I recently did EK F LHR-DXB-HND. I hadn’t flown EK since my honeymoon coming up on 10 years ago…

The bling is still blingin baby 😂 And the silly personal minibar with room temp sodas and other drinks is still there. However the a380 is still great and the room the F suite affords is appreciated. Only two of us in F so FAs were super attentive and friendly. Food was solid and the shower is always nice after a long day.

Evidently they couldn’t get the baggage doors open so we all sat around the bag claim for a good extra hour or so. Then it was off to the St Regis for 24 hours. Massive suite booked via Amex travel was luckily ready for me despite the early morning hour, fantastic bath with beautiful tub, super quiet and pitch black once the curtain was closed. Perfection. Slept well for a couple hours and then hit the pool and gym. Checked out the burj khalifa and enjoyed sunset dinner there in the evening. Then back to the airport in the morning…

Finally got to check out the game changer. Booked the middle suite in row 2. I can see the appeal. Way less bling than the a380. Solid seat and controls and nice screen/ife. Not as impressed with the resolution of the fake windows as I expected to be but they are well done and I do like the middle suite for the room and slight noise reduction. Enjoyed the meal and a couple movies (did not want to sleep if I could help it).

Unfortunately was landing the night of the BIG TOKYO SNOW STORM OF 2024. We’re talkin a FULL 7 OR 8 CM PEOPLE!!! Snowmageddon 😂. Yes Tokyo does not handle weather well. Massive flight cancellations just as we were landing meant everyone returning to the gates, so ours was occupied for HOURS. I watched another full movie and had a burger and other snacks while waiting. Good time to be in F for sure.

Finally we nabbed a gate and unloaded. Immigration and customs were quick, but the long delay had pushed us well past midnight so the trains were done for the night (doh). The taxi line was unlike anything I’d ever seen at HND - easily 2+ hours I heard and Uber was overwhelmed and useless. Luckily my wife was able to use a Japanese app to nab me a minivan and I helped a poor freezing cold couple with their baby stuck near the end of they one in with me so we could share it into central Tokyo. What a night!

Definitely enjoyed both flights. I’d still probably give the edge to NH F on their 77w and a380, but the game changer is definitely a nice setup that I’d give second place over the SQ suite (unless I could somehow guarantee myself a doublesuite again which is why I think I enjoyed that product as much as I did - don’t think a single would rank as highly due to design flaws with the seat and bed). Looking forward to seeing how JLs new F stacks up this fall…