Trip Reports - Ek433 Auckland - Brisbane TripReport

Decided to go to the Gold Coast via BNE for the weekend and had a fabulous flight again with EK :-: ^




AKL-BNE


Chauffeur Drive , Check-In & Lounge :

CD: Was the usual Caprice , noticed that I get the Caprice/Statesman for F travel & Fords for J ... Any-one else get the same ?

Check-In: Might have been bad as Counter staff was about to take some Y pax but saw me coming so processed me first , the gesture much appreciated:)

Lounge: Been here quite a few times so skipped the pics but staff was great as usual and very welcoming.

I had arrived straight from work so had a shower and then a good lunch before my usual few glasses of bubbly :)


EK433


After a nice 90 mins in the Lounge and feeling very relaxed from the massage chair .... boarding was announced so I bid my farewell to the staff and made my way slowly to the Gate far far away ..... Gate15.

Personally, I like Gates 15 & 16 as they help make me work up my appetite for the full meals that have to be finished in the 3 hr flight :eek: ... You'll see what I mean in a bit :)


EK433 (foreground) & EK407 (background)


http://i43.tinypic.com/a3wcp.jpg



The Beautiful EK433


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Gate 15


http://i44.tinypic.com/1043pl2.jpg



2 Lanes ... Left for F/J & Right for Y


http://i39.tinypic.com/bg2x5d.jpg



Exclusive L1 bridge for F


http://i44.tinypic.com/258tgrc.jpg



My Private Suite(s) ... Sole F pax


http://i40.tinypic.com/149ttfr.jpg



Chose Suite 2A as there was the usual noise from the forward galley during boarding ...

I really like the B77w suite over the A345 one as the space inside is better managed and the suite looks better IMHO



Suite Pix



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http://i41.tinypic.com/5zpcgm.jpg

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Nice Big Screen on the B77w


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The Seat:


http://i42.tinypic.com/xmsls8.jpg



Pre-Departure Dom , Arabic Coffee & Dates


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Round 2


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A Rear shot EK407 :o

http://i44.tinypic.com/2q3ca6g.jpg




Hot Canapés


http://i44.tinypic.com/334izif.jpg


Starters : Was offered both starters so indulged :o


New Zealand Seafood Delight


http://i41.tinypic.com/2jb62ir.jpg



Pressed Shish Taouk Chicken Terrine


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Main : Paprika smoked loin of Lamb


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Dessert: Chocolate Macaroon


http://i44.tinypic.com/25rnkpl.jpg

Initially I was a bit iffy by the way it looked but man once I bit into it was tempted to accept the 2nd one offered !



To Finish : Espresso & last glass of Dom


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BNE Chauffeur Drive To crown it all off was offered this lovely ride to my hotel.


http://i40.tinypic.com/2vtqi9v.jpg


Seat Pitch measurements anyone ? :D


http://i41.tinypic.com/1zlasr4.jpg


Cabin View ;)


http://i42.tinypic.com/20feuiw.jpg





Final Thoughts :


I usually try to look at the flight service with the intention to pick out flaws and slip ups... With my recent EK flights I find myself always struggling to come up with serious ones ... With this flight again; everything was executed beautifully , right from the welcoming manner by the purser to absolutely brilliant and attentive service by the cabin crew !

The flight back EK432 was a great flight too but being strapped for time will only post the outbound leg and try to update with the in-bound later :)

So in closing, Thanks Emirates for another great overall flight experience and thanks again to the Exceptional Cabin Crew !!

Last but not least thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed the flight :)

As always , Comments and feedback are welcome :)

Cheers ^

Great pics and report.
Having now tried all what EK has to offer in F (A345, B777 suites, and skycruisers), which of the seats/cabins do you like the most?

Thanks Ed :)

Actually you're almost right ... My A380 & B77LR F trips next week will round off all EK F classes (I think) :)

The B77W might win for the privacy and suite Experience but i did enjoy the sky cruiser flight as well. Somehow going into the whole suites experience you miss the full blown attention and FA interaction you get on Sky Cruisers

I loved Sky Cruiser for that as if you're travelling with some-one it still gives you a great F experience without compromising too much... you have great room and only lose out on the privacy a bit which doesnt matter if you're with some-one ....

But hmm i'll have to wait for the A380 F flight just not sure what the cabin experience will be like and dont have enough spare time to try the full AKL-DXB-AKL run only doing AKL-SYD-AKL :(

But anyway for now I guess if you're travelling alone it's B77w , I like the Window seat so the suite flights wont help me sit together when travelling together so here Sky Cruiser wins but conversely if I'm alone and in F I would prefer to not have any-one sit in the adjoining seat.

