EK413 - Emirates A380 Inaugural Flight from AKL
Feb 3, 2009, 3:15 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: AKL
Programs: Skywards Gold, Qantas FF
Posts: 479
EK413 - Emirates A380 Inaugural Flight from AKL
The Emirates EK413 A380 Trip Report
02 - 02 - 09
The day I was looking forward to finally arrived and boy was I excited !
Today I would be on the Inaugural A380 flight out of Auckland, New Zealand with My Favourite Airline - EMIRATES !
I arrived at AKL in my chauffeur driven Caprice at 15:00 , checked in for the EK413 and made my way to the lounge ...
As I was early (or so I thought) I grabbed some lunch and just as I was about to dig in ..... I looked up at the Flight Info Screen and saw this ....
Promptly asked the passing reception staff what was with the weird flight number , She told me that the A380 is actually parked right now at Gate 15 for a private media tour and Arrival Reception.
Sooo ... Finished my quick snack
And left the lounge to go have a look at my ride to SYD, at Boarding Gate 15 .
Aha ..... can just make out the huge tail ...
A little closer ....
And then finally .... the Beautiful EMIRATES A6 - EDD
The size of the plane can only really be appreciated , when you're actually looking at it in full view and all I can say is WOW !
As I was clicking these pictures , the media were making their way to the AKL lounge after the arrival reception and their private tour of the plane.
I joined them back at the lounge and also clicked some pictures of the A380 model presented to AKL lounge.
The EK lounge was packed and in a few sections there was standing room only ....
Departure was delayed by nearly an hour because of the Reception and private tour so we started out from the lounge at around 18:50 for our EK413 , which was patiently waiting for us at Gate 15.
Boarding Gate 15 :
2 Lanes ... 1 for F & J and the other for Y
I took the right ...
Suite 1A
A more personalised Welcome
A Mini-Tour of EK's A380
F cabin view from Seat 1A
Water Feature:
The Shower Girls :
The Other Water Feature:
Front Stairs going down to Y Cabin:
There were some media again around the flight deck so could only manage this shot
Economy Class Cabin
Hmmm what's up here ...
An Eager Bar-Tender !
Business Class Cabin
Ahh back home at last
Pre-Departure Drinks:
Poised for Take- Off
The take-off was nothing like any other I'd experienced before ...
The run was smooth and very powerful but still far less noisy than all the planes I've been in.
In the air and a beautiful view from the Tail Camera onto the clouds below:
Our Destination
Quick Engine Check
All's good so time to hit the F Cabin Bar
1 glass of Dom for each hand ... it doesnt get any better than this
I decided to have my meal first, then go for a stroll before my shower.
This allowed me to arrange it so I could get more time in the Spa
Dinner was served on the short hop across the Tasman , I chose the following:
Appetiser:
Cajun spiced Lamb Loin with char-grilled veges & beetroot relish
Soup:
Moroccan Tomato Soup
Main Course:
Grilled Beef Tenderloin topped with gratinated Kikorangi blue Cheese
Dessert:
Gourmet Mini Desserts of Fig & Vanilla Mascarpone , Chocolate Mousse and Pont Royal Cake
The entire meal was very good , right from the tender lamb loin , the thick hearty tasty soup , the succulent & juicy tenderloin to the creamy mousse ... The meal inspired me to stretch my legs a little so took a walk down to the Pub ... or in this instance ....
The Business Class Bar
The bar had a great vibe and the ambience was exactly like a real-life bar
Needless to say, I enjoyed my time there until I remembered it was time for my shower ...
Shower at 40,000 feet:
As soon as I was back at my seat , the lovely F FA came and told me that my spa was ready and to take all the time I needed.
So I was all set to have a relaxing 30 mins .... but it ended up being 45 mins
Firstly, the pictures dont do the spa room enough justice ..
Although I had clicked pics of the left during my Mini- Tour and had a vague idea of how it might be inside with the doors closed ...
I was still expecting a cramped spa and even more tiny shower cubicle but when I locked the door and turned around .... Boy was I wrong !!!
I was standing approx 1/3 way into the Spa room for these pics below so hope it gives you the sense of space that they've given the F pax ...
So once inside there's loads of room to move about and if you looked closely above, there's even a flight map to keep you occupied whilst on the John !
