A380 in J
After missing out when there was a late equipment change the last time I was due on the A380, I was very pleased to get to fly it LHR-DBX on Saturday.
Overall I approve - the amenities in J are very good. I've got a few thoughts though.
The main thing that struck me was the sheer size of the cabin. Unlike most J cabins, which only have a few seats in them, this was like a big Y cabin with rows upon rows of seats - and pretty much all were full on my flight. For some reason, I found this a bit disconcerting - somehow not what one expects in a J cabin. I can see that they wanted to fit in as many of the blocks of seats as they can, but another dividing wall may have helped the overall ambiance.
Also, with so many to serve, my main course was a bit cold by the time it reached me.
I was also a bit underwhelmed by the bar. There was a great selection of drinks and the hostess who was serving there was very friendly and helpful. However, I just thought it looked a bit tacky - but maybe it was just because the chat at the bar on that flight did not really seem that interesting and so I was not tempted to stay there for very long.
I did like the fact that we got an amenity bag - something I think Emirates are otherwise a bit mean with in premium cabins on what I consider to be long-haul flights.
Finally, I knew there were different seat sizes - but I had found it hard to work out how it worked until I was actually onboard. For a single traveler, I strongly advise getting the window seats - that's what I went for and they are quite private (maybe even a bit boxed in) and give you more legroom than the aisle seats. For couples, the pair of seats in the middle of the middle section look like the ones to go for - they are right next to one another. Again, aisle seats are a bit smaller.
All in all, enjoyable but - for me at least - not quite living up the hype. I'd probably give it 7 or 8 out of 10.