(Or, in honor of
Macabus, "
1.5 bottles of Dom from HKG-BKK on EK in F")
EK 385
HKG-BKK, 3h00m
Airbus A380-800 (A6-EDQ, according to the brilliant IFE)
Suite 2K, F
I’d never flown EK, had never flown a proper suite, and had never flown the A380, so I left the lounge with plenty of time to head to Gate 62.
I went to the window to take some shots of my first A380; a gate agent approached me and told me to go back in line, until he saw the big block letters starting in F and ending in IRST on my boarding pass. “Sir, please, come to the front of the A line.” Okay, I will be a gate louse, but only if you insist.
My excitement was palpable. Also, I was in dire need of a shower, having had my last one 20 hours prior in Zürich and before walking through Kowloon on a muggy night. So there was that.
A horrible night shot of A6-EDQ
All alone in the boarding queue. I guess the Suites signage is reserved for SQ.
Rather than announce boarding and invite a throng of passengers to start a mob at the gate, they quietly opened the door and allowed me in. I’d have first crack at this behemoth. Most excellent.
I stepped inside the mausoleum of flight and handed the FA my boarding pass for suite 2K, on advice from FTers than row 1 is narrow and windowless, while 3 and 4 are closer to the galleys. I was escorted to my suite and asked what I’d like to drink, thinking that something other than champagne would be inadequate for this momentous occasion.
Suite 2K
The goodies in the suite, minus the seat
The view behind
I could get used to this
Not knowing how full F would be, I also requested my shower then, so that I could get it out of the way. “After takeoff, sir.” Well, yeah, what’s the fun in taking a shower on the ground? I requested to have it as soon as possible.
I sat in my seat and had a look-see around me. Just one word came to mind:
“wow.” In the past 2 days, I had experienced my first 3 international first class products. The United 747 F suite was okay, reminding me of those “Trade Up to a Ford” commercials. Perfectly adequate. It’s comfortable but not very customizable. Limited service. A lot of storage space for the things you probably don’t have. An in-dash screen that has just recently come up to date. Fits 12.
Then there’s the Swiss A340 F. An older Audi, it has a style and grace to it, with the delight that architects and Type A’s find in the now-defunct Saab. Functional 4-engine Quattro, great service; while not as popular or refined as its Lufthansa/Mercedes counterpart, nevertheless a fantastic way to speed through the air.
Then there’s this. The Emirates A380 F suite. The Gold Cadillac Escalade. With 28-inch rims. That spin. It lets the world know that you are on top. You can’t be bothered to close all 3 of your window shades, you must have a button that does it automatically in one touch! The driver has a touchscreen remote control the size of a small TV for the entertainment that’s already at his fingertips – why?
Because he damn well pleases. Welcome to Nouveau Riche Bling Airways, and by god,
I love it.
The champagne arrived, at first Moët. I randomly commented, "Oh, I thought Emirates served Dom onboard," having read several TRs that mentioned that. I'd say the same thing if I received Dom instead of Krug on CX F, having read so many of those TRs here and just knowing what to expect. I really didn't care for the difference, but the purser noted that they indeed did have Dom, and would bring that instead.
The 2003 Dom soon arrived, just as business class passengers were entering the doors and turning right. Cheers, mates. The funny thing is that I was looking to book J on this leg but it was plum full once I decided to finally buy the ticket. Hurrah for my procrastination.
With the sheer number of buttons available within the suite, I did the only imaginable thing a human with a Y chromosome can do – I started pressing all of them. One unmarked button called the FA, and before I could deactivate it, I had a lovely Australian at my beck and call.
“Sorry, I didn’t know what that button did.”
“You know, we have a guide to the suite here,” as she pulled out a 24-page booklet on how to operate the suite from the suite's magazine rack. “You can read it on the way to Bangkok.”
“But I’m illiterate.”
“Oh, so you won’t be requiring a newspaper or magazine?”
I could tell I was going to like this crew.
