FLIGHT#32 Emirates A380 First Class AKL-SYD
May 22, 2011, 6:00 pm
#1
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FLIGHT#32 Emirates A380 First Class AKL-SYD
FLIGHT#32
Emirates Airlines #413
Auckland, New Zealand (AKL) - Sydney, Australia (SYD)
Date: March 31, 2011
Departure 18:45
Arrival: 20:05
Length: 03:20
Miles flown since start of trip: 58,599 mi.
Aircraft: Airbus 380-800
Seats: FIRST 2A, ECONOMY who cares?
SADNESS!!!! My camera got nicked in Buenos Aires before I downloaded the pictures for this report! So this is a trip report without ANY photos. I know that I just lost half of you since most of my reports are extremely photo laden. I will try my best to represent the flight but alas I too am saddened by the loss of permanent documentation.
CHAUFFEUR TRANSFER:
We were staying out with our friends in the Auckland suburb of Torbay while Grandma and Grandpa stayed at a hotel in the Auckland CBD. I needed to return the rental car with Grandpa so I booked the Emirates chauffeur transfer for Grandma and Terry. The driver arrived on time and got them quickly to the airport. He didn’t question they were two people on only one first class ticket. He dropped them direction in front of the Emirates check-in area and made sure that they went to the correct desks.
CHECK-IN:
The First Class award ticket was in Terry’s name because if I was going to buy a ticket, I wanted the miles. Also as an EK Silver Skywards member, I would receive extra baggage allowance. When you’re flying around the world, baggage weight is always a concern. Terry checked in without incident and I checked in the rest of us without any baggage penalty. YEAH! The baggage angels have been so good to us this trip!
Sydney has a customs pre-clearance booth at the end of the Emirates check-in for their premium customers so Terry, Corbin and I all benefited by this. Unfortunately, Grandma and Grandpa had to wait in a LONG customs line. Then we breezed through security while they took about fifteen minutes.
By this time I was anxious to abandon the family and go enjoy myself in the Emirates Lounge. As soon as everyone was safely through all the formalities, I said “See you at the gate” and left them to enjoy the Auckland airport.
LOUNGE:
Worldwide I think that Emirates has a great system of lounges. The food and beverage offerings are very strong especially if you are in Business. As a First customer, I’ve never loved the idea of sharing the lounge with all the Business folks but it has never been a problem. Until this flight.
When I arrived in the lounge, I noticed that Emirates had three flights all leaving within one hour. So that meant that the passengers from two 777s and one A380 were jammed into their little lounge. As a Business passenger, I could have overlooked the crowd but as a First passenger I wasn’t comfortable asking someone to move their bags so I could sit down. I realize that this is more an effect of scheduling than design but for the First Class experience, they lost some points.
My remedy to the situation was so make a Pacific Sunrise. Premium travelers on Cathay Pacific know this signature cocktail as champagne with Drambouie and lemon rind. In First that’s Krug with Drambouie and in Business it’s Not Krug with Drambouie. In the case of the Emirates lounge, it was Veuve Clicquot with Drambouie. Two Pacific Sunrises later, the crowd was much less bothersome.
I also sampled some of the buffet: smoked salmon, olives and a mini-quiche. I didn’t want to eat too much as I knew that a nice dinner was waiting for me onboard. Overall the food selections were strong as always with an Emirates Lounge.
The A380 flight to Sydney was the last of the three EK flights to leave but the lounge heaved with passengers until I left. I was really looking forward to a better experience in the air.
BOARDING:
Finally our flight was called and I met up with my gang at the gate. Because they check passports, Terry had to show his First Class boarding pass and passport and then swap boarding passes with me. It took some timing but it all happened flawlessly.
I was welcomed at the door and escorted to my private suite at 2A. Immediately a flight attendant was offering me a pre-departure drink and I, of course, chose champers. We were about at 50% full in First Class tonight so I knew that the service would be great.
