ffman999

How far in advance did you book your tickets? And did you do so online or by calling AS?

hungarianhc

About 4 months. My initial ticket was done online, but the subsequent bookings were done over the phone. I'm finding that advance notice doesn't matter that much - it's just random in sporadic when the EK availability opens up.

pacman3

Have a great time. I did LAX-DXB-JED return a couple of months ago on EK F 380s. The hard product on EK is quite nice (although the ICE system is frustrating) but the soft produce (i.e., the service) is somewhat hit-and-miss. I definitely recommend the shower service a couple of hours before landing - be advised that the showers are 'closed' an hour prior to landing and each seat has a 30 minute allotment to shower. If you don't book the shower early, you could find yourself needing to shower 3 1/2 hours prior to landing -- that happened to me on my return to LAX because I wasn't paying attention. On a full-fare ticket, no less! Oh well.

DXB F lounge is quite nice - lots of food and drink, but eerily quiet. It's a nice place to spend a few hours but, unfortunately, I was there for 8 hours! I should have booked a hotel room - for some reason, I thought the airport would have cabanas like BA (where I always have no problem booking 8 hours of privacy, rather than the 4 hour 'limit'), but nope. If you have more than 3-4 hours, book a room in the hotel!

Again, have a great trip! You'll enjoy Emirates F - do explore the aircraft (I was 'escorted' by staff) as it is quite the plane. Strolling downstairs makes one appreciate the amenities upstairs.