1K-DFW
Oct 13, 09, 8:39 am
Hello everyone,
I recently returned from taking these two flights and wanted to share some insights:
1. The lounge in Houston is the Executive club loung which is directly in front of the gates where EK 212 depart. The lounge is pretty sparse and also shared with other airlines such as Qatar Airways which leaves about an hour later from IAH to Doha. By the way, I actually rechecked my bags in IAH with Emirates so the correct priority tags could be applied.
2. EK 212 is on the 777-200LR equipment which has the updated ICE system with onboard nose and tail cameras! Very cool feature. I don't think 99% of the people in the Business Class cabin new how to operate the system using the handheld device that actually comes out of its dock. I didn't see a single person who removed this device out of the dock.
3. Business Class seating uses the new seating with the large screen monitors. Duvets were not offered on EK212 but were offered on the return. Although, I saw duvets sitting in the overhead bins. I didn't realize this was for Business Class passengers. I figured this was for First Class. The seat lies flat at an angle to make a bed. Although I managed to sleep for a few hours at a time, this seat is very uncomfortable without the duvet. There is like a big hump in the middle of the seat when it lies flat, making it hard to sleep.
4. Water was well stocked on this flight. Each seat had a large bottle of water in the seat pocket that was frequently replenished by this Asian crew. The meal service consists of a main dinner meal, the light bites menu, and also a meal before landing. All meals were great! I also noticed snacks sitting on trolleys in the galley such as chocolates, petit-fours, etc.
5. Arrival in DXB was about 1 hour early and we had an extremely LOOOOOOOONG walk to immigration. This is the longest walk I have ever had in an airport. I cleared immigration and tried to see my cousin but since he was unable to come to the airport, I checked in for my flight to BLR which was about 8 hours later at 3:30am.
6. Emirates business class lounge in DXB is fantastic. By far, the largest lounge I have ever seen. This place is sprawling. The best place to relax are the sleeping chairs near the front of the lounge that overlooks the gates. These chairs get taken pretty fast but they are very comfortable for sleeping. I saw one guy that must have been there for a long time sleeping in the chair. I hope he didn't miss his flight. Food selection is enormous. It seems like this lounge is packed in the wee hours of the morning, e.g from 11am to 4am more so then at any other time. By the way, showers were reaily available in the lounge. There are two sets of shower areas in this huge lounge.
7. I was traveling on a Continental Airlines Business Class award ticket. I was able to book all the Emirates airport transfers both in BLR and in DXB. This is a great service especially in India where the airport tend to be about an hour away from the city center. I was surprised to be able to book this also during the stopovers. One tip, be sure to follow the signs and walk to the right once you clear customs to go to the Emirates Limo Desk where they will arrange the transportation very efficiently. Cars will be waiting outside directly in front of the exit by this area.
8. Normally, Emirates will provide a hotel accomodation if you have an extended stopover. Due to the fact that I was on a Continental airlines award, I was unable to book this, despite requesting this in Houston and at the hotel desk in Dubai. If I had been on a Skyward redemption, I would have been able to book this. I was really looking forward to staying at the Le Medidien Dubai which is the Business Class stopover hotel.
9. When in Bangalore, the new airport is very efficient. It's nice to see a modern facility finally in India!!! There is an Executive lounge for Business Class passengers. Lounge is ok..very basic though. Normally, when you are leaving India, you are in a hurry to leave...don't want to wait around in an airport lounge!!
10. The return from DXB-IAH was on time. It's interesting that some flights board directly from the lounge level, so you don't have to do downstairs to the main terminal area to board the flight. This is a very cool benefit but only some flights had this convenience that morning, e.g. the JFK flight and some flights to Australia. If someone can post, I'd be curious to know which flights generally board this way. My flight boarded from the main terminal area. One weird thing I noticed was that there was not a separate jet bridge for Business Class passengers. Everyone boarded through a single bridge and there was a separate bridge only for First Class boarding. The sign said, "First Class only". I was tempted to go through since the other bridge had a long queue to board the aircraft. The service on this return flight was not as good but ok.
Overall thoughts:
I was very pleased with the Emirates experience. I loved the 777-200LR equipment, seating, entertainment system etc. The ideal experience would be to blend the SQ crew with the EK equipment.
