subject2load

I suspect it's entirely possible that EK are beginning to exercise greater control over some aspects of their discretionary, non-essential spend, in contrast to times past where marketing & promotional budgets were far less restrained.

As a data point (and admittedly, neither a scientific nor conclusive one), I was at the well-established World Travel Market Exhibition in London earlier this month. This is largely a B2B exhibition and in past years Emirates have invariably had a significant presence there - in fact their exhibition stand has often been amongst the largest and most 'glamorous'. Unless I somehow missed them (!!) they were conspicuous by their total absence this year.

FlightDelayed

That's pretty much exactly what we observed. I was surprised to see only one person working the food cart.

FlightDelayed

Sorry about not separating my replies. I thought that replying with QUOTE would do that but it isn't and my replies aren't posting beneath the post that I am replying to. Either I'm inept (very possible) or the board is glitchy.

Anyway...flight 4 on Emirates yesterday. They almost redeemed themselves. Dinner was edible. Breakfast inedible. Maybe these airlines should give up on serving eggs? I would have loved a cup of yoghurt and the fruit cup (which was actually quite good). The very idea of holding cooked eggs for 14+ hours ... the consistency is disgusting and the flavor is off. Maybe hard-boiled eggs would be better.

I'd brought food with me so I ate just the fruit and left the rest. I even brought my own tea bags but getting hot water was not easy. I asked several times - super-polite and saying "when you have a chance." This was pre-breakfast, when they were handing out water and juice during the night. After three hours, no hot water. During breakfast service, I asked again though I knew it would be unlikely. To my amazement, about an hour later, they brought some hot water.

They fell down on baggage handling at JFK. They kept announcing that first class and elite customer baggage was on 7 and economy on 8. After about 25 min, they announced that "some" economy baggage might be on 7. No big deal - just stand between the carousels and watch both. Except that they'd filled that entire area by taking the first/elite baggage off the carousel and placing it on the floor. Chaos ensued as everyone had to keep running back and forth to try to find their luggage.

I gather from the comments here that most of the commenters here have the good fortune to be able to fly first class or business most of the time. I am a passenger-nobody, with mere gold on one airline, so I'm thinking that FlyerTalk is probably not the best place for me, but TripAdvisor is totally ridiculous, with the kind of people who complain about a particular airline delaying a flight due to weather. Does anyone know of a discussion board for experienced travelers who are not high elite status and can't fly first or business?

skywardhunter

Using Quote doesn't make your reply appear beneath the quoted post, rather prepends the quoted text within your post at the end of the thread... ok now that that nitpicky comment is out of the way...

I fly mostly Y on EK and disagreed early on in this thread on the food assessment, so cool it on the passive aggressiveness.

FlightDelayed

"I fly mostly Y on EK and disagreed early on in this thread on the food assessment, so cool it on the passive aggressiveness." (Skyward Hunter)

I wasn't being passive aggressive. I said straight up and honestly what I thought of our experience on this flight. It wasn't even a comment addressed to you. Cool it on taking something personally (a comment about airline food..really? why would you take that personally even if it had been addressed to you)?

moral_low_ground

I have clocked up 65 flights on EK in the last 15 months. All in Y bar 3 upgrades on short flights from DOH/JED/BAH to DXB.

Compared to food on BA/QR there is no contest. EK wins hands down. The food can be variable but I would say 7 out of 10 meals are ok. On all flights I have never had an issue with any crew. Admittedly I never ring the call bell but when I want a beer they give me one and hang up my jacket if I ask them. Seat pitch on EK is miles better than BA or QR. Entertainment is miles better on EK then BA and QR. Occasionally the touch screens are a bit dodgy but I've only had one flight where it refused to work at all so had to use the handset. Lounges with EK are generally good even at the outstations.

In short, flying in Y today is a cr*p shoot. Most other airlines have cut back loads and reduced seat pitch and width. IMHO EK has the best Y product of the airlines I fly (BA, QR,TK).

Worst thing about EK. The price (EK often double BA's fare to London and they fly 7 A380's a day so you might think they would be low) and their pretty bad FF scheme (miles hard to earn in Y and prices for upgrades and redemptions far too high). EK FF scheme is fab if you fly J or above as the miles roll in as do the status points.

skywardhunter

You addressed your comments to all of us on this forum (nothing to do with airline food):

The implication is clear.