I actually accepted the offer of Arabic coffee but passed on the dates. A little caffeine would help me as I moved into Dom Pérignon land for the next three hours! Soon enough everything was picked up and we were on our way.
IN-FLIGHT:
Our purser for the flight was a stunningly beautiful blond named Paula. Later in the flight she stopped by for a chat. We talked in Spanish and she thought that my accent sounded like I was from the Galicia region of Spain which struck me as very funny. No one has ever said that before. She said my name didn’t match my accent!
Hot towels were distributed once in the air along with the menu’s for our dinner. They asked if I wanted to book a shower but I felt very clean and preferred to spend my time drinking Dom and relaxing. And that’s exactly what happened.
MENU:
On EK’s shorter hops like this one of three hours, dinner is served on a tray. As I have mentioned before, I think this is unnecessary. I don’t like eating with all my food pushed together. Alas, it’s some policy and I sure am not going to get it changed.
The meal was fine. My starter was a salad with shrimp and my main was filet. It was pretty standard fare for first class and I ate it all. I enjoyed some nice cheese for dessert but continued with the Dom throughout the entire meal.
Toward the end of the flight, I finished with a nice coffee service and some chocolates as I finished up my movie. The Dom had lulled me into a vey relaxed state and was hoping that the caffeine would kick me back into the land of the living. And it did just that.
The service was wonderful throughout the flight and I give the entire crew top marks.
ARRIVAL:
As soon as I was in the terminal, I waited for my family and the grandparents to get off. Since they were seated towards the back of economy, I sat there a long time. All passengers including transit passengers had to deplane on arrival.
Our bags came off quickly and soon Grandma and I were off with our chauffer to our Surry Hills hotel. Terry, his dad and Corbin all took the train in since our hotel was very close to the Central station.
OVERALL:
Emirates has a top-notch product and it’s fun to sample it on this route. The only disadvantage is that the meal service is an abbreviated version of the normal long-haul First Class dinner service.
I have no plans to fly on Emirates in the future but look forward to any flights on this world class carrier.
Previous reports in this year of travel:
My Son’s Fifth Grade Year, 97,737 miles, 40 flights, 6 continents, 16 countries
FLIGHT#31 Emirates #412 A380 First Class SYD-AKL Shower Pics/Video
FLIGHT#28: QF32 A380 Biz Class & QF/CX SIN Lounges with photos
FLIGHT#27: Five OW Lounges & JL 719 NRT-SIN Biz Class with photos
FLIGHT#23: BKK CX/QF/BA Lounges CX751 BKK-DEL Biz Class with photos
FLIGHT#26: Delhi Green Lounge & JL 740 Business Class with photos
FLIGHT#22: SGN International Sasco Lounge & TG 551 Business Class with photos
FLIGHT#20: SGN Dom Sasco Lounge, VN452 SGN-NHA Biz Class and Sheraton Nha Trang
FLIGHT#19: BKK Royal First Lounge & LH772 BKK-SGN in First Class with photos
FLIGHT#18: TG242 KBV-BKK in Biz Class with photos
FLIGHT#17: TG245 BKK-KVG in Biz Class with Photos
FLIGHT#16: THE CABIN & CX751 HKG-BKK in Biz Class with photos
FLIGHT#15: CX748 JNB-HKG Biz Class with photos
Emirates Airlines #413
Auckland, New Zealand (AKL) - Sydney, Australia (SYD)
Date: March 31, 2011
Departure 18:45
Arrival: 20:05
Length: 03:20
Miles flown since start of trip: 58,599 mi.
Aircraft: Airbus 380-800
Seats: FIRST 2A, ECONOMY who cares?
SADNESS!!!! My camera got nicked in Buenos Aires before I downloaded the pictures for this report! So this is a trip report without ANY photos. I know that I just lost half of you since most of my reports are extremely photo laden. I will try my best to represent the flight but alas I too am saddened by the loss of permanent documentation.
