potakas

Well the answer seems to be obvious I think, but let me tell you the story.

I will be in Argentina in Feb and I will do some domestic flights before going to Rio (GIG). So, I was searching for a multi-city booking through fly.com and I found out that my last flight from EZE-GIG can be on Emirates F, only for £150 pounds more.

The aircraft seems to be a B777-300ER and the flight lasts about 3 hours.

One disadvantage here is that if I have to take the Emirates flight, I will have a 6 hour layover at EZE. The £150 cheaper option is on Y with TAM and has 2 hours layover.

The other disadvantage is that the Emirates flight will arrive at GIG at 01.20 AM which is not very nice for a tourist who visits Brazil first time (I believe so). TAM arrives at 21.20

What would be the service on-board the B777-300ER? Will I get any amenities,(I am almost sure that they don't offer PJs for such a sort flight)? Will not have suite.

And finally what you would do ?

I will not earn any miles with Emirates and my girlfriend is *G (So, we will get lounge access before our TAM flight)

The money is not my concern as I could give the same amount to fly on J TAM (which costs + £300 and I will not pay that difference).

The major disadvantage is the arrival time.

Worth trying the Emirates First on a B777-300ER?


Thank you,

ekyyz

hello potakas,
Emirates F service is truly first class.
you will get the private suite on-board the 777-300ER
i am not sure if you will get the amenity kit.
i would recommend the F experience on Emirates, but the timing and layover do not suit your travel needs.
It will be a great experience if you do try it.

ukdoctor

why wont you get the skywards miles if you fly emirates?

Sphinx

Definitely EK F.

ung1

3 hours is long enough to get quite an F experience. Don't know whether they'll have chauffeur drive by then but that should sort the timing issues. I'm surprised you could find a fare as it's not yet bookable on ek.com!

GetSetJetSet

Y on TAM. A 21:30 arrival means you can check in to your hotel, have dinner and a nice night out. A 1:20 arrival is basically throwing away and entire day to fly EK. Also, 6 hours in EZE does not sound like a particularly attractive prospect, none of the lounges are anything special. JJ Y is a pretty lousy product, but if it's your first trip to Rio/Brazil, I'd maximize my time enjoying the city vs. in the airport/in transit.

Dave Noble

I wouldnt say it is worth waiting 6 hours for a 3 hour flight in 1st. In this instance I would take the other flight option and get to the destination before the EK flight leavs the origin

potakas

I can take miles, at least I assume that I can.
I am not an Emirates FFlyer though and the miles will be useless.
I posted long time ago in the newbie topic that I couldn't sign in for the skywards (there was an error), eightblack told me to call Emirates but I gave up.

Correct, I tried to check the price on EK.com but I can't book it from there.

Here is the ticket,



As you can see on the ticket I was wrong, the layover is 9 hours and although I could stand it in order to try Emirates F I have to convince my girlfriend that we should, the ticket has also airport change in order to fly with Emirates , but with the chauffeur service- if available is not a problem.

If the chauffeur service works normal by then, will I get it also in Rio?

I just looked on the sticky you have on the forum and it seems that the Suites on B777s are only fitted on the 200LR, are now also on the 300ER?

ukdoctor

AFAIK nothing on emirates can be guaranteed as they have a wide mix of aircraft fittings. You can. only check what type of aircraft they are using at the time and hope for the best.

I have had maybe 3 aircraft equipment changes out my 20 plus flights with emirates. I might have been lucky .its much worse on some routes.

sadiqhassan

Some (not all) 77Ws feature suites including the birds that will be flying EZE/GRU.

The reason the above fare can be booked even though fares are not on the EK website is because the above is booked as a YY (full IATA fare valid on any airline*) F class fare from IGR to RIO and EK has loaded the flight.

* Sometimes airlines offer their own fares that are higher than the YY fare in which case the higher airline fare applies. I am not sure about all the fine details though.

sadiqhassan

While aircraft changes are common, I think EK usually tries to keep the Americas flights (YYZ/SFO/LAX/JFK/IAH/GRU) served with suite equipped planes consistently.

ung1

Yes, you are pretty much guaranteed Suites on this flight. But bear in mind that Chauffeur drive may not be offered for pax on EZE - GIG (I think the case is the same with BKK - HKG). The 9 hour stopover does seem like too much to spend at an airport though - and don't expect an EK lounge either.

flyupfront

EK First is certainly nice, but not worth the hassle in your case. YMMV.

Dave Noble

Even if an airline has higher fares of their own, the YY fares are still valid, just that it can be difficult to get the ticket directly from the airline and need to use a good agent

dusordua

There is no 9 hour stopover at an airport.

The passengers arrive at noon at AEP, which is the domestic airport of Buenos Aires, located only 4 or 5 Kilometers from downtown.
They depart from EZE, the international airport of Buenos Aires, which is more than 30 Kilometers out of town.

My advice: Store your luggage at AEP and spend 5 hours in downtown.
Then take a taxi to EZE.