A young Thai couple soon arrived to occupy 1D and 1K. That was it though, just 3/14 on this sector in F. Another FA, a Hong Kong native, welcomed me on board and asked if it was my first time on the A380 (I guess my constant photo snapping was giving it away). I explained it was not just my first A380 but also first Emirates flight. She asked if I was going to DXB before I explained I was just going to BKK and then heading to India on SQ. She then asked if I was a Hong Kong-er as well, and I responded that I was connecting from a flight on LX and specifically came through here to try out Emirates since I’d never flown with the airline.
“Well then, I have to show you a good time, so that you know that Emirates is better than Swiss and Singapore.”
Her first task: refill the Dom. A good first step. My meal order was also taken, which I believe was before takeoff only due to the short flight time.
My wish for a delayed departure went unanswered and our flight time of 3h00m was somehow reduced to just 2h45m when the captain made his remarks. With my early boarding, I did have enough time on the ground to soak in the bling.
Why hello there.
While a lot is hunky-dory with the EK F suite, there are a couple of things that bothered me a bit, not much for a 3-hour flight, but would be annoying on a longer sector. The power port for computers/mobile phone chargers is located right next to the mini-bar on the side, so if you have an Apple-style laptop charger (with the “brick” that plugs directly into the wall), it won’t fit and won’t charge your device. You can avoid this by bringing the 3-prong U.S. extension, but I don’t like to travel with excessive things. Also, a lot of the input functionality for the suite works through the smaller touchscreen device to the side, which controls seat adjustments, IFE, suite doors, and more. While it is a fine-looking device, it can be slow to load, especially while on the ground. Since it is a wireless device, you can't take it out during taxi/takeoff/landing. The ex-9W 77Ws had older but better functioning style devices on my later TG F sector. Lastly, the windows are at such an angle that it can be difficult to look out.
The fact that the plane has engines is unknown to most F pax. This photo took a bit of acrobatics.
But that’s just in retrospect. I was having a blast in the present. The other 2 passengers must have gone light on the champers, as my new favorite FA came by and asked if I wanted to finish off the bottle before takeoff. Don’t mind if I do.
The Emirates cabin crew is definitely the most diverse bunch of folk I've seen man an aircraft, including my later short segment on Qatar. I've flown plenty of foreign carriers, and most are just a set of FAs from the home country plus one or two from the flight destination/origin country for language purposes. Not this flight - they all could have starred in a Benetton ad (save for the beige uniforms).
The announcements begin in Arabic, then in English, rather than the other way around. The purser mentions the list of languages spoken by the crew on each flight, and both of my EK flights could have been staffed by UN translators.
While I’m still partial to the 747 (and hope to fly the 748 soon), this A380 is something else. I turned on the tail-cam for my taxi/takeoff entertainment, as the windows on the upper deck are small to look out (and there’s a glass partition between the seat and window, making looking out a bit tough). After the quietest takeoff roll ever, we were up above Kowloon, ready to make the turn back toward Suvarnabhumi.
-----
Shortly after takeoff, I was told one of the most peculiar yet grandest things I’ve heard on a plane:
“Sir, your shower is ready.” I grabbed my bag. And because I was planning a TR, my camera as well.
Water feature between the two shower lavatories
What else can be said about the A380 "shower spa" that hasn’t already been said?
What a feature. The room is basically a 3/4-bath, larger than the bathroom I had in my house growing up. Immediately behind the door is the shower: 5 minutes, with an on/off button that allows you to control when you get water. There’s a meter on the wall that shows how much water is available. The water shuts off when 1 minute is left, as a warning. While it doesn’t sound like much, it’s more than enough. Just turn off the water while lathering.
First look
Wow
"ARE YOU SERIOUS" - my reaction in person and most friends/family when I show them this picture.
View from the shower (don't worry, that shirt is the one I'd change into, so I'm still clothed while taking the pic. In case you needed to know ...)
The location of my first airborne shower
The set of "Relax" bath products. I took the "Revive" products before the pictures.
More shower spa amenities
A 4-minute shower
The amenities next to the sink. The shower spa also acts as a regular lavatory when the one at the rear of the cabin is occupied.
(continued below due to 20 photos/post limit)