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SEA-DXB in Emirates Business Class

I was hoping to put together a longer report including hotels, return flights, etc. but having already postponed writing this for eight months, I figured it would make the most sense to focus on the flight that I have the best notes and pictures for, and will hopefully be of the most interest to this board.

If you’re interested, my prior reports are:

1. AS/BA F SEA-SFO-LHR-BKK-SYD-SIN-LHR-SEA plus LDH
2. DBV and OTP in Dec. via DL J and LH F: SEA-AMS-ZAG-DBV-ZAG-VIE-OTP-FRA-SEA
3. The world is round! SEA-SFO-PVG-BKK-HKT-SIN-PVG-ZRH-FRA-ORD-SEA on UA, LX, LH F, TG, SQ C, and 3K Y
4. SEA-IAD-MUC-VCE-FRA-BKK-HKG-DPS-BKK-BRU-FRA-SEA on UA/TG A380/LH/CX C, TG, the JW Marriott Hong Kong, Conrad Bali, and GM Chedi Club
5. SEA-IAH-IST-SJJ/ZAG-FRA-YVR-SEA in TK/OU C and LH F

March 14, 2014
Emirates 230, SEA-DXB
777-300ER, A6-ECE
Depart: 5:45pm
Arrive: 7:00pm+1
Duration: 14:15
Seat: 7K

If there’s one way to improve on a beautiful Seattle spring day, it’s to add in a long haul flight in a top cabin on one of the world’s most impressive airlines. Most of my big trips have involved early morning departures but today’s gave me an extra day’s worth of anticipation to try and get work done before the Emirates chauffer picked me up on schedule three hours before departure. Three hours prior to departure is the latest that I could schedule the pick-up online (I think I read somewhere that you could call if you wanted to cut it closer), and was really an hour earlier than I needed to go.

There was just one group ahead of us at check-in so after only a short wait we were checked in, given passes to SeaTac’s “Club International” and directed to the south security checkpoint. The downside of flying foreign airlines is the lack of pre-check but the process today was as smooth as could be hoped and after a quick train ride we arrived at the lounge. The current incarnation of Club International (it moved up from a windowless basement to take over the location of the former Northwest/Delta Club in the South Satellite) is a bit of an odd lounge.

Run by the Port of Seattle for the mishmash of international airlines that don’t have their own lounge or want to pay in to another airlines’ lounge, it manages to be noticeably better than most domestic airline lounges (better snacks, including soup, free booze, semi-proactive staff), yet still noticeably worse than most lounges run by foreign airlines (no hot solid food, fairly small, bland décor, a teeny first class section separated only by half-frosted glass). In many ways, it compares to an Alaska Airlines Board Room – better than a bad airline lounge but not quite as good as a good one. The biggest problem with the lounge is size, prior to this departure, and especially during the midday rush hour, the lounge can fill up. We managed to grab two bar stools at the window but most of the groups of chairs were already spoken for by the time we arrived.

As boarding time approach, we wandered out of the lounge around 5 o’clock and joined a slow moving first, business, and elite boarding line at gate S15 (coach passengers were boarded through the S16 door but both lines funneled into a single jetway). A cart of newspapers was available on the jetway and a couple of customs officers were spot checking passports as people boarded the plane. Upon entering the plane through 2L we received a warm greeting and were shown to our seats through the gallery and just to the left. A flight attendant quickly offered to hang our coats and asked if we were familiar with the Emirates business class seat.


7K upon boarding

Waiting at the seat when we arrived were a menu, headphones, billow, blanket, and a bag containing socks and slippers. Seeing me taking pictures of the seats, a flight attendant offered to take our picture was a friendly touch—although Emirates crews don’t have the best reputations, we seemed to have lucked out.

As we settled in, another flight attendant came by offering a choice of orange juice, apple juice, and champagne as well as a wine list. Unlike some juices which taste like they’re made in a minute, the Emirates oj was quite respectable.