What about yourself mate , you must have been through all of EK's F cabins by now ... twice over :D .... so what's your take ? :)

I share the same opinion with you about when traveling alone.
Having said that, I wouldn't mind a skycruiser seat, even when alone, if the next seat is vacant too :D

Excellent trip report and pictures.. Thanks so much for sharing.. Food looks wonderful...

Great photos. Interesting to see some interior shots of the new AKL pier.

Excellent report. I agree, the food + presentation looks amazing.

Thanks for all the +ve feedback Guys :)

Hi Guys


This is my return trip from BNE back to AKL to showcase EK's direct "Boarding from Lounge" service @ BNE .



I apologise for the date stamps in some of the pictures but cutting them out would have ruined the pics



And away we go ....




The Long walk to the EK Lounge in BNE


http://i40.tinypic.com/xdgjex.jpg



The letter F pax get at Check-in


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Small Sign for the Lounge as the bottom of the Escalators


http://i41.tinypic.com/1znu6x5.jpg



Lounge Breakfast


http://i44.tinypic.com/20gy90l.jpg




EK 432 being prepared


http://i40.tinypic.com/2vds9ap.jpg


http://i39.tinypic.com/2qwpy8l.jpg


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Lounge Boarding Area


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Lounge Boarding


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Aero-Bridge


http://i39.tinypic.com/11w65g9.jpg


http://i41.tinypic.com/25ez7ew.jpg


http://i40.tinypic.com/6e3x9d.jpg



Separating the Classes


http://i40.tinypic.com/t7hpc5.jpg



L1 Bridge


http://i42.tinypic.com/k0rp6e.jpg



Welcome Aboard


http://i43.tinypic.com/f0c1w5.jpg



My Seat


http://i43.tinypic.com/29kqlq8.jpg



Saw this during our push-back , Anyone know what it is?


http://i42.tinypic.com/259k5y0.jpg



Leaving BNE


http://i40.tinypic.com/154hlrn.jpg




EK's B77w F cabin


http://i39.tinypic.com/2m501v4.jpg


http://i39.tinypic.com/2qajrkg.jpg



Suite Pics


http://i43.tinypic.com/r0qg44.jpg


http://i43.tinypic.com/egvfko.jpg


http://i39.tinypic.com/9qi4yc.jpg


http://i42.tinypic.com/apilxf.jpg



EK's "Call a Seat" Feature


http://i41.tinypic.com/15hfk1u.jpg




Welcome Drinks


http://i39.tinypic.com/195oif.jpg



Round 2 - Love 'em dates & Arabic Coffee


http://i41.tinypic.com/2zzkt9j.jpg



Brunch



Some more Dom to start


http://i41.tinypic.com/j95740.jpg



Seasonal Salad


http://i39.tinypic.com/2vuk8dh.jpg



Five Spices Chicken


http://i39.tinypic.com/2zoykhs.jpg


Espresso to finish


http://i39.tinypic.com/2m5ibsz.jpg



The Brunch was real good and although the '5 spice Chicken' doesnt look all that great in the photo it was quite tasty and hit the spot !


IFE shots


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http://i43.tinypic.com/eil4aw.jpg


EK's flight info section shows the flight path with distance and time played double-time so here we are starting from BNE


http://i39.tinypic.com/346w4s9.jpg


And the updated info when at AKL


http://i40.tinypic.com/es3yfo.jpg


Lone Ship


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Land Ahoy !


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http://i43.tinypic.com/demi34.jpg


http://i41.tinypic.com/wi3pf8.jpg



Another EK F trip and the brilliant service from the cabin crew can only mean, that I'm on top of the world ... or in this case on Cloud 9 :D


http://i39.tinypic.com/2ldy9er.jpg



Final Thoughts:

The effortless boarding experience from EK's BNE lounge means EK has yet another Ace up it's sleeve... There's some talk of BNE getting the EK A380 and that would be a truly awesome experience as IMHO BNE is EK's best lounge down-under and to complete the experience with the A380 would be absolutely fantastic !

And this option is also another example how EK really really spoils it's premium pax lol :D

My EK432/3 F trips on EK's B77w rate at the top on my EK F experience along with the A380 but sadly the route is now being served by the A345 so that means I'll have to put up with the smaller F suites when I travel to BNE or the GC ... The only consolation is the fantastic EK F cabin crew to look forward to ! :D ^

Thanks for reading & Hope you enjoyed the ride as well :)

Cheers ^

This is a magnificent trip report. Thanks so much for sharing...

Great report -- really lovely quality hi-res pictures.

This is a magnificent trip report. Thanks so much for sharing...

Thanks for reading & posting comments , Appreciate the feedback :)


Great report -- really lovely quality hi-res pictures.


Thanks glad you enjoyed reading .... I always try to take as many pictures as I can but once home find many I've missed !


Cheers,

Wow great trip report ^