Good morning (NZ-Time) fellow travelers,

We are moving to London in a few months, normally we'd fly SQ Suites, but wanted to try something a little different. We've booked and paid for F on Emirates, and can't wait. I am a huge fan of Airports, and have never been to DXB (always flown AKL-SIN-CDG/FRA or AKL-HKG-FRA/HEL.

So, I wanted to hear your views/reviews/grumbles/updates on the EK 449 flight AKL-DXB. For the second leg, we've elected EK 003, to give us a longer layover in the airport.

Since this is a one-way flight to our new home, we've also elected a city tour in Dubai.

Thanks all, if anyone is flying toward the end of September - I will update our info and timings, we could do a lounge meet?

Cam

Enjoy! I’m a big fan of EK F. Anything specific that you’re looking for here? The catering and service at the F lounges at the A and B concourses are very good.

In relation to EK449 in F and onwards to London.
i have flown this route return 3 times so far this year - bizarrely it has been cheaper than NZ / SQ or NZ/UA in J.
I haven’t had a bad flight so far.
Ground service in Auckland has been solid but not amazing. Lounge is a J class lounge, but fine.
Experience on the plane has been awesome - food, service, booze and bed have been great. EK 449 on my flights has only been 1/2 full in F which I think has made it better. Showers amazing!! A bit of a gimmick, but still amazing!!
I have flown suites on SQ once and everything about Ek's soft service was equal or better than my single suites experience - although the suites as a hard product leaves EK for dead!!

You�ll probably enjoy the hard product in SQ suites more than EK F.

A shower at FL410 never gets old though. Amenities are more generous I think on EK and a tote bag is useful.

Food is fairly similar in quality although if you like caviar you will enjoy EK as they are very generous with helpings.

Wine blows SQ out of the water - Figeac 2006 and D�Yquem 2014 recently.

Crew: variable but on the whole EK�s crew are good/very good in F. Exceptional or disinterested is rare.

Airport: SIN is better - DXB is cavernous and can be warm. However as F pax you may have buggy transfer to the lounge if connecting but if you are leaving the airport that�s fairly moot.

You can probably get a free car ride just by showing up at the desk after customs even if you can�t book it online.

Lounge: hard product is so-so compared to TPR: the lounges are either very large (A/B) and fairly impersonal or old (C).

However F&B offerings are very good - even excellent, especially if you like wine. Better than TPR on average (depends on your palate of course!).

Here is a menu: https://c.ekstatic.net/ecl/documents...urse-a-dxb.pdf from the A concourse lounge. A/B similar, C slightly smaller.

Showers in B and C suck though compared to A.

​​​​​​I have a 1h20m connection in Dubai, both in F, how do I request a buggy? Do I ask onboard or before boarding at my origin of departure?

Hi guys,

Some fantastic and thoughtful feedback, thank you for taking the time to comment.

I think i've made the right decision, i've paid for the flights, $20,126 for both of us one-way, bizarrely (per the above) ANZ was almost $5,000 more in Business Premiere.

SQ would have been marginally cheaper but A350 AKL-SIN, we wanted the full F experience, as this is a one-way trip. After 12+ flights in Suites and countless more in Business, I think it's time for a change, don't know how i'm going to go not being ANZ Elite!

Again, thanks very much - the passion and wealth of knowledge here is amazing.

AKiwi

Your last comment about ANZ elite resonated with me. For years I have been reluctant to use non-ANZ or Star Alliance because of my Elite status with NZ and the small but significant perks it bought me. Then post-COVID, with the extremely high J prices ex-NZ suddenly EK F was well within my budget - but strangely, despite knowing the F was going to be better than J, I almost considered paying more for an NZ J trip. Stockholm syndrome !!!

I reached Emirates Platinum after two and a bit of return trips in F, so now have that, but even previous to that, as I was in F, I received both a ground and in-fight experience beyond anything as an Elite in J with ANZ.

I'm not an Emirates expert - but my understanding is it is tied to your fare class - I have had paid F for my recent trips and have got a buggy / escort every time to take me from the airbridge in Dubai to F lounge or once directly to the next gate. Travelling with a colleague on a points upgrade, and no buggy for him !!

You cannot and don�t have to request it.
On arrival (the exact location can depend on whether you arrive on a contact- or bus stand) there will be an Emirates employee carrying a sign with you name ( or up to 4 names if there are more passengers to be taken to the same lounge). She will take you to the buggy, through transit security and to the lounge. If your arrival gate is very close to transit security there is no buggy.

It should be provided automatically at the gate once you disembark into the terminal. But don't wait up for it if it isn't there, it can sometimes be variable (especially if your arrival gate is close to transit security).

But do look out for someone holding a sign up with your onward flight details or name: that will be a close connection.

this is exactly what I wanted to read, some reassurance from another in the know! Thank you very much

I once upgraded with miles at check in and my wife remained in J. On arrival, my name was on the escort�s board. When I mentioned that my wife was in J and therefore `I would wait for her rather than take the buggy, the escort responded: �I know that, we�ll wait for her and she can come with us�.

Traveled in F (paid ticket) on EK509 few weeks ago. Had the bus take us from the plane to DXB airport. No name signs for anyone in F. It was my first F experience too.

Wasn't there a separate bus for F class?

Yep that was there