At 5:25, the Captain made an announcement that all of the passengers had boarded and 15 minutes later the doors closed 5 minutes early. After a very quiet—almost inaudible—safety video, scented hot towels were offered, and glasses and such were collected for departure. We sat at the gate for a bit then taxied slowly to the north end of the airfield before taking off to the south on 16L at about 6:10. Soon after we were airborne, we made a big left turn and started heading nearly due-north towards Dubai.

As we climbed the flight attendants came through the cabin with large his and hers amenity kits—then men seem to get the better deal with a huge kit with Bvlgari amenities. The women’s kit is smaller and softer and has a few more lotions and potions but no shaving supplies or deodorant.

Dubai fast track passes were also distributed (why so early? So I have 14 hours to lose them?) and drink orders were taken. Beverages were served with mixed nuts and then meal orders were taken.


Emirates knows why I fly...

Here’s what Emirates was serving for dinner:

APPETISER
Traditional local Arabic mezze
the flavours of our home, presented as a generous spread of traditional Arabic savoury dishes including hommous, moutabal, muhammara and slow-cooked vine leaves, complemented by local garnishes

Smoked salmon
smoked salmon served with toasted pumpernickel croûtons and marinated red and yellow baby beetroots

SOUP
Tomato and coriander shorba
a rich Indian-style tomato and lentil soup, finished with fresh coriander leaves and crème fraîche

SALAD
Seasonal salad
crisp fresh garden salad leaves and vegetables, with balsamic and olive oil dressing

MAIN COURSE
Marinated beef tenderloin
beef steak dressed with a rich peppercorn sauce, served with Mediterranean-style grilled vegetables and creamy mashed potatoes

Chicken nilgiri
classic Indian dish of tender pieces of chicken cooked in a rich coriander and mint flavoured spiced curry sauce, served with palak paneer and steamed basmati rice

Sundried tomato crusted sea bass
fresh sea bass fillet topped with a sundried tomato crust, served with baked courgette filled with miniature ratatouille and saffron rice accompanied by an aromatic fresh coriander and lime sauce

BREAD
Bread basket
choose from our range of freshly baked rolls and bread

DESSERT, CHEESE and FRUIT
Treacle and lemon tart
sweet and citrus combination in this classic treacle and lemon tart, served with a rich vanilla crème anglaise

Wild berry and vanilla crisp
woodland berries, topped with light vanilla mousse, finished with cinnamon crisp, served with a fresh berry coulis

Cheese board
a carefully chosen assortment of the finest boutique cheeses from around the world, served with grapes, crackers and dried fruits

Selection of fruit
a seasonal assortment of the finest fresh cut fruits

HOT BEVERAGES
Tea
black and herbal teas from around the world

Coffee
brewed to order, your choice of decaffeinated, espresso and cappuccino

Chocolates
fine luxury chocolates

The meal service began a leisurely two hours after departure with the appetizer and soup or salad (although not obvious on the menu, we were offered a choice of one or the other) on a single tray:



The appetizer spreads were quite good and the salad tasted reasonably fresh, although it was mostly lettuce. As passengers finished their starters, entrees were run out from the galley. I elected for the Indian entrée which doesn’t look like much but was reasonably flavorful, if not slightly spicy, for an airplane.



For dessert I asked for, and received both the cheese board and the treacle tart. The tart was pretty basic, but I was impressed by the cheese presentation, especially the custom Emirates cheeseboard—I almost wanted to take it home.





As dinner was concluding, the crew came through to offer passengers sleeping pads followed by a selection of chocolates from a box. By the time the service wrapped up we were three hours out of Seattle—on a shorter transatlantic that would be a bit too slow for me but it was just fine for a flight of this length and departure time. I played with the IFE a bit which had a fairly impressive selection, although some of the films were rather poorly dubbed/censored which may have added to their entertainment value.
I dozed for about six hours, which was a bit more than I was planning on given that the flight lands in Dubai at night and I wanted to be able to fall back asleep not to long after arrival. A bit after I awoke a flight attendant came by to see if I wanted anything from the Light Bights menu but I was still quite stuffed from dinner.

