February 19, 2016
Emirates Airlines Brisbane to Dubai 845p – 520a A380-800 First Class

I arrived back at the airport a bit after 5:30pm and made my way through the pleasantly air-conditioned terminal to the Emirates counters, located down at the far end of the building. My final destination of San Francisco caught the attention of one of the agents, a local man who had once spent eighteen years working for United Airlines with most of those years being SFO based. He was flying back to San Francisco the next week, though doing so along the more traditional trans-Pacific routing. His first year with United was in 1986, the year United purchased Pan Am’s Pacific routes and commenced its first service to Australia and New Zealand. Those were interesting times for United and for me in particular as I was in the last months of my 50 State Marathon benefits which allowed me unlimited First Class system wide air travel around the U.S. aboard United. Thankfully it was still early enough in the day that the counter wasn’t too busy – particularly at the First Class counter – and so we had time for an interesting chat rehashing history both old and recent.

Once I’d cleared Immigration and security I stopped by the airport news store to get rid of my colorful Australian currency. I purchased the latest issue of Airliner World magazine (with the favorable exchange rate it cost me about 50₵ less than it would have back home) along with a couple of postcards. Do you guys sell stamps here? No worries, said the friendly agent. I got a bit worried though when I was given the bill for two postcard stamps to the U.S or Canada: $5.50 AUD or about $2.00 each in U.S. dollars. Whaaaat? Are we talking postage to the U.S. or Upper Volta? I asked the agent. The U.S., he replied. It’s the airport price though. If one were to have purchased the stamps at a regular Australian post office they would have been less expensive.

I’ve heard of price gouging but this sort of egregiously high mark up should be illegal, particularly on a government issued item like a stamp. Shame on the airport for allowing this.

Right. Well then, on to the lounge. Located at gate 75 down at the very end of the concourse, it’s only a short half mile stroll away. Once there, an escalator delivers you up to the lounge where you enter through a most impressive entrance. Once inside you can then truly relax since boarding your plane takes place directly from a dedicated jetway accessed from within the lounge.

After all the walking I’d done today, my first order of business was to clean up for the flight. I had a fresh change of travel clothes I couldn’t wait to get into, just as soon as I washed off under a nice cool shower.

The shower suites were very impressive and I thoroughly enjoyed showing under a quality showerhead that delivered an impressive deluge. It wasn’t until I stepped out of the shower and attempted to dry off that my problems began. The shower room had no fan or vent and this, coupled with the humidity generated by the shower and then exacerbated by Brisbane’s natural humidity combined to turn my shower suite into a humidity chamber.

I couldn’t dry off. Seriously, no sooner had I finished applying the towel to this or that body part and moved on to another than the area I’d just “dried” would develop a fresh sheen of perspiration. For guy who comes from a cool, dry climate, this is a miserable feeling.

Eventually I wrapped the towel around myself, went over to the door of my suite and began to swing it back and forth. This generated a few curious looks from those using the bathroom beyond but more importantly it resulted in the importation of fresh cooler air into my shower suite. After about five minutes of this, things dehumidified sufficiently that I could then get dressed into what felt like clean dry clothes.

Well alrighty then – let’s go out and do a bit of lounging!

One thing I really like in an airline lounge is a good bar complete with a line of stools. For single travelers like me it’s a great way to share the good times via drinks and conversation with fellow travelers. This would be even better in a lounge like Emirates’ where all the booze is free. Better yet, because we’re all traveling in First or Business Class, if we should accidently over indulge we can request wheelchair assistance on to the airplane.

Unfortunately, I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a social bar in any Emirates lounge – even the two big ones in Dubai. Oh well. On a positive note, a quick check of the refrigerated beers revealed a nicely chilled selection of generic Australian pilsners and lagers including local favorite XXXX. I shielded my eyes and grabbed a cold Hahn Premium, then snagged a couple of finger sandwiches and took a seat at a nearby table.

In terms of appearance, this lounge wasn’t any different than the lounge I’d recently visited in Singapore. The chairs were all beige accented with checkerboard patterned cushions, the walls were wood paneled, the carpet was green and the floors were two shades of marble. The chairs were arranged into small groups of attractive seating areas accented with potted palms. The overall effect was quite pleasing – a comfortable and classy lounge. As I’ve stated before, my only complaint - if it could actually be said to be one – would be to have a little more variety of design from one lounge to the next. Oh yeah – a few bottles of Little Creatures Pale Ale would also be welcomed with open mouth.