CHAUFFEUR TRANSFER:
We were staying out with our friends in the Auckland suburb of Torbay while Grandma and Grandpa stayed at a hotel in the Auckland CBD. I needed to return the rental car with Grandpa so I booked the Emirates chauffeur transfer for Grandma and Terry. The driver arrived on time and got them quickly to the airport. He didn’t question they were two people on only one first class ticket. He dropped them direction in front of the Emirates check-in area and made sure that they went to the correct desks.
CHECK-IN:
The First Class award ticket was in Terry’s name because if I was going to buy a ticket, I wanted the miles. Also as an EK Silver Skywards member, I would receive extra baggage allowance. When you’re flying around the world, baggage weight is always a concern. Terry checked in without incident and I checked in the rest of us without any baggage penalty. YEAH! The baggage angels have been so good to us this trip!
Sydney has a customs pre-clearance booth at the end of the Emirates check-in for their premium customers so Terry, Corbin and I all benefited by this. Unfortunately, Grandma and Grandpa had to wait in a LONG customs line. Then we breezed through security while they took about fifteen minutes.
By this time I was anxious to abandon the family and go enjoy myself in the Emirates Lounge. As soon as everyone was safely through all the formalities, I said “See you at the gate” and left them to enjoy the Auckland airport.
LOUNGE:
Worldwide I think that Emirates has a great system of lounges. The food and beverage offerings are very strong especially if you are in Business. As a First customer, I’ve never loved the idea of sharing the lounge with all the Business folks but it has never been a problem. Until this flight.
When I arrived in the lounge, I noticed that Emirates had three flights all leaving within one hour. So that meant that the passengers from two 777s and one A380 were jammed into their little lounge. As a Business passenger, I could have overlooked the crowd but as a First passenger I wasn’t comfortable asking someone to move their bags so I could sit down. I realize that this is more an effect of scheduling than design but for the First Class experience, they lost some points.
My remedy to the situation was so make a Pacific Sunrise. Premium travelers on Cathay Pacific know this signature cocktail as champagne with Drambouie and lemon rind. In First that’s Krug with Drambouie and in Business it’s Not Krug with Drambouie. In the case of the Emirates lounge, it was Veuve Clicquot with Drambouie. Two Pacific Sunrises later, the crowd was much less bothersome.
I also sampled some of the buffet: smoked salmon, olives and a mini-quiche. I didn’t want to eat too much as I knew that a nice dinner was waiting for me onboard. Overall the food selections were strong as always with an Emirates Lounge.
The A380 flight to Sydney was the last of the three EK flights to leave but the lounge heaved with passengers until I left. I was really looking forward to a better experience in the air.
BOARDING:
Finally our flight was called and I met up with my gang at the gate. Because they check passports, Terry had to show his First Class boarding pass and passport and then swap boarding passes with me. It took some timing but it all happened flawlessly.
I was welcomed at the door and escorted to my private suite at 2A. Immediately a flight attendant was offering me a pre-departure drink and I, of course, chose champers. We were about at 50% full in First Class tonight so I knew that the service would be great.
I actually accepted the offer of Arabic coffee but passed on the dates. A little caffeine would help me as I moved into Dom Pérignon land for the next three hours! Soon enough everything was picked up and we were on our way.
IN-FLIGHT:
Our purser for the flight was a stunningly beautiful blond named Paula. Later in the flight she stopped by for a chat. We talked in Spanish and she thought that my accent sounded like I was from the Galicia region of Spain which struck me as very funny. No one has ever said that before. She said my name didn’t match my accent!
Hot towels were distributed once in the air along with the menu’s for our dinner. They asked if I wanted to book a shower but I felt very clean and preferred to spend my time drinking Dom and relaxing. And that’s exactly what happened.
MENU:
On EK’s shorter hops like this one of three hours, dinner is served on a tray. As I have mentioned before, I think this is unnecessary. I don’t like eating with all my food pushed together. Alas, it’s some policy and I sure am not going to get it changed.
The meal was fine. My starter was a salad with shrimp and my main was filet. It was pretty standard fare for first class and I ate it all. I enjoyed some nice cheese for dessert but continued with the Dom throughout the entire meal.