PS: This is how you quote :P

DYKWIA

What you are asking is for a discussion board that will agree with everything you say?

FlightDelayed

No. I am looking for a discussion board that is, as I described, not populated largely by people who fly mostly business or first class, but who are also not the type to show up at security with 20 lbs of jewelry and lace-up boots (we have pre-check - I'm just trying to describe the level of travel experience knowledge). I'm not seeing how level of knowledge/experience translates to "people who will agree with everything I say." To the contrary, I came here seeking information and received it. I didn't disagree with anyone. I merely described our experience. Happy for those who can afford first/business but your experiences are simply not the same as that experienced in economy.

FlightDelayed

You are correct. I addressed everyone, not you, and my comments were not personal to any of you.

My request for a different discussion board was NOT about you - it was about ME. You all seem to be having a different experience because you are high elite or wealthy enough to buy business/first class seats. That isn't a criticism - passive-aggressive or otherwise. It is a simple statement that this is not the right place for someone like me to converse. I don't have the same experiences that all of you have so describing my experiences or asking questions here doesn't work well.

skywardhunter

Again, I think you underestimate how many of us (not just myself) travel mostly Y. Anyway, let's leave it at that.

hfly

There are plenty of people on the EK board and FT as a whole who fly all or mostly in the back of the bus. Even those of us who fly towards the front may occasionally find ourselves in the back.....I can remember doing an EK segment in Y just 4 or 5 years ago for example............

RadioGirl

FlightDelayed, I too only travel in Y (with the exception of a few operational upgrades) and you'll see in post #25 I also had criticisms of the inflight service. (Actually, even in J I've had some poor service.)

To your original question, I agree with those who say Emirates got its reputation from marketing. Well before my first EK flight I had seen the shiny gold bling, including the entrance to their airport lounges, and clearly they were aiming for an image of luxury. Of course, you can't keep a reputation (among passengers) that way - once they start flying, the actual experience either supports or contradicts the image they've created with marketing.

For my own purposes, I switched to EK primarily for its network. It's one of the few airlines that can get me from SYD to GVA with only one stop. (EY is another, but I found transiting AUH unpleasant. YMMV.)

After a year with more travel than usual, I had EK Gold so I had lounge access as well as the network for an incentive. I've now lost Gold and will probably lose Silver next year, but will still look at EK due to the one-stop option to GVA. I always fly the same itinerary which includes staying in the DXB airport overnight, which minimizes my jetlag. If I switched to another airline I'd have to consider that.

That's my perspective; others of course have different priorities and viewpoints. And of course, once you're in Y, it's clear that the EK gold bling image is just an illusion. The food is, in my opinion, not as bad as some other airlines; I've had some reasonable meals in EK Y, and some pretty dire meals. The service is not as good as some airlines (or as bad as others). But on balance, EK is currently the airline that meets my need.

msm2000uk

Mod-hat On

FlightDelayed,

While I am not the Moderator for this particular Forum, I have been following the thread with interest.

You posed a very interesting question, and one which has clearly garnered a range of responses.

However, a number of your posts in response have been bordering on breaking of FT Rules. You can find more information on the posting rules, here -http://www.flyertalk.com/help/rules.php. I would suggest looking at Section 12.

Having looked at your past post history, you do have a particular response style, and there is nothing wrong with that. Everyone has an opinion, and you should most certainly voice it.

In terms of your search for a discussion board more closely geared towards your requirements (Post #39), might I invite you to the newly formed Suggestion Box - http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/suggestion-box-756/

I hope the above helps.

M

Mod-Hat Off

lighthand

Service wise I would say EK does have a lot of hits & misses. The problem is down to the individual FA at the end of the day. I know quite a few of them now personally, and had drinks and chats with them on the ground. On the other hand my first J experience with EK was also the first time experiencing in-your-face elitist (let's not use the R word) discrimination.

With respect to food. This I agree can do with a SERIOUS upgrade (not the BA kind). Whenever I fly GIG x DXB, I'll always have at least 2 cup noodles on standby. Other legs are not as bad, but the meals does look a little like slop.