FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - Emirates First Class - Sydney to Auckland return on the A380
Old Jan 15, 2012, 1:18 am
  #8  
matthandy
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Kent, UK
Programs: BA Gold, SPG Platinum, Marriott Platinum, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 3,809
Landing into Auckland

I returned to the front of the plane, snapping a picture of the Business Class seat along the way.



Business Class seat


Shortly after, the Captain announced that we’d be starting our descent shortly, and would be expecting to land at 1.45pm Auckland time. We were to expect cloudy weather, but no rain, so a bit of a contrast to sunny Sydney!

I used the facilities before settling down and packing everything away and in to my bag in preparation for landing. Something which I didn’t know is that there is First Class toilet located at the back of the cabin, as the shower spas are not for general use. The toilet isn’t anything special, and is decorated exactly the same way as the Business Class toilets, however, it did have an fantastic view, just forward of the wing.



View from the toilet


At 1.20pm the seat belt sign came on and we were well into our descent. Kim made an unexpected visit to my seat and bought with her the suite guide, shower spa guide, ICE guide and two in-flight magazines. She said that she used to collect the magazines before she started as crew and thought that I might like to take them off the aircraft. I gladly accepted. It was a really nice personal touch and made the flight more memorable for me.



The literature that I was allowed to take off the aircraft


As we made our way down to land we got hit by some turbulence and we had a rather bumpy cross wind landing. It was possible to watch the landing on the IFE, via the tail cam and according to the details on the screen, we actually approached the runway at an angle of 17 degrees. It was actually very interesting to watch as the aircraft was ‘flicked’ into alignment just before we touched down. We landed at 1.45pm, as promised. The taxi to the gate took about 10 minutes or so.



Views of the Auckland coast line as we land


Welcome to Auckland!


Arrival

The air bridges were attached and we were the first passengers to disembark from the upper deck at around 2pm. As I did so I said a really big thank you to Kim, who was waiting in the galley to say goodbye.

The aircraft was parked on a stand that seemed quite far from immigration and customs there was a bit of walking involved to get to the immigration hall. Along the way though it was possible to get a good view of the aircraft that I’d just arrived on.



At the gate


At the gate


Walking, and walking….


There didn’t seem to be any sign of any type of ‘fast track’ system for immigration, although being one of the first passengers off the aircraft, the queues were not that big and I was through in no time. I don’t even think that the agent even asked me any questions.

I made my way through to the baggage claim area to find that my bag was already making it’s way around the carousel, which is always a good thing! What wasn’t good was the massive queue that had formed to get through quarantine and customs. I think that we’d timed it just right to catch the bulk of passengers from a Thai flight, so the queue extended right into the baggage hall. Again, there was no priority or fast track system for First or Business class passengers and annoyingly, the ‘New Zealand and Australian Passport’ lanes were empty. It took me about 30 minutes to get through quarantine and as I emerged into arrivals my driver was waiting for me with a board with my name on it. His car was waiting just outside and I was soon on my way to the Crowne Plaza in the centre of the city.


Overall Verdict

Well, this was a really good flight although I mostly put that down to the fantastic service that I received from one particular crew member and the novelty of flying Emirates First Class on the A380. Overall, it was an enjoyable experience, but there were areas that were a little disappointing.

The suite itself was very comfortable, but I wasn’t particularly fussed with the styling of it. More of a concern was the ergonomics, it didn’t seem too well thought out in that respect. It didn’t feel as classy as some of the other products out there. I have to say that with my experience of other First class products, namely BA’s New First on the 747 and the Qantas A380 suite, the Emirates product falls slightly short of both of them. Clearly, it has more overall room than the BA product, but the styling and the materials let down the Emirates suite. For example, the suede used on the IFE screen surround made it look dirty from certain angles, and the gold trim on everything is a bit tacky. I also didn’t like the fact that the seat was all leather. I prefer a cloth seat, personally.
However, the privacy offered by the suite was fantastic, and the IFE screen was the largest that I’ve experienced previously. There was also plenty of storage around the seat area, which was a bonus. I quite liked the lighting options too, as well as the multiple, personal air vents that could be directed as required.

The food wasn’t great. I was a little annoyed about not making the most of the menu, although I didn’t go hungry. The fact that a Business class meal is served is quite poor too. Surely it would be possible to perform an abridged First Class service on this flight? The Dom Perignon was divine though, and that did go some way to compensate for the food.

The shower experience was excellent and I can see a real usage for it on longer flights with no arrivals facilities. The bar was also a good feature, and it was fun meeting with fellow passengers, rather than being stuck in one’s seat all of the time.

The arrivals experience wasn’t great, although that is up to the airport, rather than the airline itself.

Did this feel like a First Class experience? I’d have to say no, it didn’t, it felt like a Business Class experience in a bigger seat. Would I book it again? No, but I did enjoy the experience overall and if a cheap upgrade was offered on the route again I’d consider it.


Next Up

A few days in Auckland, including a sail on an ex-America’s Cup yacht and a tour out to the West coast, plus the return flight, and more Dom Perignon!

Last edited by matthandy; Jan 15, 2012 at 2:01 am
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