Toward the end of the flight, I finished with a nice coffee service and some chocolates as I finished up my movie. The Dom had lulled me into a vey relaxed state and was hoping that the caffeine would kick me back into the land of the living. And it did just that.
The service was wonderful throughout the flight and I give the entire crew top marks.
ARRIVAL:
As soon as I was in the terminal, I waited for my family and the grandparents to get off. Since they were seated towards the back of economy, I sat there a long time. All passengers including transit passengers had to deplane on arrival.
Our bags came off quickly and soon Grandma and I were off with our chauffer to our Surry Hills hotel. Terry, his dad and Corbin all took the train in since our hotel was very close to the Central station.
OVERALL:
Emirates has a top-notch product and it’s fun to sample it on this route. The only disadvantage is that the meal service is an abbreviated version of the normal long-haul First Class dinner service.
I have no plans to fly on Emirates in the future but look forward to any flights on this world class carrier.
Previous reports in this year of travel:
My Son’s Fifth Grade Year, 97,737 miles, 40 flights, 6 continents, 16 countries
FLIGHT#31 Emirates #412 A380 First Class SYD-AKL Shower Pics/Video
FLIGHT#28: QF32 A380 Biz Class & QF/CX SIN Lounges with photos
FLIGHT#27: Five OW Lounges & JL 719 NRT-SIN Biz Class with photos
FLIGHT#23: BKK CX/QF/BA Lounges CX751 BKK-DEL Biz Class with photos
FLIGHT#26: Delhi Green Lounge & JL 740 Business Class with photos
FLIGHT#22: SGN International Sasco Lounge & TG 551 Business Class with photos
FLIGHT#20: SGN Dom Sasco Lounge, VN452 SGN-NHA Biz Class and Sheraton Nha Trang
FLIGHT#19: BKK Royal First Lounge & LH772 BKK-SGN in First Class with photos
FLIGHT#18: TG242 KBV-BKK in Biz Class with photos
FLIGHT#17: TG245 BKK-KVG in Biz Class with Photos
FLIGHT#16: THE CABIN & CX751 HKG-BKK in Biz Class with photos
FLIGHT#15: CX748 JNB-HKG Biz Class with photos
May 23, 2011, 3:34 am
#2
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: CHC
Programs: NZ Silver+Exec Club Blue+Priority Club
Posts: 108
So sorry to hear of your misfortune in Argentina. Yes, Im missing the photos but never mind, you're writing more than makes up for it. Have you been shopping for a new camera yet?
Only once Ive flown ex AKL on EK. You are so correct about the jammed in passengers in the cattle pen, erm I mean lounge. 3 large EK aircraft all leaving one after the other makes for a standing room only experience in the lounge, not the most relaxing way to start the flight. I always wonder how bad the mess left for the caterers must be.
Only once Ive flown ex AKL on EK. You are so correct about the jammed in passengers in the cattle pen, erm I mean lounge. 3 large EK aircraft all leaving one after the other makes for a standing room only experience in the lounge, not the most relaxing way to start the flight. I always wonder how bad the mess left for the caterers must be.
May 26, 2011, 9:55 am
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA Gold, SQ Gold, KQ Platinum, IHG Diamond Ambassador, Hilton Gold, Marriott Silver, Accor Silver
Posts: 16,347
An enjoyable trip report, even without the photos - thanks for sharing ^
It does seem odd that EK don't do a full dinner service - 3 hours is plenty for a full service, I'd imagine. Having food presented on a tray in international F is definitely a no-no as well - and yet they offer a shower on such a short flight, which is surely more troublesome than dinner?
Looking forward to the next installment of this mammoth trip
It does seem odd that EK don't do a full dinner service - 3 hours is plenty for a full service, I'd imagine. Having food presented on a tray in international F is definitely a no-no as well - and yet they offer a shower on such a short flight, which is surely more troublesome than dinner?
Looking forward to the next installment of this mammoth trip