COLD SNACKS
Delicatessen’s platter
an assortment of cold savouries including sliced roasted beef and chicken, hard-boiled egg, creamy French brie and goat’s cheese, with toasted wheat croûtons, cucumber slices and fresh parsley

HOT SNACKS
Smoked salmon and broccoli quiche
traditional savoury egg custard laden with premium smoked salmon and fresh broccoli florets, held in a buttery shortcrust pastry, served with roasted cherry tomatoes

Vegetable and feta cheese sandwich
crumbly feta cheese and vegetables in fresh bread, served with golden potato wedges

Mexican rice
rich spiced chilli con carne served with sautéed Mexican flavoured rice

SWEETS
Macadamia nut tart
tasty nut tart made with golden syrup, served with a light vanilla cream sauce

HOT BEVERAGES
Tea
black and herbal teas from around the world

Coffee
regular or decaffeinated, freshly brewed to order

Although the Emirates business class seat on the 777 is not truly lie flat, I’d give it a “close enough” especially with the addition of the sleeping pad. Unlike some of the 160 degree “angled lie flat” seats that are known for giving passengers a sliding feeling during the night, these come in at roughly 178 degrees and I found them to be fairly comfortable for both sleeping and lounging. Based on reviews I’d read here, I opted to sit in the front mini-cabin rather than the larger business class cabin behind the galley. Since row 6 (definitely the best row in business class) was blocked, I ended up in row 7 which was missing a window (I could still see out if I leaned back or forward) and would happily trade the window for the mini-cabin in the future.
Our route was a bit more southerly than I expected. Instead of going straight over the pole, we routed north of Hudson Bay and Iceland then across the southern tip of Greenland before heading due south over Warsaw and down the Tigris river towards Dubai.


Time for breakfast over Baghdad

The second service about two hours out of Dubai with hot towels, then the crew came through taking breakfast orders. It’s a bit odd to serve breakfast when the flight lands at 7pm local time, but at least it’s breakfast time in Seattle. United serves breakfast on it’s US-Asia flights when it’s evening in Asia and midnight snack time in the US which doesn’t make sense at all.
Here’s what was on offer for breakfast:

JUICES
Fruit juices
refreshing choice of chilled juices

FRUIT
Breakfast fruits
a palette of ripe tropical and seasonal cut fresh fruits

Yoghurt
selected fruit-flavoured yoghurt

MAIN COURSE
Chive scrambled eggs
creamy scrambled eggs marbled with fresh chopped chives, accompanied by sizzling veal sausage, grilled fresh sourdough bread, roasted vine tomatoes, charred portobello mushrooms, braised beans, and golden brown potato roesti

Tomato omelette
Farm fresh egg omelette topped with a chunky tomato relish, served with charred flat mushrooms, steamed asparagus spears and potato and corn fritters

Apple and ricotta filled crepes
Classic, thin, French-style crepes filled with baked apples, raisins, light ricotta cheese and a hint of cinnamon, served with a rich caramel sauce, and fresh berry compote

Delicatessen’s cold meats and cheese
offering a gourmet selection of sliced roasted beef, smoked turkey and mild breakfast cheeses, dressed with an array of garnishes

BREAD
Breakfast bread basket
a variety of soft and crusty fresh baked breads, butter croissants and flaky breakfast pastries, served with butter and preserves

HOT BEVERAGES
Tea
black and herbal teas from around the world

Coffee
regular or decaffeinated, freshly brewed to order


Breakfast starter


Chive scrambled eggs

I’m not usually a fan of airplane breakfasts, but this was a surprisingly decent attempt. The oj was the same yummy offering as prior to departure, the Chobani yogurt was significantly better than the non-branded mystery yogurt that often appears, the fruit selection was diverse, and the scrambled eggs were runny as described. The biggest disappointment was the potatoes which were both hard and bland.

What the IFE said was 40 minutes before arrival, the Captain came on the p.a. to give an update on our progress, and the crew began collecting service items and preparing the cabin for arrival. Unfortunately, we entered a hold soon after which delayed us for about twenty minutes. We flew past the north side of the airport and landed from the east about ten minutes behind schedule. Despite our delayed arrival, the airport terminal itself felt virtually deserted and we were quickly through customs and in the Emirates-provided car to our hotel.