Emirates (London Gatwick to Dubai- 29th March 2010)

Emirates: Copyright Navjot Singh

Emirates- the airline that takes you more personally: Copyright Navjot Singh

Emirates is the national flag carrier of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and operates full international and domestic scheduled air services for the carriage of passengers, freight and mail and the provision of ancillary services. Emirates flies to over 100 destinations globally on all 6 continents. Emirates was the first airline to use the new Airbus A380 double-decker labelled the “Super Jumbo” aircraft. Emirates operates a total of 137 passenger and cargo aircraft including the latest Airbus A380, Airbus A340-500 and the Boeing 777-300ER.

Route: London Gatwick to Dubai 

Departure date and time of flight: 21:15pm on the 29th March 2010

Flight Number: EK10

Flight duration: 6h 50m

Class: Economy Class

Aircraft type: Boeing 777-300ER 

Punctuality of the flight:

On time for take off and on time for arrivals. Perfect flight. The flight was fully packed.

Any baggage issues:

No issues- the bags arrived on time and in one piece.

Comments on the check-in staff and any issues:

This must have been the quickest check-in process that I have ever experienced. Because of the Cabin Crew strike by British Airways and a problem with easyJet’s global computer system, the North Terminal was almost empty. The whole process from the point of check-in right through to the security and onto the duty free area took around 5-10 minutes.

Comments regarding the pre-meal service:

Choice of drinks (standard- tea, coffee, orange juice, apple juice, lemonade or coca cola), and wine. Complimentary bottles of Cognac, Vodka, Whiskey and South African wine were also on offer.

Comments regarding the first meal: 

For dinner the main course consisted of boneless chicken tikka masala with boiled basmati rice, and accompanied with mango chutney. The chicken was slightly hard on the teeth, but delicious anyways, while the rice was equally scrumptious. There was a small tuna salad dish with olives (only one olive!) and lettuce. Crocton Manor provided the cheddar cheese, which went really well with the crackers! A soft bun of brown bread was included.

The dessert was coconut and mango creme- which tasted rather like a sorbet ice-cream, but, of course, it was rather like a cheese cake- yummy!  It was a delight to see that Emirates present the food with stainless steel cutlery. Most airlines still continue to provide plastic cutlery, but to see that Emirates is providing a culinary luxury at 37,000 feet along with stainless steel to go with makes the in-flight experience just that bit more special. It gives the feeling that, yes, you are not in “cattle class” after all!

Comments regarding the drinks service:

A second round of drinks were offered after the meal- this also consisted of complimentary tea and coffee, along with wine, Vodka, Cognac and scotch whiskey.

Comments regarding the in-flight snacks (if any):

Though a short flight, passengers in Economy Class were open to go to the galley and choose from a selection of fine chicken fajitas and biscuits and shortbread and a selection of drinks.

Crew regularly passed by offering refreshments including orange juice, apple juice and mineral water to prevent dehydration.

Comments regarding the second meal (if any): 


Overall airlines have stopped providing a full second meal on most flights. I recall that the last time I went to Dubai from London in 2003, we were provided with a full English breakfast along with Muller corner yogurt for the second meal. However times have changed and airlines have started reducing costs. Emirates offered the second “meal” (or rather a snack), around 90 minutes prior to landing at Dubai. It was a small banana cake and a cup of freshly brewed coffee. Ah, now the freshly brewed coffee is another plus for Emirates- something that some other airlines do not provide.

Comments on the in-flight system (if any):

Emirates has over 1,200 channels of entertainment to choose from in Economy Class. Emirates also provides a front view of the aircraft (so you can see the runway and distance ahead), a downward view of the ground, which allows the passengers to enjoy the view (although rather blurred). Nevertheless, the question here is, do you really want to look at someone’s home or farm?! (even though nothing can be seen clearly).

Comments on the professionalism of the cabin crew:

The cabin crew were very professional and polite. The flight (including Economy Class) was almost empty. Just a normal flight, without any incidents.

Improvements that could be made: 

The amount of food provided for the breakfast can be increased, and it’s recommended that the dinner service provided after take-off is given with the first hour (in this flight the dinner service commenced an hour after the flight and continued for around 3 hours- which left only 3 hours for some to sleep before the breakfast service started again!).

Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort): 

The Boeing 777-330ER is one of the latest aircraft types which Emirates operates on its medium to long haul routes. Long routes such as the New York to Dubai, or Australia to Dubai make full use of this amazing aircraft which has lots of features that portray true comfort. The ambiance and “mood” light of the aircraft cabin changes during the night flight and during take off and landing. It’s very quiet- which allows fellow passengers to talk to each other without having to shout a bit. The Economy Class seat configuration is 3-4-3 (with 2-4-2 at the rear of the aircraft).

Emirates Dinner Service, Gatwick to Dubai 29th March 2010: Copyright Navjot Singh

Emirates: Chicken Tikka Masala with Basmati Rice and Mango Chutney: Copyright Navjot Singh

Coconut and Mango Creme: Copyright Navjot Singh

Emirates: Italian Salad, Copyright Navjot Singh

Emirates 29th March: Pre landing snack: Copyright Navjot Singh