Speaking of lounges, my only other lounge experience in Brisbane came in 1987. I was flying on a First Class maximum permitted mileage ticket between Auckland and Tokyo. I’d routed through Brisbane and my next leg had me flying aboard Singapore Airlines from Brisbane up to Singapore with an intermediate stop in Sydney.

The old Brisbane International Terminal was nothing like the gleaming new facility that serves the city so admirably today. The old terminal had a very 1970s feel to it – and I mean that in the most uncomplimentary kind of way. I don’t recall if the lounge I was invited into was a dedicated Silver Kris Lounge but it certainly was small and otherwise unremarkable. On a positive note, there was no jet bridge. We walked out onto the tarmac and boarded our 747-200 up the two tiered stairs.

The inbound flight from Auckland was running a bit late, so boarding wasn’t called until almost 9:00pm. Even so, a considerable line had begun to assemble in anticipation of the call. Hanging back at my table, I’m thinking- what’s the hurry? We’re talking First and Business Class here. It’s not like someone’s going to poach your seat or take away your carry-on baggage space. Who knows – maybe all these folks were just anxious to get onboard the A380. Maybe it was their first flight, or perhaps their first flight in one of the premium classes. In those instances I could definitely commiserate with their excitement. Mostly though I suspect it was just sheepish human behavior. Everybody else is doing it – I guess I should go over there and line up, too.

I hung back at the table, had another beer and took advantage of the complimentary Wi-Fi available in the lounge. Although Wi-Fi is available onboard, the connection speed rivals that available in rural North Korea. I was busy copying articles about my Denver Broncos who – for those of you who may not yet be aware – won Super Bowl 50 last month in Santa Clara, California. By the time I finally shut down and headed for the jetway I’d found about a dozen that I’d copied to a Word document for reading enjoyment later in the flight.

Settling in at Suite 3A, I immediately took notice of the worn and scuffed personal tablet that contained controls for the seat, lights, privacy doors, electronic window blinds and entertainment system. This tablet is designed to be removed from its housing and operated wirelessly from your seat. Not only could I not remove it from its housing but the controls wouldn’t work. It was later explained that everything was locked until we’d reached cruising altitude.

Flight Attendant Gustavo stopped by to introduce himself and offer me a drink from a choice of three he had available on a handheld tray. Orange juice, apple juice or Champagne? Orange juice, please. The rest of the pre-flight amenities were delivered in short order, including a super-heated hot towel. Yeee-ikes! That thing was seriously hot! I flirted with hyperventilation while blowing it cooler, and then reveled in its nicely scented goodness. Ahh…

The Captain came on over the PA, welcomed us aboard in a distinctly American accent and then informed us that we could expect a flight time of just over 14 hours along the 7440 mile route to Dubai. During my earlier peregrinations about the internet in the Emirates Lounge, I’d checked out the comparative distances of flying from Brisbane to both Dubai and San Francisco, the latter being my ultimate destination on this Emirates trip. The nonstop distance between Brisbane and San Francisco totals 7070 miles. I’m flying 370 miles farther than that to get to Dubai, after which I’ll then board a fifteen hour 8090 mile flight onward to San Francisco. Am I crazy for this stuff or what?

Honestly gang, I can think of a lot more challenging environments in which to spend 30 hours or travel. People routinely board Amtrak trains between Chicago and the west coast that take a minimum of 38 hours to reach their destinations. I’ve done those trips many times – in coach. I’ve driven sixteen roundtrips between Alaska and the Lower 48, a drive that – for me at least – takes a minimum of three days, and that’s just to the U.S. border at Washington, Idaho or Montana. On a couple of occasions I’ve ridden the Navimag ferry between Puerto Montt and Puerto Natales, Chile – a journey covering three nights and four days. One of the tougher trips was riding a bus between Perth and Darwin… two nights and three days. We sure had some fun along the way, though. And then there are all the times I’ve hitchhiked between Colorado and the west coast – lots of standing around and sleeping in whatever out of the way spots I could find. I met some great folks on those trips.

Heck, I once spent nine straight days riding five different connecting trains between Oaxaca, Mexico and Havre, Montana. And you know what I thought about that trip? It was great fun! The same goes for my ten day drive from Key West, Florida to Fairbanks, Alaska. It all starts with attitude. For those of us who approach these journeys with a sense of excitement and adventure, they sure go by a lot faster.

That said, I realize most people would never “waste” their miles on a trip like this, and even if they’d spent a month in Australia they’d never fly home to America via Dubai. That’s fine. Whatever floats your boat. I’m obviously wired a bit differently though, and if you’ve bothered to read this far then I expect you can relate to that – if only a little bit.

As for my current predicament, consider that during the 30 hours of flight required to reach San Francisco via Dubai, I’ll be comfortably ensconced in a state of the art inflight suite complete with a full length bed, a seat side bar and a 23” screen on which to watch literally hundreds of movies and television programs from around the world. During the flight I’ll be wined and dined whenever I like with complimentary meals graciously served atop Royal Doulton China complimented by some pretty nice wines and a nice variety of top shelf spirits and liqueurs. Additionally, I’ll have a fully stocked shower spa available as well as a spacious lounge in which to mingle with my fellow passengers.

Honestly, life could be a lot worse.

We were 25 minutes into the flight before our seats were ever unlocked. Gustavo claimed that the captain had ordered all of the flight attendants to remain in their seats due to potential turbulence during our climb out but if so this was never mentioned – as it usually is – as part of a preflight announcement. Gustavo then made a show of fiddling with something on the outside of my suite, ostensibly “unlocking” the seat. I’ve flown a lot more than most people – including a half dozen flights aboard these Emirates A380s – and I suspect seats can be unlocked from a control panel back in the galley area. In any event our climb out was unremarkable and, as I listened to the flight attendants talking and laughing back in the galley during that time, I got the sense that they’d probably just forgotten.

Unfortunately, this trend of forgetfulness and a basically cavalier approach to service would be evidenced numerous times throughout the flight. Rather than describe each instance to you as it occurred, suffice it to say that Gustavo was basically a friendly slacker, better suited to steward duties aboard an Argentinean bus than a world class airline of Emirates’ caliber. How he ever got assigned duty in the First Class cabin will forever more be quite the mystery to me. Be that as it may, he was my slacker for the next fourteen hours so all I could do was make the best of it and, as the situation called for it, gently prod him toward doing or remembering to do his job.

At fourteen and a half hours in length, this flight is perfectly suited for a relaxed dinner, a leisurely visit to the lounge and then a few hours of sleep. Hopefully I’ll awake with three or four hours left in the flight, during which I’ll have breakfast and put in a bit of work on this report.

We were almost thirty five minutes into the flight before menus and wine lists were presented and drink orders taken. By now it was almost 10:00pm local time, so I was surprised that they cabin crew didn’t get things started a bit earlier. Oh yeah – there was that nonexistent turbulence the captain warned them but not us about.

What’s this? The menu showed a light meal and no dinner. Further inspection revealed the menu was for the eastbound flight serving Auckland. Amazingly, Gustavo at first tried to say that this was the meal service for this flight until I pointed out the origin and destination clearly printed in the menu. Oh. He took the menu and returned to the galley. After a couple of minutes he returned with apologies and handed me a different menu reflecting Auckland – Sydney – Dubai service.

It wasn’t until after I’d pointed out that this menu was for the flight routing through Sydney that he mentioned that our flight was the victim of a last minute aircraft switch in Auckland and apparently the menus never got switched out. He assured me that although a few things were missing or different, most of the items listed on the menu were correct. Fair enough. These things happen now and then.

Case in point - when I pointed out the lack of canapés on the dinner menu, he made a quick trip back to the galley to check and then returned to assure me that there were indeed canapés, but only the hot ones. Great! Those are my favorites, anyway. Let’s accompany those with a glass of the Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc, please.




Fine wine and canapés over Queensland

But wait! It turns out there are also some cold canapes. Might I care for some of those as well? Oh, you betcha! Bring ‘em on!




Chilled shrimp skewers and balsamic artichoke


Alrighty then – what better time to consider the upcoming dinner selections than when cruising high above the Australian Outback while munching on tasty savories and sipping an elegant white wine? Let’s check out that menu!


A LA CARTE DINING

DINNER
Brisbane to Dubai


APPETIZERS

Caviar
Presented with a traditional selection of finely chopped onion, grated egg, sour cream and lemon, served with melba toast and blinis

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup
Garnished with herbed crème fraiche

Traditional Arabic Mezze
A spread of local savory dishes including houmous, moutabel, muhammara, labneh, artichoke salad, Arabic salad and stuffed vine leaves, with warm lamb kibbeh, cheese sambousek and spinach fatayer complemented by local garnishes and breads

Peking Duck Salad
With radish, cucumber, chilli and wasabi-yuzu dressing

Smoked Salmon and Crab Parcel
Served with an asparagus and fennel salad

Seasonal Salad
Served with your choice of toppings and dressing


MAIN COURSES

Braised Beef
Served with mashed potatoes, sautéed mushrooms, broccolini and onion gravy

Chilli Chicken
Served with garlic fried rice and stir-fried vegetables with sesame seeds

Barramundi Sayadieh
Baked fish marinated in allspice and cinnamon, served with spiced rice and vegetables

Wok-fried Noodles
Served with stir-fried vegetables and toasted sesame seeds

Sautéed Prawns with Pizzaiola Sauce
Prawns with tomato and red pepper sauce served with saffron linguini, spinach and asparagus

Steak Sandwich
From the menu of our partner Qantas, we are pleased to offer one of the
specialty signature sandwiches created by renowned chef and restauranteur
Neil Perry of Rockpool; a warm sourdough ciabatta bread sandwich with
seasoned minute steak, rocket and tomato and chilli relish


A La Carte Vegetable Selection
We also offer a variety of alternatives, including roasted potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, ratatouille and steamed basmati rice

Bread Basket
A variety of freshly baked rolls, Arabic and garlic breads


DESSERT

Almond Cake
Served warm crème Anglaise

Raspberry and Vanilla Mousse Cake
Served with raspberry coulis

Seasonal Fruit
An assortment of freshly cut fruits

Cheese Board
A carefully chosen assortment of the finest boutique cheeses from around the world,
served with crudités, crackers, dried fruits and nuts

Chocolates
Fine luxury chocolates


The menu also included a full page of “Light Bites” options…


LIGHT BITES


Sandwiches
Roasted beef with onion jam, smoked chicken and cranberry, smoked salmon with lime aioli and feta with roasted vegetables


Hot Meal Selection

Lamb and Rosemary Pie
Served with tomato sauce

Vegetable Moussaka
Mediterranean-style baked vegetables, served with tomato concassé

Salmon en Croûte
Salmon fillet baked in pastry, served with lemon and dill velouté


Dessert

Selection of Pastries
Chocolate mousse, strawberry tart and pineapple gâteau


HOT DRINKS

Tea
Chamomile, Ceylon, Earl Grey or Green

Coffee
Freshly brewed or Nespresso (espresso, cappuccino or decaffeinated)


Wow. This is a nice menu! The incredible variety and quantity of food available is truly amazing, but then that’s just part of what makes a flight on Emirates that much more special. Knowing this, I purposely avoided over indulging in the lounge because frankly I’d rather do so onboard.

I know, I know – I can just hear the whistles and catcalls of all those stuffy old stiffs who insist airline food can’t hold a candle to restaurant food. Those folks would likely have eaten in the lounge and then spent the majority of the flight sleeping. That’s all well and good but then it’s hard to enjoy all the benefits of First Class service on an airline like Emirates when you’re sleeping the flight away.

Flyertalk has plenty of these types who exude a tired and bored with the world attitude towards premium class travel. Oh yes, been there and done that, you know. Most of them really have been there and done that more times than they care to admit. They’ve got bigger and more interesting fish to fry than rehashing something as mundane as their recent experiences aboard First Class. I get it.

My life experience notwithstanding, I’m confident I’ll never lose the sense of excitement and even adventure that comes with flying First Class aboard the world’s greatest airlines. I grew up in an era when there was still a lot of pomp and circumstance to travel – even in coach. We all dressed up because back then travel was viewed as a special experience. Here in America we had over twenty airlines providing jet flights around the country. The Civil Aeronautics Board controlled routes and fares, so the best means those airlines had of differentiating themselves was through inflight service. We had airlines with red carpets leading to the stairway up to the aircraft. Onboard service included steak and champagne - even in coach. Others had fun gimmicks like commemorative shot glasses, free gold ingots or Hunt Breakfast flights. More than a couple offered First Class legroom throughout the plane. Themed services abounded with names like Royal Ambassador, Regal Imperial, Flagship and Royal Hawaiian. It was all very exciting.

This is the world I grew up in and I was fortunate to have logged over 1500 flights before deregulation resulted in lower prices, more flights, fuller airplanes and the steady erosion of the once fine services we all enjoyed. Even after 5000 flights I still feel like I’ve won the lottery just by having been able to sit up here and enjoy a flight like this - flying on the world’s largest jetliner aboard a world class airline in First Class no less. Totally awesome! In the annals of human experience, when measured amongst the almost 7 billion people that inhabit this planet, flying in International First Class is a rare and amazing experience that only a tiny fraction of us ever get to experience. Just look around at your friends and family, many of whom would be thrilled just to get upgraded between Denver and Chicago.

Whatever it is I’m doing in life - be it work or play - I’ll take genuine excitement and anticipation any day over bored indifference. I am so fortunate to have a job I look forward to doing each day, and to be surrounded by people who for the most part feel the same. I am so lucky to live in a place where every day feels like it has the potential to be a great day regardless of the season or the weather. And – I am fortunate and thankful to have an audience here at Flyertalk who share my excitement at the thrill of “getting there”, especially when it’s done in First Class. Thank you!

Now then, about that dinner order…

Let’s start with yet another plate of caviar. After all, the only time I ever get to eat it is when flying in International First Class and for me at least those times are few and far between. In fact, the only time I’ve ever been served caviar when I wasn’t on an airplane occurred at the pre-departure party celebrating the inaugural Concorde flight within the United States. That was back on January 12th, 1979. Braniff International had entered into a promotional agreement with Air France and British Airways to fly their Concordes as part of a code share from Washington DC down to Dallas and back. Of course, flights within the US would have to be operated at subsonic speeds, but hey – it was the Concorde and a flight on it could be had for the very affordable domestic First Class fare rather than the exorbitant international Supersonic Class fare. I paid $156.00 for a Washington DC to Denver ticket routed through Dallas. Prior to the flight, I dined on caviar and other fine treats at the International Room restaurant in the main Dulles terminal building. A beautiful ice sculpture held chilled bottles of fine Russian vodka while around and beneath it sat dishes of caviar and plates stocked with all of the appropriate accompaniments. It was the first time I had ever eaten caviar and I can tell you it was not love at first bite. Over the years however I’ve definitely come to appreciate those little black eggs, so it’s a rare occasion that I don’t take advantage of an opportunity to reacquaint myself with their salty goodness.




Caviar
Presented with a traditional selection of finely chopped onion, grated egg, sour cream and lemon, served with melba toast and blinis


I have never understood the attraction of serving caviar on those soft and chewy little pieces of bread called blinis. By my tastes caviar is especially good on garlic bread. Gustavo was kind enough to bring me a couple more slices along with a refill of the delicious Sauvignon Blanc. I stayed with that wine throughout the meal.

There’s just something really special about sitting at a beautifully set table in a spacious state of the art suite cruising high above terra firma while being served nicely plated food that ain’t half as bad as the naysayers would have you believe. From the appetizer menu I elected to start with the Smoked Salmon and Crab Parcel appetizer. Even saying the name had an appetizing quality to it. In both presentation and flavor, this serving of salmon and crab was most appetizing indeed.




Smoked Salmon and Crab Parcel
Served with an asparagus and fennel salad


As good as the Butternut Squash and Apple Soup sounded, I just had a yen for a salad tonight, especially when Gustavo informed me that one of the dressings available was a Dijon Vinaigrette. Emirates have always served up nice salads and tonight’s example was no different. Very good!




Mixed Green Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette


For the main course the Barramundi was an easy choice. As fish dishes go, it’s about as Australian as you can get, especially out of Queensland. The plate I was served tonight was deliciously moist and tender though I found the cinnamon not particularly to my liking. Even so, by appearance alone this was a most attractive main dish and had I liked cinnamon more as an accent I’m sure I’d be giving it rave reviews. It was still good enough that when Gustavo finally returned to clear my plate, it was clean.




Barramundi Sayadieh
Baked fish marinated in allspice and cinnamon, served with spiced rice and vegetables


Well alright then – I’ve come this far, I might as well go whole hog. So yes, I will have a serving of that Raspberry and Vanilla Mousse Cake. With decaffeinated coffee, please.




Raspberry and Vanilla Mousse Cake
Served with raspberry coulis


Wow! What a deliciously decadent ending to this meal. And check out that coffee press! How many airlines do that for you?

As I savored the remainder of my coffee, I tried to recline my seat and check out the Sky Map for a while. You’ll recall I mentioned the well-worn hand held control tablet housed next to my seat. From this tablet you can control everything from seat position to lumbar support to sliding doors to all of your entertainment options on the big screen. In theory it’s an innovative means of centralizing all of your controls in one convenient place – like a universal remote. In practice it was so old and worn that it had a lot of problems.

First off, the pad sits in a housing where it gets recharged between uses. For convenience sake it is designed to be removed and used in your hands. The problem with my unit was twofold. First, its battery charge lasted less than two minutes. Secondly, the response time when pushing seat or entertainment controls on the screen was so sluggish that two minutes’ battery power was generally insufficient. So I’d place it back in the housing where the response time to push screen commands was no better. It worked, mind you, it just didn’t work very well.

Later in the flight I was chatting with a different flight attendant about this and she mentioned that this A380 was only the second one received by Emirates. Another way of putting that would be to say that this was the second oldest A380 in Emirates’ sizeable fleet of 75. It was delivered new in February of 2008, so that would make it just eight years old. In human years that makes it only 32! Truth be known, aside from the less than responsive control pads, the rest of this plane looked pretty good.

To that end, after the last of my plates were cleared off I took a walk back through Business Class to the rear of the upper deck where the lounge is located. Compared to the 777-300 it’s not that long of a walk. Along the way I took a moment to check out a seat in an empty Business Class suite. Not bad, not bad. If anything, the fabric covered seat actually felt a bit more comfortable to sit in than my leather upholstered First Class seat. The overall ambience in the seated position was much tighter than First Class however.

As I continued on back towards the back of the plane I passed a number of seats in the fully flat position. They looked pretty good, especially for those seated closest to the aisle where your lower legs and feet weren’t jammed into a little box. Singapore’s Business Class still ranks number one in my book though.

The lounge on Emirates’ A380s is as nice a lounge as has ever graced a flying machine. Featuring a centrally mounted horseshoe shaped bar, the lounge is tastefully decorated with comfortable seating, wall mounted lamps and subdued lighting which I’m sure can be made brighter as the situation demands. The bar is nicely stocked with Business Class level spirits, so if you want to enjoy a Woodford Reserve as I did, you’ll have to bring your own up from First Class. Also available is a variety of light snacks such as salmon and cream cheese sandwiches as well as a variety of tasty looking hors d’oeuvres.




Emirates A380 Lounge
Photo courtesy of Emirates



Emirates A380 Lounge
Photo courtesy of Emirates


Perhaps it was the late hour – approaching midnight in Brisbane – but aside from myself and the bartender, this lounge was empty. I chatted for a bit with the bartender, a nice guy from Lebanon who’d been schooled in Europe and of course now lived in Dubai. He’d only been with Emirates for a couple of years and, though he enjoyed his job, he planned to return to school in a couple more years to complete a degree in hotel and restaurant management.

When I asked if the lounge gets much patronage on these longer flights, he replied that it has its moments. Obviously now, this late at night, most people were sleeping or about to do so but during the day on longer flights it could get quite active. This was especially true on flights between London and Dubai and on the trans-Tasman flights between Australia and New Zealand.

I was glad to hear this because most of the onboard lounges I’ve seen or heard about of late have been lightly patronized. It was different back in the seventies when entertainment was limited to pneumatic headphones and a single movie shown on the big screen at the front of the cabin. It was easier to get bored on a long flight back then and so the idea of mingling with your fellow passengers was a lot more alluring. These days you’ve got modern inflight entertainment systems that can keep you entertained for weeks with literally hundreds of movies, television shows and documentaries along with a like number of musical albums from all over the world. Add to that the entertainment options available via personal computers and mp3 players and for many it’s a lot more comfortable to just stay in your seat.

I get it but even so I miss the sociability of the old days. That’s one of the things I enjoy so much about train travel. The lounge is almost always a happening place and good company and good times make a long trip not only more enjoyable but also a lot faster.

Back at Suite 3A, the Sky Map indicated that we were making good time, speeding high over the northern reaches of the Great Sandy Desert. I wish it were daytime outside. I’d love to check out the view. Nighttime is for sleeping though and so I made the call to have my suite converted to nighttime use while I toddled off to the lav to practice a bit of dental hygiene.

The beds on Emirates’ A380s are reasonably comfortable. I usually raise the top end just a bit and this, in combination with the large pillow makes for a pretty comfortable sleeping surface for me. I read for a bit before shutting down the Sky Map and calling it a night. We were approaching the Australian coast at a point just north of Broome. Ahead lay 3000 miles of Indian Ocean before we’d see land again while crossing over the island of Sri Lanka. What a great part of the world for a nap!

