Trip report: Emirates A380 Business Class London Gatwick to Dubai

It was with both trepidation and anticipation I started this flight on Emirates. I've been on the Emirates A380 in Business Class many times before, but not out of Gatwick. This was a novelty for me - just how would the lounge compare at London's second airport.

Emirates A380 Business Class  Copyright lux-traveller

For this Trip report on Emirates A380 in Business Class I arrived in London Gatwick at 7 in the morning for 10am flight, and found it was yet another glorious bright sunny midsummer day in London, as I get ready for a trip on the Emirates A380.

Emirates now fly twice a day to both of London's other airport, Stansted which gets the new 777, and Gatwick which has the whopping five hundred seat super jumbo to Gatwick.

Checkin took a very short time - just a couple of minutes, and security was even quicker. When I asked about fast track the crew advised me not to bother, as there isn't even the slightest hint of a queue.

Emirates Lounge London Gatwick

Emirates has it's own lounge at London Gatwick, which is a bit of a surprise. BA is the only other airline to have it's own lounge there.

After a quick glance at my A380, slowly baking in the hot steamy sunshine of Sussex, promised it I'd see it in a moment, so be good waiting tied up at the gate, and then started thinking about breakfast.

I wandered along the lounge corridor, that was oh so familiar when it belonged to British Airways - now over in the South Terminal - And the Virgin Atlantic lounge - now taken over by Plaza Premium - before taking the lift up one floor to get to the lounge.

I have written a detailed review of the Emirates Business Class lounge London Gatwick.

It is very similar to the lounge in Heathrow, and indeed other Emirates lounges around the world. As I walked in I was struck by the size of the place: it is designed to accommodate two full A380s and it is rarely at capacity. The lounge is arranged in a U shape, just as the old BA lounge was, on which floorplan it sits.

As you enter, the signature fountain is right ahead of you, and a strange rectangular thing it is. To the sharp left is the dining area, but if you carry on walking in a circle, there are banks and banks and banks of seats. Acres of them, all in rows, but there is not much variety in terms of colours, design or even fabrics, and all is under the low office like ceiling. A few objet d'art, like the standard Emirates horse racing sculpture, dot the lounge.

The whole of the Emirates London Gatwick Lounge just comes across as very dull, and bright too, with the lights on full, and with the tinkle of the fountain having all the atmosphere of a suburban Chinese restaurant. It does the job, but there are far better variants.

The food offering is strictly a buffet affair, in line with most other Emirates outstation lounges. However, the food is a level above that at most Business lounges.

At breakfast time when I was there, there is a full cooked breakfast, with the full array of sausages, eggs, mushrooms and the like. There are plenty of chilled options in the fridge, from cold cuts of ham and cheese, to salmon, and fruit.

The small bar is a real let down at the Emirates London Gatwick Lounge. It is there, and does the job, but could have been so much better implemented.

On the worktop near the dining area there is a selection of self serve wine, with three bottles of white and three of red wine, but these are of mid-range, similar to Tescos, at best.

Champagne is good, with self-pour Laurent Perrier or Rodier, and no limits on refils, and despite the early hour I had a couple of glasses.

Emirates A380 business class seating

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.

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.

A nice touch on the A380 is the personal minibar, stocked with sparking water, but alas no longer soft drinks, due to the recent cutbacks.

The Emirates Business Class cabin is a perfect example of Dubai bling. 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.

I also popped my head into First Class, which looked fantastic.

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.

And finally, the small, standard remote, which also had a small mini screen. It proved to be the most useful.

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.

There is a USB charging port, and the HDMI input. With this HDMI input you can plug in your mobile, and play TV programmes and films you have downloaded straight to the inflight screen.

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.

Emirates A380 business class meals

Welcome drinks of juice and champagne are on offer.

No amenity kits though. As part of Emirates major cutbacks, they are only available on overnight flights: instead, there are toothbrushes in the bathrooms.

There are pretty good menus at the seat.

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.

The menus are on chunky cardboard, and most importantly, contain a very good cocktail list.

Starters:

• Minestrone soup
• Arabic mezze
• Smoked salmon

Mains

• Herb crusted veal with Dijon mustard
• Roasted chicken with citrus and herb
• Seared halibut
• duck confit sandwich

All lunch served with a seasonal side salad and fresh bread

Dessert

• wild berry and almond tart
• chocolate mille feuille
• seasonal fruit
• cheese board

I went for the Smoked salmon to start with. This is superb, and I like the way emirates serve it, served on a potato pancake, caperberry, dill oil and yoghurt dressing.

For the mains I took the herb crusted veal with Dijon mustard, served with sauteed mushrooms, browned butter, carrot puree and crushed potatoes, capers and gherkins.

This was such a major disappointment, I sent it back having just had a few mouthfuls. It was dreadful! One of the worst meals I've had in business class.

Next up the cheese board with barber's vintage cheddar, L'ortolan french cheese, and colston bassett stilton.

Emirates didn't disappoint on this score, and it was most excellent/

Finally, I had the wild berry and almond tart.

Which was OK, but not the best.

There were chocolates served after all the courses.

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

To go with the meal, wine was served, and 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 Verve Clicot the standout champers on board.

Indeed, Emirates just did a very Emirates thing: buy the rights to be the only airline to serve Moet & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot and Dom Perignon onboard.

White Wine:

• L'Aberille de Fieuzal 2019 from Bordeaux
• Chardonnay Mountain Select Napa Valley US 2020

And red:

• Reserve de la Connesse 2011 Bordeaux
• Crogoio Temuta Sette Ponti 2015 Tuscanny Italy

Port:

Sandeman 20 year old Tawny Port Douro valley Portugal

For the meal service I Kicked off with the Chardonnay Mountain Select Napa Valley US 2020. This wine bursts with citrus, green apple, and pear aromas, and has a bright, refreshing palate with subtle oak and spice notes. The grapes for this Chardonnay were hand-picked in the early morning to preserve freshness, and the wine was fermented in French oak barrels to add complexity and richness.

I also tried the L'Aberille de Fieuzal 2019 from Bordeaux. This is a modern wine, clever and full of life, which has a remarkable, refined character. The Abeille is a friendly and generous wine that can be appreciated in its youth.

But I was almost spoilt for choice, with the red wine. The Reserve de la Connesse 2011 Bordeaux was brilliant, and the Crogoio Temuta Sette Ponti 2015 from Tuscanny also very good.

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 walk up to the bar 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 newer lounges have 2+2 seating with a large table. However my A380 was an older type, with just 2 benches at the side.

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.

London to Dubai 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: Emirates A380 Business Class London Gatwick to Dubai video:

Trip report: Emirates A380 Business Class London Gatwick to Dubai
Lux-traveller.com rating:7 out of10
Seats:	6 - Great, lots of space
Food:	4 - surprisingly poor
Service:	6 - Decent, not exceptional
IFE:	6 - OK screen, poor content, good wifi