A recent DXB-LGW flight was an absolute passenger free-for all.
Someone was in my assigned economy seat. They were in the middle row of 4 and a family travelling together apparently (all adults). They had decided on boarding they wanted to sit together so one of the men in the party just took my aisle seat (the only aisle seat available when I did my seating online). The stewardess (what are they supposed to be called these days? They all correct you no matter what term one uses) said "just go and sit in his seat" I asked where it was. She couldn't be bothered. She then crossed out my seat no. on my boarding card and hand wrote in the man's seat no. She waved me into a completely different row to the one she had written on my card. So I went to the seat no. she wrote to discover another man in that seat who had randomly decided to sit where he wanted. I called the unhelpful stewardess back and she moved him over one (He fell asleep all over my seat during flight) with an empty seat the other side of him.

Across the aisle from me were an elderly couple with an empty seat between them!

I opened the overhead bin to have this chap's duty free bottles come raining down onto my head because he had crammed the usual 22 kilos+ of hand luggage seemingly permitted on these routes, in the overhead locker. He stuffed it all back in again and he tried to close it, it all flew out again hitting me again on the head. I went to the loo to calm down and willed some of his duty free to have broken. I came out to find my cabin bag had been stowed somewhere.

Then I got harassed with every meal service because whomever had taken my seat had ordered a special meal. I told them to confer with the unhelpful trolly dolly to find the passenger. They made an announcement because they couldn't find passengers with special meals assigned to their original seats. That's how much of a do whatever you want flight it was.

I went to the loo mid flight and had someone banging (literally banging) on the door and pushing the door handle lever. When I opened the door a cabin crew member was outside allowing this idiot woman to carry on. I told her and the crew member if I could have patience to wait for people so should others. I wasn't even in there very long! I went back to my seat and that's when the senior purser must have realized I was EK gold and came with an offer to move me to first class. With less than 3 hours remaining inflight, I told him they should have thought of that at Dubai when I got the run around with my seating and to leave me alone. At that point I wanted the flight over.

When we landed I asked another female cabin crew member where was my carry on case. She shrugged her shoulders. I walked up to the exit door and asked someone else and had to wait while they found it.

What is the point of airline loyalty - someone please tell me. I have been top tier in BA and SingAir and moved to Emirates at the urging of a relative who also travels long haul a lot and raves about Emirates (seriously their marketing people should pay her). I travel long haul frequently (not paid for by a company but paid for by me) but mostly in economy class. Unless you are travelling in business or first there seems to not be any difference in service to me.

So much for being EK gold!