Hope these tips help,
I recently returned from taking these two flights and wanted to share some insights:
1. The lounge in Houston is the Executive club loung which is directly in front of the gates where EK 212 depart. The lounge is pretty sparse and also shared with other airlines such as Qatar Airways which leaves about an hour later from IAH to Doha. By the way, I actually rechecked my bags in IAH with Emirates so the correct priority tags could be applied.
2. EK 212 is on the 777-200LR equipment which has the updated ICE system with onboard nose and tail cameras! Very cool feature. I don't think 99% of the people in the Business Class cabin new how to operate the system using the handheld device that actually comes out of its dock. I didn't see a single person who removed this device out of the dock.
3. Business Class seating uses the new seating with the large screen monitors. Duvets were not offered on EK212 but were offered on the return. Although, I saw duvets sitting in the overhead bins. I didn't realize this was for Business Class passengers. I figured this was for First Class. The seat lies flat at an angle to make a bed. Although I managed to sleep for a few hours at a time, this seat is very uncomfortable without the duvet. There is like a big hump in the middle of the seat when it lies flat, making it hard to sleep.
4. Water was well stocked on this flight. Each seat had a large bottle of water in the seat pocket that was frequently replenished by this Asian crew. The meal service consists of a main dinner meal, the light bites menu, and also a meal before landing. All meals were great! I also noticed snacks sitting on trolleys in the galley such as chocolates, petit-fours, etc.
5. Arrival in DXB was about 1 hour early and we had an extremely LOOOOOOOONG walk to immigration. This is the longest walk I have ever had in an airport. I cleared immigration and tried to see my cousin but since he was unable to come to the airport, I checked in for my flight to BLR which was about 8 hours later at 3:30am.
6. Emirates business class lounge in DXB is fantastic. By far, the largest lounge I have ever seen. This place is sprawling. The best place to relax are the sleeping chairs near the front of the lounge that overlooks the gates. These chairs get taken pretty fast but they are very comfortable for sleeping. I saw one guy that must have been there for a long time sleeping in the chair. I hope he didn't miss his flight. Food selection is enormous. It seems like this lounge is packed in the wee hours of the morning, e.g from 11am to 4am more so then at any other time. By the way, showers were reaily available in the lounge. There are two sets of shower areas in this huge lounge.
7. I was traveling on a Continental Airlines Business Class award ticket. I was able to book all the Emirates airport transfers both in BLR and in DXB. This is a great service especially in India where the airport tend to be about an hour away from the city center. I was surprised to be able to book this also during the stopovers. One tip, be sure to follow the signs and walk to the right once you clear customs to go to the Emirates Limo Desk where they will arrange the transportation very efficiently. Cars will be waiting outside directly in front of the exit by this area.
8. Normally, Emirates will provide a hotel accomodation if you have an extended stopover. Due to the fact that I was on a Continental airlines award, I was unable to book this, despite requesting this in Houston and at the hotel desk in Dubai. If I had been on a Skyward redemption, I would have been able to book this. I was really looking forward to staying at the Le Medidien Dubai which is the Business Class stopover hotel.
9. When in Bangalore, the new airport is very efficient. It's nice to see a modern facility finally in India!!! There is an Executive lounge for Business Class passengers. Lounge is ok..very basic though. Normally, when you are leaving India, you are in a hurry to leave...don't want to wait around in an airport lounge!!
10. The return from DXB-IAH was on time. It's interesting that some flights board directly from the lounge level, so you don't have to do downstairs to the main terminal area to board the flight. This is a very cool benefit but only some flights had this convenience that morning, e.g. the JFK flight and some flights to Australia. If someone can post, I'd be curious to know which flights generally board this way. My flight boarded from the main terminal area. One weird thing I noticed was that there was not a separate jet bridge for Business Class passengers. Everyone boarded through a single bridge and there was a separate bridge only for First Class boarding. The sign said, "First Class only". I was tempted to go through since the other bridge had a long queue to board the aircraft. The service on this return flight was not as good but ok.
Overall thoughts:
I was very pleased with the Emirates experience. I loved the 777-200LR equipment, seating, entertainment system etc. The ideal experience would be to blend the SQ crew with the EK equipment.
Hope these tips help,