Ambassador Team Leader; Moderator: Emirates Skywards and Qatar Airways Privilege Club
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: DEN
Posts: 3,020
How has your year with EK been in 2012?
Actually, another poster gave me this idea when he/she suggested that service on EK has been declining over the past few years.
I dont have much of a data point given that this is only my 4th full year of flying Emirates.
And my experience is slanted in the sense that I typically fly the same route month in month out, with a few additional trips to Europe thrown in...
I'd rate them better than most - and probably 8 out of 10. I flew BA recently and thought they were ok (onboard was just ok) but their lounge experience in LHR was excellent. I also fly LH a little bit and I think their hard product is good but their soft product excellent (and I think the FCT is brilliant). I flew TG just under a year ago and thought they were fantastic.
Those silly people over on the BA forum continually moan about the "bling" factor on EK, but you know what, I am so used to it now that I find something weirdly comforting about the decor.
My only concern is the pending EK/QF partnership and the state of the lounge infrastructure in DXB (its not going to get better despite what they are say) and despite the new terminal coming online...
Very good I'd say. Several op ups J to F ex DXB and also Y to J.The weird thing is that I've never been op'd up to F when I had a revenue J ticket. All F op ups happened on Y tickets upgraded to J using miles.
Y to J op up ratio has also been pretty good this year.I wonder if EK considers how long you have been gold .This is my 4th year old being gold and it seems to be getting better with time. ( And I have been flying almost exactly the same routes)
Can't complain much about this year. Much reduced flying (41k BIS miles on EK versus 100k+ for the last few years).
Enjoyed the EK experience a lot more this year. Over 50% success rate on op-ups probably contributed to this. Coincidentally, I also increased my perfect 100% op-up rate to 4/4 for sectors operated by A6-EAF since 2007 (2 upgrades on A6-EAF this year).
I also found the EK lounges to be a lot less crowded this year, probably a result of the thinning of Gold ranks and the end of the guest policy. The opening of the second entrance to the T3 Business Class lounge has also made the lounge experience more pleasurable.
That said, this will be my last year as a Skywards Gold member. Prices on Emirates have simply become uncompetitive in the markets I fly. I pay almost 80% more today for a Saver fare in Econ than I used to pay for a Flex fare just two years ago. Ethiopian's entry to Star Alliance has made them a viable option for me and they have been earning most of the business that Emirates used to (together with Turkish and South African Airways). Disappointing, because I prefer the Emirates product overall, but I cannot justify paying the almost 100% higher costs that EK has over the other carriers.
Skywards is still a pretty crap program though, and I will probably burn my remaining miles either on upgrades or SAA partner redemptions.
My previous long haul flights out of the UK have all been with BA or VS. My flights to Australia are becoming more frequent and EK are typically the cheapest on the routes I do, usually alongside CX. I am paying for these travels myself, the consequences of having a beautiful girlfriend the other side of the world (at the moment!!).
My flights have been in J on 380s and 777ERs. So far all have left on time and/or arrived early and clearly have delivered me safe and sound.
I like the 380s and the only thing I dislike about the 777s is the required clambering over my next door neighbour (the consequences of my preference for a window seat).
I have found the onboard service variable in terms of attentiveness rather than the quality of food and booze. However, I tend to be in "smiley" mode when I am travelling, for obvious reasons, and have no problem stretching my legs and walking to a bar or galley. I have yet to press a call button requiring cabin crew on any flight I have EVER been on.
So as price will always be the determiner I expect next year's 4 or more trips to OZ to be with EK, although I might route to Sydney in January rather than Brisbane, just for the fun of near 14 hours on the 380. I will be gold after that flight so will be interested to see what, if any, impact that has on my travels..maybe I shall start flying Y in hope of an upgrade.
On the couple of occasions I have had to contact EK customer service I found the service both prompt and friendly and, most importantly, the information given has been correct.
I am not a huge fan of the vast J lounge in Dubai but there are other options available.
In summary, I have been very pleased with the experience.
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Posts: 152
Until September this year I was very happy with EK - had quite a number of op ups.
Then they closed the silver lounge two days before I flew out in September - for a refurb, promising it will be even better when it reopens.
Well I've heard from various reliable sources (probably because of over capacity with the Qantas code share) that when the old silver lounge reopens it will be to accomodate the overspill from business and golds and no longer be accessible to silvers.
Meanwhile how long will EK continue with the pretence of offering silvers a measly 1000points for every missed lounge access?
As another poster mentioned, I am paying a lot more now than a couple years ago for a saver fare when I used to get a flexi for less cash
EK doesnt seem to value its FFs anymore.............sad but I think true.
Until September this year I was very happy with EK - had quite a number of op ups.
Then they closed the silver lounge two days before I flew out in September - for a refurb, promising it will be even better when it reopens.
Well I've heard from various reliable sources (probably because of over capacity with the Qantas code share) that when the old silver lounge reopens it will be to accomodate the overspill from business and golds and no longer be accessible to silvers.
Meanwhile how long will EK continue with the pretence of offering silvers a measly 1000points for every missed lounge access?
As another poster mentioned, I am paying a lot more now than a couple years ago for a saver fare when I used to get a flexi for less cash
EK doesnt seem to value its FFs anymore.............sad but I think true.
Good point and I have always wondered how they could have got this lounge thing so wrong. They cant even say when it will re-open? Who are the contracters?
EK- when will the lounge be ready?
Builder- Hmm maybe sometime, just keep giving us cash (EK cant be that silly surley)
Maybe we will all be wrong but I do think there is underlying issues with this
The only real issue is the ridiculous crowds at the EK J lounge in DXB and queues for the washrooms at peak hours.
