Flying EK for the first time- what to expect
 

My wife and I have the opportunity to fly EK for the first time JFK-DXB-NBO and return BIA-DXB-JFK in conjunction with a cruise.

As we have never flown EK, what should we expect Y class to be like? We are contemplating a paid upgrade to J, but not sure it is worth it. The JFK-DXB segment is A380.

Any comments from regular (and not so regular) EK fliers with their impressions and recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks.

I am a regular on the DXB-JFK leg and quite often in Y. Y on the A380 with EK is much better than most other Y cabins that I've been into. The cabin itself is very roomy with ample space to amble around and stretch oneself during the flight. Besides ICE, the in-flight entertainment system is fantastic, with an 11 inch widescreen with tons of movies, tv shows, and music on demand.

Try to get seats in the first Y mini-cabin (row 50 or less) - it is the quietest, roomiest, closest to the rest rooms, and the first one to be served. Besides, you'll also be the first ones to dis-embark and so won't have to face a really long queue at immigration.

JFK is a fairly premium heavy segment so my guess is that the paid upgrades to J may not come in cheap. Though, J on the A380 is quite a nice experience overall.

J on the 380 is really I think EK's best product - very good seats, nice bar, good crew etc etc.

l always go for the very back because if there are any empty seats that is where they will be. Not done this route but I get a high % empty seats / rows on A 380 other routes,

This can backfire - the very back is where controllers like to put in big groups (think tours, youth teams, etc. etc.) :)

Our first time, too
 

We are also flying EK for the first time in the next month and on one of our segments (LHR-DXB), there are a total of about 15 people (including us) booked on the entire airplane according to the seat map on ExpertFlyer. We have also noticed this on the same flight with departures within the next two weeks. Is this normal? Will they undoubtedly fill up in the week before departure?

If the plane is that empty, but realizing the flight is departing LHR back to their home base of DXB, what are the chances they would cancel the flight due to light loads?

J on the A380 is good for overnight flights. I prefer the J on the 777's for daytime flights as you get more legroom and there is no enclosed feel that you get on a 380.

However J on the 380 even during day is fantastic if you want to hit the bar. The only annoying thing is the long walk to the toilets.( unless you are in the bar area)

I'm trying 23k on Friday dxb man :D

If you are regular of US carriers, EK Y on the A380 will look already a J.
Then of course, if upgrade looks reasonable for your pocket, do it.
Along comes also the lounge access.

We have heard that despite all of our flights being on A380's, that doesn't necessarily mean we will be arriving into the A gates of T3. Is there truth to this? If so, is there anyway to tell if some flights more typically arrive at the A gates vs others? Asked another way: we'll be arriving on EK216 from LAX; does that flight typically arrive at the B gates or A gates, or is it a complete guess? We ask because we have a room at the airport hotel in the A gates, and wanted to get a sense of navigating airside. Thanks!

Hey PDX we are doing LAX-DXB-JNB in November was able to snag two FC award seats. Really looking forward to that flight ! Long haul but FC with a shower can not be all that bad. Took AF last year LAX-CDG great plane maybe AS will buy one !!!!

Are you in J or Y? In any case, loads on LHR-DXB are generally very high in all classes, but many travellers don't assign seats until it is done for them when check-in opens. I can assure you that it would be very, very, very unlikely that the flight would only have 15 people on it...! The flight isn't going to get cancelled due to loads.

Regarding your arrival concourse - it is correct that A380s do not exclusively park at the A concourse. It probably isn't worth scouring flight and gate histories as 1) A and B are connected airside by a shuttle train that leaves every two minutes and 2) as you have an airport hotel confirmed, if you tell them your incoming flight arrival details, they should have someone waiting to pick you up at the gate to skip you through the queue at transit security. If not, it is relatively trivial to get around DXB - just quite a lot of walking!

I did laugh at the plane being cancelled comment.

Ek put on 5 380s to Lhr for a reason, they are going out full or nearly full with j and f often being full.

Demand is very strong and as mentioned above people don't always bother to pick seats, I do because I know where I want to sit. Seat Map is not the best indicator.

As eternaltransit says, the notion that a LHR-DXB aircraft departing within the next few weeks has only 15 booked pax to date is virtually unthinkable. Expertflyer is of course very helpful in many respects, but must be used with caution.

There is a reason why EK run so many daily A380's from LHR.

I imagine that the flight in question will - like most others on this route - go out with a heavy load, and very possibly even full.

PS - m3red : apologies for what must strike you as repetition ! Had composed my post, and then clicked 'submit' without reading your own. (but proof at least that great minds think alike, ho ho ....!!)

^ Awesome! We are doing LAX-DXB-BCN, then LHR-DXB-LAX on the return, in about a month with 2 of us in F, 2 in J, so we're looking forward to it as well. With so many experts on FT, it takes so much guesswork out of things!

As just mentioned above, we're in F. I've been telling myself everything you mentioned, it's just weird seeing the plane so empty and recalled (albeit a month or so ago) seeing similar loads on a particular day - the plane went out half full. Still, I am fully expecting it to go out more full than it is, but have only seen 3 new people book in the past 30 days. No big deal; was just curious.

Thanks also for the terminal info. Even all of the apps, websites, etc only show 'T3' as the arrival gate - none show 'A#' or 'B#'. Again, I'm not sweating it.

In a weird way, this comment made me feel better. Thanks for bringing me back to reality!:D