Thats wonderful, thank you. I had seen that seat plan plus the one on seat guru and expert flyer and as I said none show a toilet but thought best to double check.

Expert flyer does show the second "block" of economy seats to be blocked out with and x. The Emirates website when checking seats has them as all occupied. I dont suppose you know what this means as seems a little odd.

Thanks

Hi there, we had the opportunity to try PE on the A380 this month. I have a huge issue with people reclining into my space, so booked the bulkhead seats 33jk. They were available to reserve at the booking stage.
There are disadvantages to these seats, but for me, not having someone recline into you, outweighs any negatives. That said, from what I observed around the cabin, even with the seats in full recline, they still appeared quite spacious.
Notes about row 33: you only have touch screen for the IFE so your arms can get a bit sore if your browsing. Also rubbish if your a gamer.
The stairs to the upper deck are roped off but they attach the rope with a clunky metal clasp which can be a little noisy.
I didn’t find the proximity to the toilets annoying.

If you don’t mind sitting next to a stranger (another one of my dislikes lol) then the bulkheads in the middle will be quieter.

The ATH route is from/to EWR (not JFK) and it’s on the B777 (not A380). On the EWR-ATH route, it is usually the “new” business class, but not guaranteed.

Do seats 68A/K become free to select at check-in or do they always attract a charge?

The only seats that are charged after OLCI are emergency exit seats (extra legroom). Everything else is free then, as far as I am aware. Not sure where row 68 is, but from the above you can work it out.

4A on the A380
 

Just flew my first EK flight and sat in 4A.

I could hear galley chatter, it was loud-ish, but the crew were having fun cranking out the meals and drinks, so I did not mind.

I noticed them serving meals from 1-4, so that meant a longer wait for food, and a bit less time to eat prior to landing.

Thinking of picking row 3 on the return for no reason other than to try something else.

It is ‘dine on demand’ in F, so - unless several people order at the same time - there should be no ‘row order’ in this the meals are served. I would recommend row 2 or 3 because of the galley noise ‘issue’.

Oh, I was fine with everything. Just took in the whole experience with open eyes. The A380 is remarkably quiet compared to some of the aircraft I have flown. Loved watching the tail camera!

To close this off and provide a data point: no, these seats do not become free to select when online check-in opens. In fact, for my flights they showed as occupied on the Emirates app/web site, even though ExpertFlyer indicated they were unallocated. I was able to get these seats for free at airport check-in (noting the check-in agent had to get approval from a supervisor to have the seat unblocked).

What you have described is what used to happen but then they brought in extra charges for these seats (free for plats). The seats were then left empty unless paid for and crew on some occasions would enforce this rule if passengers tried moving to these seats once on board.

Now it seems like this policy has reverted back. These seats are also assigned to passengers free of charge on full/oversold flights as well.

I had an identical experience on 203 to JFK last month (a full flight). Not just the crew chatter which can be a lot in the initial few hours, but every time they opened one of the shelves or banged the carts against the bulkhead separator, it woke me up. Row 4 is not recommended if you are a light sleeper.

I had the option of selecting the middle EF seats but thought 4A is probably better for privacy and quiet. I could not be more wrong. I am pretty sure I will chose E/F seats over 4 A/K. Besides Row 4 has only 2 windows instead of the usual 3 (not that it mattered).

My preferred order would be 2/3 A/K followed by Row 1/2/3/ E/F followed by Row 1 A/K. Or maybe 1A/K over E/F - as I have never sat in 1A/K on the 380. If no other choice but 4A/K, I shall likely check with the crew if they have a seat available in J, and go there to sleep instead.

Wow that bad?? I’ve luckily never had to sit in row 4 over the last 13 years of flying EK F. Expert flyer has been good to me by finding a window seat in rows 1-3 before departure, but I think I too would prefer an E/F seat over row 4.
1A/K are not awful, but they are not preferred as the suite does seem a little bit more narrow than the rest and is also right next to the curtain: Not to mention the missing window.

Asked this in the newbie thread but probably fits better here, my bad. Going to fly Premium Economy on EK for the first time. Would you choose 38K or 40K? Is there an advantage/disadvantage to choosing the back row (eg seat not reclining as far back or something else)?

Anyone that's 5'7" (or taller) that can comment about the foot rests in PE (Premium Economy) on EK? How is it like to travel a 8-12 hour trip?

Do the bulkhead seats in J on A380 (23 E/F or 7 E/F) have wider footwells? Any downsides to choosing these seats? Debating those vs. 9 E/F otherwise.