That is certainly not one of the factors which helps me decide how to fly. I find it quite odd that anyone would especially in the circumstances described here.

Do you also ask EK to remove your priority tags off your luggage as well then? I take it you decline fast track in departures? When you fly to BKK you decline the priority lane at customs and spend an hour queuing in the normal lane instead?

Whether you are flying for leisure or business I don't think anybody enjoys queuing.

Bit of a silly argument. Just because a benefit isn't critical in decision making doesn't mean it isn't enjoyed

I am not sure where I stated it was critical in decision making? I just dont understand all these statements people make about being embarrassed about having different treatment. If an airline provides fast track through customs and place priority on your bags then what would be 'silly' is having to try and walk past over 500 pax once you have landed in order to utilise said benefit. On my regular route it is an additional �1000 between a Y flex+ and a J saver and when I have to do this route every three weeks, every second less I have to spend in the airport the better. So yes, I expect to get off first and avoid the families and all the bottlenecks after disembarking, not because I think I am better than anyone travelling in economy but because I have paid a lot more to enjoy this perk.

Anyway back on subject, at least with having a 2 class you are going to have a relatively new J seat, decent screen (not the horrible grey one) and a plug without having to use an adaptor to charge your laptop.

This statement could not have been anymore Dubai even if you tried. I'm sure you drink a 'couple of bottles of dom' on flights all the time and of course a bottle a red... Not before checking which one is the most expensive on the flight so you can take a pretentious picture with it and state how delightful it is.

isn't that the whole point of flying F? After all who cares about the $50 wines...

Happened recently on the morning LGW flight which arrived at one on the B gates which doesn't have upstairs jetty. There was some half hearted effort to keep upstairs economy passengers in the front cabin out the way to let J disembark. It didn't work...and I didn't see anyone in J getting too stressed about the extra 2 mins delay.

Unless it was this dreadful red...

None of these are in any way similar to the experience described:
just to enjoy the privilege of getting off first.

Yes

Like the OP. I am also booked on EK18 MAN to DXB (I think that the OP was on the inbound to MAN, in the same seat as me) on Sunday 15 September. This was originally a 3 class A380 but has now been changed to a 2 class. As a result, Emirates changed my selected seat from a window (K) seat to an outside aisle seat (J) in Business. The swap could have been worse, it could have been to a 777.

My return flight EK17 in October is still showing as a 3 class A380 on the Emirates’ seat selection map. My next booking for February on EK18 and 17 are also both currently showing as 3 class.

Just a point on the upper deck layout of the 2 class. I don’t know how many different versions there are, but whenever I have been in upper deck economy, the economy has always been split into two sections, either side of the exit door to the air bridge. Business class starts after the economy cabin to the right as you enter the aircraft. If the flight is not full, the rear economy section may be left empty, but anyone seated in that section will disembark before any business class passengers. In my experience, the forward economy section passengers will be held back. However, if there is no air bridge to the upper deck, such as ‘C’ gates (and some ‘B’ gates) at Dubai, all passengers will have to disembark via the front stairs, so business passengers will get off last.

On a brighter note, I have grabbed a window seat again as one was since released.

Yes basically just a summary of what has already been said. What is not clear is when the economy section to the right is utilised. DXB-BKK always has high Y loads and I got an op-up from Y to J despite the fact that this section was not in use.