers and on many London bound flights it becomes a hub of activity throughout the flight.
You can choose from premium spirits, exclusive wines, champagne, cocktails and beers alongside hot and cold beverages served by a dedicated bartender. Compared to sitting in your seat just watching a film, it makes the entire flight a wonderfully sociable and luxury experience.
You can still walk up to the bar, despite Covid restrictions, and order cocktails, chat to the barman or siting around the lounge talking to other people on your flight.
Alas, Emirates have revamped the rear lounge, and instead of a bench seat, you can slide into, one side of the lounge has a large table with 2+2 seating. One couple occupied this table for several hours, and wouldn't allow anyone else to sit there, so there was only the small bench on the other side to sit at.
There is also a vast TV screen in the bar, and often this shows live sports, but on this occasion there was just the usual moving map.
The bar was fully stocked for a full flight, with a full load of canapes, but as the crew explained there were only 10 passengers in Business Class, so the few passengers in the lounge were offered all the canapes to taste towards the end of the flight.
The crew also offered to mix me up as many cocktails as I'd like to taste.
I went for the Mojito, with Bacardi rum muddled with fresh lime, mint and sugar topped with a splash of soda. It was lovely, and one of the best Mojitos I've had on a plane. It was, as you'd expect, served with warm nuts.
I followed it up with a Cosmopolitan.
Other cocktails on offer included:
- Breakfast Martini: Sipsmith London Dry Gin with marmalade, shaken with Cointreau, orange and lemon juice
- Kir Royale: The classic French aperitif of champagne with a splash of creame de cassis
- Cosmopolitan: Belvedere vodka paired with Cointreau, fresh lime and cranberry juice
- Manhattan (dry, perfect or sweet): A laid-back blend of Woodford Reserve bourbon, Angostura bitters and vermouth.
Dubai to London Emirates Business Class A380
Would I recommend flying in Business Class on Emirates' A380? Most definitely. The experience was very good, from beginning to end, and the crew made the trip a delight.
See the full Trip Report: Dubai to London Emirates Business Class A380 video:
Lux-traveller paid its own way for this Trip Report: Dubai to London Emirates Business Class A380, and travelled incognito.
| Trip Report: Dubai to London Emirates Business Class A380 | |
|---|---|
Lux-traveller.com rating:7 out of10  | |
| Seats: | 8- Great seats with a little more space |
| Food: | 6 - Surprisingly good |
| Service: | 7 - Great and exceptional |
| IFE: | 6 - OK, fairly pedestrian content |
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