The other issue is the "let's make something up" answers you get from time-to-time with the Emirates call centres.
Other than the two issues- onboard service has been excellent and flights have been good.
The company they use for checkin/gate ground services in Guangzhou is dismal yet it seems to be the same operator for everyone and as such I think they have no choice (dismal dismal dismal).
On EK this year I have flown the same long haul route (4 sectors in a round trip) every 6 weeks. Mostly in economy.
I think the EK FF program is good for economy frequent flying passengers. I used to be Gold tier with Singapore but it took me a lot of flying to get to that level and brought quite frankly bugger all by way of reward for loyalty. On EK I've had 2 upgrades (one I had to turn down because I was travelling with my son and they couldn't or wouldn't move him forward with me). I never ever experienced econ to bus upgrades with Sing. But the Sing onboard service is excellent and I still rate their cabin crew above EK with onboard service. I think EK should vary the experience levels in their cabin crew. They all seem so young and don't seem in control when passengers move seats randomly or become difficult in flight.
The QANTAS factor has no implication to me apart from lounge access. That and possibly the whole park on the tarmac, wait for buses and do a non-scenic 15 minute bus ride around Dubai airport which I assume will be a more frequent occurrence because of gate availability.
QANTAS are known to me for surly cabin crew and I haven't used them for over a decade as a result of bad experiences, but they aren't an option on most of the route I now have to fly anyway so I'll be sticking with EK.
I cannot convey how much I HATE the seats in EK economy. They are incredibly uncomfortable and if I recline my seat the passenger behind invariably always has a fit and asks me to put it upright. This has happened on several occasions (obviously not during a meal service). In the back 2 seater sections on some aircraft reclining the seat causes the area under the thighs to rise up in a mound like way causing blood clotting muscle cramps.
The super quick turnaround time on aircraft also means always, a slightly grubby plane. Especially from CGK and more so when a late arriving aircraft.
I've observed frequently the cabin crew in economy offer one beverage from the drinks trolley and then literally sprint back down the aisles ignoring passengers calling for a second. Food prepared on the Indonesia routes is unappetising.
The lounges in Dubai are cavernous and it took me a few trips to appreciate what they have to offer. Now I'm familiar with them and think they're quite nice with efficient staff, in comparison to the lounges EK access in CGK which are awful and where the food/beverage selection very poor.
EK Inflight entertainment does not get changed over nearly enough. I have watched the same programs over and over and over. EK are slower than iTunes in updating the selection.
Flightcrew - I could name a few F/J crew who have gone well above and beyond their duty and have been really pleasant through out. Others have been terrible with their "can't do" attitude and just snapping at everyone. However, the service is becoming increasingly inconsistent which effects the overall value towards the price paid. Also, when an I/O is onboard the F crew is just gushing over them all the time and not presenting the expected level of service to the others. Seems like what ever effort is put in towards the I/O, its taken away from the other people in the cabin.
Flights - Other than a substitued A/C once, all have been the usual in terms of food and entertainment. Timing is becoming an issue, not at DXB but departing from outstations.
Ground staff at DXB - Horrible, unhelpful and just plain ignorant all the times I was their. Lounge attendants are good.
Ground staff abroad - Depends on station, over all pleasant and helpful.
Call center - Hit or miss, and agree with the above poster, they seem to make things up as they go along.
Ticket pricing - Seems like they have been steadily increasing, and for the price paid I could get a better experience else-where.
Would I continue to fly with EK next year? Maybe, but the inconsistancy is a killer. I'm not a fussy flyer, but if I'm paying north of $7K for an F ticket and get less value than what is expected, I would look at other options. Especially after a recent incident with them, I would definatley think it through.
Interesting question. Total for EK this year is about 51k with about 75% J and 25% F, and the impression has been variable. As a pertinent example, last week was LGW-DXB...dreadful, disinterested crew, spotty meal service, no intro from Purser etc etc...yet the connecting flight from DXB had a Purser who was a dream, could not do enough. Both, incidentally, were men.
I still think that standards have generally slipped but they still compare well to European carriers. I move job in January so my last flight via the Emirates will be in December - and this is Etihad, but purely on the basis of price. My next posting will mean lots of AF flying so look forward to the moans!!
For me its been a good experience.
I fly 5 trips a year from Toronto to Jeddah. I always buy Flex Economy and either get an op-up or if not lucky I use miles. So basically I always end up flying premium cabins. This is why I prefer Emirates on any other airlines.
I've flown a lot and been rewarded with ...nothing. Lousy seats, surly staff, obnoxious lounge attendants, no op ups... And not to mention that EK won't let my wife into their lounge when she is travelling with me. She is lifetime *G, so what's she gonna do? You guessed it.
I'm so pissed off with EK that I'm going to cancel several of my bookings. It seems that if you are a nobody on EK you'll do better. We'll see.
I still have 500,000 FF miles with UA. Will be working with them for a while.
It's true that if you are a good customer you will be passed over as you are already hooked. No doubt about it. But the money's coming out of my own pocket, so I am free to do whatever I like.
I'm so pissed off with EK that I'm going to cancel several of my bookings.
Considering that you have been pissed off with Emirates for quite some months now, one must raise the question why you made "several" bookings with them to begin with?
Considering that you have been pissed off with Emirates for quite some months now, one must raise the question why you made "several" bookings with them to begin with?
Months? Try years He's been saying the same thing for years, yet still chooses to fly with EK.
He's been saying the same thing for years, yet still chooses to fly with EK.