The shower cubicle was not huge but it was not tiny either.. There was sufficient space to reach all the needed parts
A lot of us were wondering what would happen in case of turbulence ... And for that. there's also a seat inside with a belt that you can use to secure yourself to avoid being thrown about.
The shower was an interesting experience but once I finished .... the novelty wore off straight away as I was towelling myself dry , So not sure it was needed for the short 3 hr flight.
However I can definitely see it being more useful on the longer DXB-SYD leg as I imagine it would be quite refreshing to have the added luxury of taking the quick shower after you've woken up from resting on route.
As mentioned , I took my time in there and so when I came out it was already time for our descent into Sydney.
And that meant my time on this EK A380 flight was drawing to a close ...
My only consolation is my next upcoming F trip where I can experience it long haul on both my in-bound and out-bound legs
I hope you enjoyed the AKL inaugural flight experience with Emirates and as for me , I still have my return flight to look forward to .... which is Ek's first Boeing 777-200LR flight into AKL.
Thanks for reading and as always your feedback is appreciated.
There was a lot going on on the EK413 and squeezing it all into a small amount of time means for sure I've missed out on reporting on something in the TR but I will update with new posts so please feel free to ask questions and I'll try my best to answer them.
Cheers,
02 - 02 - 09
The day I was looking forward to finally arrived and boy was I excited !
Today I would be on the Inaugural A380 flight out of Auckland, New Zealand with My Favourite Airline - EMIRATES !
I arrived at AKL in my chauffeur driven Caprice at 15:00 , checked in for the EK413 and made my way to the lounge ...
As I was early (or so I thought) I grabbed some lunch and just as I was about to dig in ..... I looked up at the Flight Info Screen and saw this ....
Promptly asked the passing reception staff what was with the weird flight number , She told me that the A380 is actually parked right now at Gate 15 for a private media tour and Arrival Reception.
Sooo ... Finished my quick snack
And left the lounge to go have a look at my ride to SYD, at Boarding Gate 15 .
Aha ..... can just make out the huge tail ...
A little closer ....
And then finally .... the Beautiful EMIRATES A6 - EDD
The size of the plane can only really be appreciated , when you're actually looking at it in full view and all I can say is WOW !
As I was clicking these pictures , the media were making their way to the AKL lounge after the arrival reception and their private tour of the plane.
I joined them back at the lounge and also clicked some pictures of the A380 model presented to AKL lounge.
The EK lounge was packed and in a few sections there was standing room only ....
Departure was delayed by nearly an hour because of the Reception and private tour so we started out from the lounge at around 18:50 for our EK413 , which was patiently waiting for us at Gate 15.
Boarding Gate 15 :
2 Lanes ... 1 for F & J and the other for Y
I took the right ...
Suite 1A
A more personalised Welcome
A Mini-Tour of EK's A380
F cabin view from Seat 1A
Water Feature:
The Shower Girls :
The Other Water Feature:
Front Stairs going down to Y Cabin:
There were some media again around the flight deck so could only manage this shot
Economy Class Cabin
Hmmm what's up here ...
An Eager Bar-Tender !
Business Class Cabin
Ahh back home at last
Pre-Departure Drinks:
Poised for Take- Off
The take-off was nothing like any other I'd experienced before ...
The run was smooth and very powerful but still far less noisy than all the planes I've been in.
In the air and a beautiful view from the Tail Camera onto the clouds below:
Our Destination
Quick Engine Check
All's good so time to hit the F Cabin Bar
1 glass of Dom for each hand ... it doesnt get any better than this
I decided to have my meal first, then go for a stroll before my shower.
This allowed me to arrange it so I could get more time in the Spa
Dinner was served on the short hop across the Tasman , I chose the following:
Appetiser:
Cajun spiced Lamb Loin with char-grilled veges & beetroot relish
Soup:
Moroccan Tomato Soup
Main Course:
Grilled Beef Tenderloin topped with gratinated Kikorangi blue Cheese
Dessert:
Gourmet Mini Desserts of Fig & Vanilla Mascarpone , Chocolate Mousse and Pont Royal Cake
The entire meal was very good , right from the tender lamb loin , the thick hearty tasty soup , the succulent & juicy tenderloin to the creamy mousse ... The meal inspired me to stretch my legs a little so took a walk down to the Pub ... or in this instance ....
The Business Class Bar
The bar had a great vibe and the ambience was exactly like a real-life bar
Needless to say, I enjoyed my time there until I remembered it was time for my shower ...
Shower at 40,000 feet:
As soon as I was back at my seat , the lovely F FA came and told me that my spa was ready and to take all the time I needed.
So I was all set to have a relaxing 30 mins .... but it ended up being 45 mins
Firstly, the pictures dont do the spa room enough justice ..
Although I had clicked pics of the left during my Mini- Tour and had a vague idea of how it might be inside with the doors closed ...
I was still expecting a cramped spa and even more tiny shower cubicle but when I locked the door and turned around .... Boy was I wrong !!!
I was standing approx 1/3 way into the Spa room for these pics below so hope it gives you the sense of space that they've given the F pax ...
So once inside there's loads of room to move about and if you looked closely above, there's even a flight map to keep you occupied whilst on the John !
The shower cubicle was not huge but it was not tiny either.. There was sufficient space to reach all the needed parts
A lot of us were wondering what would happen in case of turbulence ... And for that. there's also a seat inside with a belt that you can use to secure yourself to avoid being thrown about.
The shower was an interesting experience but once I finished .... the novelty wore off straight away as I was towelling myself dry , So not sure it was needed for the short 3 hr flight.
However I can definitely see it being more useful on the longer DXB-SYD leg as I imagine it would be quite refreshing to have the added luxury of taking the quick shower after you've woken up from resting on route.
As mentioned , I took my time in there and so when I came out it was already time for our descent into Sydney.
And that meant my time on this EK A380 flight was drawing to a close ...
My only consolation is my next upcoming F trip where I can experience it long haul on both my in-bound and out-bound legs
I hope you enjoyed the AKL inaugural flight experience with Emirates and as for me , I still have my return flight to look forward to .... which is Ek's first Boeing 777-200LR flight into AKL.
Thanks for reading and as always your feedback is appreciated.
There was a lot going on on the EK413 and squeezing it all into a small amount of time means for sure I've missed out on reporting on something in the TR but I will update with new posts so please feel free to ask questions and I'll try my best to answer them.
Cheers,
Last edited by EK_Flyer; Feb 4, 2009 at 10:21 pm
Feb 3, 2009, 5:14 am
#3
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Bargara Australia
Programs: VA, SQ, IHG, HH,ALL, Europcar
Posts: 1,530
was waiting with baited breath for a report on one of the first flights - so thank you.
certainly looks like a wonderful aircraft on the inside and EK have done amazing stuff with the fitout.
Thanks
Adam
certainly looks like a wonderful aircraft on the inside and EK have done amazing stuff with the fitout.
Thanks
Adam
Feb 3, 2009, 10:37 am
#6
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Texas
Programs: American Airlines British Airways
Posts: 1,752
Excellent trip report. The photos were very useful. Now for questions.
I just told my TA to book 1E and 1F or 2E and 2F if those are not available for a DXB to JFK flight. What is your view concerning the best middle section seats?
Is there a hair dryer in the shower room?
I just told my TA to book 1E and 1F or 2E and 2F if those are not available for a DXB to JFK flight. What is your view concerning the best middle section seats?
Is there a hair dryer in the shower room?
Feb 3, 2009, 11:10 am
#7
Moderator, Hilton Honors
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: on a short leash
Programs: some
Posts: 71,419
Thanks for the great report EK_Flyer. ^^^
I am gutted to have missed out. BTW it looks to me like the suite itself is little changed from A345, and the menu appears to be the same as last month's one.
I am gutted to have missed out. BTW it looks to me like the suite itself is little changed from A345, and the menu appears to be the same as last month's one.
Feb 3, 2009, 11:56 am
#9
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: SYD
Programs: OZ*G, VA Plat, NZ*G (Elite), QF Gold and PC+, Hyatt Explorist, HH Gold, Bonvoyed ("Gold")
Posts: 5,350
Great stuff, thanks for posting. I was amazed to see Penfolds Grange in the shot of the first class bar - surely that's not regular EK F wine? A special for the inaugurual flight perhaps... I know I would have latched onto that like a shot
Feb 3, 2009, 1:02 pm
#11
Moderator, Hilton Honors
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: on a short leash
Programs: some
Posts: 71,419
mad_atta QF F has Grange on their wine list. Very hard to actually get it though as only carried on a small proportion of their F flights.
Feb 3, 2009, 9:29 pm
#12
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: AKL
Programs: Skywards Gold, Qantas FF
Posts: 479
Thanks for the feedback guys , Some more details about the flight ...
Flight Load
The loads in the premium cabins were full !
F was showing half full availability till this weekend when suddenly all but one seat was left .This was still not taken when had checked in. But not sure if it was actually left empty during the flight.
J was pretty much full as well but it had 90% of the media & EK staff etc so not sure how many revenue seats there were.
Y was maybe half to 2/3rds full.
Flight Experience:
Having 14 seats in F makes for quite a busy and non-exclusive feel ... There are 4 FAs so service was top notch but i guess I've been used to much lighter F loads so noticed the difference.
I've got to hand it to the Cabin Crew , they were absolutely wonderful and managed to give us a great service in F whilst interacting with us and answering all the different questions the F pax had. ^
Flight Load
The loads in the premium cabins were full !
F was showing half full availability till this weekend when suddenly all but one seat was left .This was still not taken when had checked in. But not sure if it was actually left empty during the flight.
J was pretty much full as well but it had 90% of the media & EK staff etc so not sure how many revenue seats there were.
Y was maybe half to 2/3rds full.
Flight Experience:
Having 14 seats in F makes for quite a busy and non-exclusive feel ... There are 4 FAs so service was top notch but i guess I've been used to much lighter F loads so noticed the difference.
I've got to hand it to the Cabin Crew , they were absolutely wonderful and managed to give us a great service in F whilst interacting with us and answering all the different questions the F pax had. ^
Feb 3, 2009, 10:04 pm
#13
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: AKL
Programs: Skywards Gold, Qantas FF
Posts: 479
The FA draws up a list as for the shower times so it's best to get on it early if you're just going across the Tasman. I'm guessing the whole F cabin might've had a run cos people kept disappearing for 10 mins.
Excellent trip report. The photos were very useful. Now for questions.
I just told my TA to book 1E and 1F or 2E and 2F if those are not available for a DXB to JFK flight. What is your view concerning the best middle section seats?
Is there a hair dryer in the shower room?
I just told my TA to book 1E and 1F or 2E and 2F if those are not available for a DXB to JFK flight. What is your view concerning the best middle section seats?
Is there a hair dryer in the shower room?
Sorry dont know about the hair dryer.
The suite is the same in design to the B777 suites but has motorised window shades for raising /lowering them. The buttons for these are the 3 blue buttons below the wireless controller in the suite pics. You can control them individually or 2 or 3 at a time.
Was hoping for a more unique menu myself on the Inaugural ... But then EK didnt do jack for it here
was really disappointed about this 
Last edited by EK_Flyer; Feb 3, 2009 at 10:41 pm
Feb 3, 2009, 10:42 pm
#14
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Programs: AA Gold AAdvantage Elite, Rapids Reward
Posts: 38,310
Wow!!! What is great trip reports!! ^ ^ ^ This is so unbelievable where you took on EK is inauguration flight from AKL-SYD-DXB. I remember that I realize know the shower onboard of A380. I'm sure if I could try to be on A380 sometimes in the future.
Also, you realizing where I saw F class suite is absolutely gorgeous. I can't wait to hear more stories about your entire trip. Also, I saw the winglet is really very tight near the building. I thought they didn't have any damaged the terminal. It could be very extremely dangerous out there but, it will be destroy the building. I think EK crew need to be more carefully what A380 is coming into the gates.
Also, you realizing where I saw F class suite is absolutely gorgeous. I can't wait to hear more stories about your entire trip. Also, I saw the winglet is really very tight near the building. I thought they didn't have any damaged the terminal. It could be very extremely dangerous out there but, it will be destroy the building. I think EK crew need to be more carefully what A380 is coming into the gates.
Feb 3, 2009, 10:51 pm
#15
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 2,894
I just flew via AKL on the 2nd of February on LAN 800 from SYD-SCL and saw EK A380... and was wondering why it was there... I didn't know that it was the inauguration flight day for that plane to AKL.
SYD was really the mad house for all of the A380s that were flying today... so jealous... why SYD gets all of the nice presents.
EK 380, QF 380, SQ 380 ... all at one airport....
SYD was really the mad house for all of the A380s that were flying today... so jealous... why SYD gets all of the nice presents.
EK 380, QF 380, SQ 380 ... all at one airport....
