Emirates Airways.
Discussion
Best airline I have flown on. We got upgraded to business class on our Beijing to Dubai flight which was fantastic! Food was excellent same as entertainment. On the Dubai to London route had a 6 month old 777 so was in lovely condition. Only moan would be sat on the ground 1hr at Dubai with no air con as according to the cabin crew, the A340 cant run its air con unless its engines are running. So needless to say, it was very hot, thought the bloke in my row was going to pass out. Not the airlines fault though.
They always board stupidly early and their flights are often delayed so sitting on the Tarmac with no AC is actually not that uncommon. And I disagree that this is not their fault.
Their pricing is ridiculous at the moment (although the same can be said of Etihad) and they changed their frequent flyer scheme so you can rarely redeem points and if you do you have to use 50-100% more than previously (a stunt Etihad haven't pulled yet.
Result is that although they used tobe my default carrier, my next two flights are with Etihad and Virgin.
Oh, and avoid the A380, too
Their pricing is ridiculous at the moment (although the same can be said of Etihad) and they changed their frequent flyer scheme so you can rarely redeem points and if you do you have to use 50-100% more than previously (a stunt Etihad haven't pulled yet.
Result is that although they used tobe my default carrier, my next two flights are with Etihad and Virgin.
Oh, and avoid the A380, too
MaxMX5 said:
Only moan would be sat on the ground 1hr at Dubai with no air con as according to the cabin crew, the A340 cant run its air con unless its engines are running. So needless to say, it was very hot, thought the bloke in my row was going to pass out. Not the airlines fault though.
Rubbish, the only reasons for Emirates to turn off the aircon on the ground is lack of ground equipment, u/s APU or the desire to save money on fuel.MaxMX5 said:
Only moan would be sat on the ground 1hr at Dubai with no air con as according to the cabin crew, the A340 cant run its air con unless its engines are running. So needless to say, it was very hot, thought the bloke in my row was going to pass out. Not the airlines fault though.
Unfortunately that's not true.If you were on the ground in Dubai with no A/C then there was certainly a problem with the aircraft's air conditioning system.
On the ground the APU (small engine in the tail) provides air for air conditioning. After the engines start, they provide bleed air for air conditioning. Sometimes when it is very hot, in rare events some of the air conditioning ducts on older aircraft can freeze up and the aircon stops working. This might have been what happened to you either that or more likely, the APU wasn't working.
When you think about it, it's very unlikely any airline is going to purchase aircraft that can't turn on any kind of heating or cooling until everyone has boarded and the aircraft has pushed back for engine start.
Edited by el stovey on Wednesday 31st August 09:27
Condi said:
Also; how does one get an upgrade to first/business class? Just flirt with the girl on the desk and ask nicely?
You might as well just ask, but it rarely if ever works, either pay or join Skywards and use miles.What's wrong with their 380? Admittedly I've never been in economy with Emirates (
) but J was excellent, the bar is a good place to have a drink and chat to people funnily enough. Their first class suites are excellent too, although it's not really my taste in decor.Condi said:
Also; how does one get an upgrade to first/business class? Just flirt with the girl on the desk and ask nicely?
I am always intrigued by this... I am an Emirates Gold Card holder and NEVER get upgraded or anything, if we fly economy 
BA used to upgrade me regularly when I was only a Silver Card holder with them The other good thing is they do an excellent breakfast in the Dubai lounge if you time your flight right... Though I normally get off an A380 after hitting the onboard bar and fail to eat appropriately!
Definitely one of the better airlines, though we fly Singapore -> London with them mainly because we are so tied to the Skywards rewards system now. Singapore Airlines is probably actually 'better'. I have had problems with a seat not working and them screwing up some upgrades and tier points etc.
dom9 said:
Condi said:
Also; how does one get an upgrade to first/business class? Just flirt with the girl on the desk and ask nicely?
I am always intrigued by this... I am an Emirates Gold Card holder and NEVER get upgraded or anything, if we fly economy BA used to upgrade me regularly when I was only a Silver Card holder with them rxtx said:
What's wrong with their 380?
Many of the toilets are usually out of action on the Dubai>LHR flights when most people need to use them, about an hour before arrival.Emirates staff don't like to "don the marigolds" and tidy up, so they close the toilets instead as "out of order". It's more "out of order" that they're unavailable!
(Unfortunately for me, I usually have to pay for those flights, and am in economy as a result!)
5potTurbo said:
Many of the toilets are usually out of action on the Dubai>LHR flights when most people need to use them, about an hour before arrival.
Emirates staff don't like to "don the marigolds" and tidy up, so they close the toilets instead as "out of order". It's more "out of order" that they're unavailable!
(Unfortunately for me, I usually have to pay for those flights, and am in economy as a result!)
Ahh right, as a result of there being so many more people on board. That leg is very busy and since the change to the Skywards programme, doesn't offer great miles (tier or otherwise) to upgrade often - if you can even get an upgrade due to all the golds on those legs.Emirates staff don't like to "don the marigolds" and tidy up, so they close the toilets instead as "out of order". It's more "out of order" that they're unavailable!
(Unfortunately for me, I usually have to pay for those flights, and am in economy as a result!)
Still it can be just as bad up front. I was on DXB - LHR a couple of years ago in first (miles upgrade), the cabin was full of aeronautical engineers (I assumed from Airbus), one of the older guys took a dump of the century and it was not pleasant. One of the crew was laughing with me while emptying an entire can of air freshener into the toilet
Gassing Station | Holidays & Travel | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff