Hi Mishmac. we fly Emirates from Manchester for holidays, not business. We usually go 'half and half' - economy out and business back (or vice versa once), so we are well rested for going back to work. We're currently thinking about a close to retirement trip to Australia (Brisbane) business both ways. Our reason for doing so is to make the the very long journey part of the holiday and to do something really special. Amongst the advantages of business are:
- Chauffeur drive to Manchester Airport and in some (but not all) other airports
- Quick check-in and fast track security at Manchester
- A wonderful lounge at Manchester. It's a joint first class / business class lounge, and other Flyertalkers say it's one of the best Emirates lounges.
- Lovely quiet ride on the Airbus A380 - all Emirates flights from Manchester are on the A380 apart from (rarely) a few odd dates.
- Emirates in flight entertainment (same as economy) is world-leading, plus for business: noise cancelling headphones
- A seat that is made up into a bed with a mattress, so you can sleep for hours.
- On overnight flights longer than so many hours, you'll receive an amenity kit in a Balenciaga bag that is actually worth keeping.
- Eye masks, flight socks and a range of soft drinks are available at your seat on long haul flights in business class but not economy. Also the blanket is more like a quilt than in economy.
- On the Airbus A380, the on-board lounge is a great place to chat properly with your family, as well as for grazing on canapes en route to the toilets and grabbing an orange juice or something more alcoholic on the way back to your seat.
- The lounge in Dubai is a better bet for breakfast than on board, so you can sleep on overnight flights rather than bother with breakfast on board.
- I still think the Emirates business lounges in Dubai are special. The food is adequate rather than great, but there's plenty of choice. I should mention, following a query from a family member who had never flown business, that all food and drinks are included on board and in the lounge, unlike in the commercial lounges. The arm chairs are comfortable. You can get free papers. Other Flyertalkers say that the lounge in the A terminal is the best, though your boarding card will direct you to the nearest lounge to your departure gate.
- For economy passengers, Dubai airport is rather short of seating and it's not very comfortable.
- Boarding at Manchester and also Dubai for your onward flight, business has priority boarding, so you can be comfortably in your seat enjoying an orange juice or champagne while economy is still boarding.
- Business gets fast track security and immigration cards in a number of airports.
- You arrive feeling much more refreshed.
So it's really a case of the balance of the cost of the flight to the benefits. Having said that, Emirates can have some bizarre pricing at some times of year where they are much more expensive than the competitors. I suppose they must be selling even at these prices. FYI The cheapest I've seen the Brisbane flights for my dates in July are around £3,200 per head, though they briefly rocketed to £4.400 for a few days when the January sale ended before falling back to the sale prices! We tend to think of a price we are prepared to pay and then see whether Emirates is in that ball court.
Good luck with your planning!