MAHE to DUBAI (SEZ-DXB) on Emirates A340-500 in first class
After a day rushing around the island I was exhausted by 10:30pm and so made my way back to the airport rather early for check in. Actually exhausted doesn't begin to describe how I was feeling. I was constantly nodding off and waking myself up as my head drooped even while walking. I was worried if I sat down I'd fall into a coma so I forced myself to wander around the open air landside part of the terminal in an effort to stay awake. There isn't much to it, though, some check in desks, a bar/cafe, a single shop and a covered walkway to the domestic terminal with baggage storage service halfway in between. I did a few laps while I waited for check in to open.
There were a few flights departing in the middle of the night and check in seemed to only cope with two at a time, so the boards (no electronics here!) denoting airline and cabin which hung from hooks were moved from desk to desk to cater for the ebb and flow of check in queues.
When I thought it was about time for our flight check in to open I wandered back to the check in area. There was already a lengthy queue for economy class, and a moderate one for first class (who seemed to be mainly old Russian guys with their young wives/mistresses). So I decided to wait in the business class line as this was fairly short and the passengers in front looked low maintenance. While I was waiting the station manager came by and asked my final destination, and then took my passport. A few moments later I had a boarding pass for my onward flight, but not for this flight. Since I have no bags to check it would have been easier for him to give me both boarding passes?
Eventually it is my turn at the check in desk and I'm soon given another boarding pass. The agent wanted me to put on a garish F class tag on my carry on, perhaps to ensure security won't give me any problems? Any way my carry on for this trip is tiny and so a tag is pointless and I refused it. I would have looked silly if security had made me go back to check in, but I thought the odds were low and indeed there was no issue.
I was also given an invite card for the Salon de Valle de Mai lounge. There was no queue at security and, after a brief look at duty free I made my way upstairs to the lounge.
The lounge is quite nice. Spacious. Quiet. Cool relief from the hot & humid air outside and the warm terminal. Food and beverage is okay - not fantastic but not too bad either. Better than the typical Flagship lounge for example. Champagne is Raoul Collett - yeah I'd never heard of them either, although there are some islands north of New Zealand called Raoul I somehow don't think they are related to the bubbles.
There is one shower but it was locked. I thought about asking for the key from the lounge staff but realised I was so tired I could fall asleep and possibly injure myself in there. Instead I caught up on some messages on one of the computers.