And nap I did, sleeping comfortably all the way across the entire expanse of the Indian Ocean between Australia and Sri Lanka – a distance of 3,370 miles according to the mileage calculator at webflyer.com. When I awoke just southeast of Colombo, there were still another five hours left in the flight.




SkyMap BNE-DXB


This was great! Here I’d just knocked off six hours of quality sleep, more than enough to power me comfortably through the rest of this flight, the short layover in Dubai and the first three or four hours of my fifteen hour flight between Dubai and San Francisco. Like I said earlier, First Class isn’t any fun unless you’re awake to enjoy it. I mean honestly, if I’m asleep I could just as easily be Laid up in a bunk on a smelly old banana boat. First Class – as with life in general – is best enjoyed while conscious.

Time flies when you’re having fun! I ordered a coffee and a Danish, then spent the next hour watching a couple of documentaries including the latest America’s Game series featuring last year’s New England Patriots and their improbable last minute victory over the Seattle Seahawks. As a Broncos fan, I eagerly anticipate the next installment in this fine series.

We were about two and a half hours out of Dubai when I decided to check out the breakfast menu and order up a bite to eat. Here’s the menu. See anything you like?


A LA CARTE DINING

BREAKFAST
Brisbane to Dubai

Juice
Orange or grapefruit juice, beetroot, celery, apple and ginger detox drink, or strawberry smoothie


Fruit, Yoghurt and Cereals

Breakfast Fruit
Fresh cut seasonal fruits

Yoghurt
Natural of fruit

Assorted Cereals
Choice of cornflakes or muesli


MAIN COURSES

Cheese and Chive Omelette
Served with grilled chicken sausages, rösti, baked beans and roasted tomatoes

Scrambled Eggs
With Lyonnaise potatoes, sautéed spinach, mushrooms and grilled tomato

Waffles
With vanilla mascarpone and berry compote

Breakfast Platter
Sliced roasted chicken and beef pastrami with cheddar and labneh


BREAD BASKET
A variety of baked breads, butter croissants and breakfast pastries
Served with butter and preserves


Breakfast at home is typically a pretty quick and easy affair – a big cup of strong filtered coffee and a bowl of either oatmeal or cold cereal. Maybe a piece or two of toast once in a while. Eggs are almost always a treat reserved for eating out. That’s how I look at inflight dining. It’s like eating out, with things like caviar, appetizers, smoothies and omelets available – all things that I rarely ever eat at home.

So, when presented with a menu like this, I like to indulge! This morning that translated into a smoothie and a fruit plate, followed by a Cheese and Chive Omelette.

Gustavo must have been taking his break because a different flight attendant took my breakfast order and served the meal. The overall presentation and service was markedly improved. As I mentioned earlier, I didn’t want to cast a stain on this report by detailing each and every instance of Gustavo’s shortcomings. Suffice it to say I’m pretty familiar with the service standards one can reasonably expect in International First Class, both aboard Emirates as well as many other airlines. Additionally, I’m not a demanding guy or in any way “high maintenance”. Gustavo’s approach to service – slow to respond, forgetful, totally reactive rather than anticipatory - really stood out if only because of how rare it is to encounter service so lackadaisical.

But enough of Gustavo. Let him rest. Here’s what I had for breakfast:




Fruit Plate and Smoothie



Cheese and Chive Omelette
Served with grilled chicken sausages, rösti, baked beans and roasted tomatoes


I love citrus fruit! The two big wedges of orange and grapefruit really made my day. The omelet wasn’t bad either though for me the real stars were the accompaniments. We rarely if ever see things like baked beans or roasted tomatoes with our egg breakfasts and that’s a shame as I’m sure they’re a lot healthier than fried potatoes. That said, I love the flavor of fried potatoes and so had no complaints with the rösti. The chicken sausage, while not as flavorful as a good pork sausage, packed a lot less fat and calories and was also very good.

Sadly, this flight was made almost entirely under the cover of darkness. Due to our late departure out of Brisbane and some mild headwinds, our total flight time turned out to be about 15 minutes longer than projected us which meant that by the time we touched down in Dubai it was almost 6:15am. Dawn was just starting to color the eastern sky behind us.

After a short taxi, we parked over at Concourse B. After a flight of 14 hours and 28 minutes covering 7,440 miles, I’m almost halfway home. Now then, where’s my connecting flight?