Flying business class first time
 

Hi everyone, this is my first post on this forum. I hope I am posting in the right place. I have a couple of questions that I hope someone can help with.

1) I am flying business class with Emirates from Birmingham-Dubai-Perth in November for a holiday. It was suggested that I join Skywards for the miles. It was also suggested by someone else that it might be more beneficial to join someone else's frequent flyer scheme, e.g. Lufthansa - how would that work if I am flying with Emirates? Is it best to join Skywards?

2) Also, I have checked which planes are being used on the Emirates site and all planes are to be 777-300ER. We have been assigned seats 3A&B Bham-Dubai EK040 and seats 4A&B on the return journey EK039 - obviously a 2 class configuration. On the Dubai-Perth leg we have seats 10A&B both ways EK420 & EK421 - these planes having a 3 class configuration. It is the Dubai-Perth leg (both ways) when it will be night time and I am wondering if anyone knows if we are lucky enough to be getting lie flat seats on those planes?

One last question please

3) I know there is business class check-in and lounges but as a first timer I wondered if you have priority when you go to show your boarding pass, is there a separate queue for business class passengers or do you just join the same queue as everyone else. I don't want to queue jump if it's going to annoy other passengers but I also don't want to have to queue if we have the privilege of a speedy passage. Do you go straight on to the plane or is there one of those holding areas once through the desk where you show your boarding pass?

Sorry for all the questions, I want to get it right without looking as though I don't know what I'm doing :(

Welcome to FT!
Lufthansa is not a partner, but you can credit miles to Continental Airlines, Japan Airlines, Korean Airlines, South African Airlines or United Airlines. Unless you already have an account with one of these airlines I would stick with Skywards. If i recall correctly, you will get 5,000 bonus miles for your first flight and a 50% bonus over the base miles for flying business which is much more generous than most programs which usually only give a 25% bonus.


As of right now, the DXB-PER-DXB flights are on 777-300ERs with the old cradle-type seats. If you want to sleep, I would recommend either Row 6 or Row 7 (although Row 7 B/J are near the washoom.) I find them much better for sleeping because you are in a private "mini-cabin" of only two rows; it tends to be much quieter whereas the main cabin (rows 8-11) gets noise from economy class.

If you are travelling on a through-fare from Birmingham many Emirates fares will allow you to upgrade the Dubai - Australia segment for not much extra money. If sleeping is important ask your travel agent how much extra it would be to upgrade to First (should be around 300 pounds one way.)

One last question please

Techically there should be a priority line but this is a hit and miss - sometimes it is there and sometimes it is not. Usually they will call F/J passengers to board first and then Y passengers but you will enter for the same place. In Dubai there is a seperate jetbridge for business class and first class.

Cheers

Thank you Sadiq. I will join Skywards then.

With rows 6 & 7, is this the part of business class where they would put the babies if there are any or would they go in the other section, row 8?

Not sure I will get any sleep actually, hubby can sleep at the drop of a hat, I need to be flat and quiet and neither seem likely! We board the Dubai-Perth flight at 02.35, do you know when they would turn the lights down for sleep and how long for?

Is it worth upgrading do you think? What's the difference (other than a lie-flat bed) - maybe a bit better food and nicer china? We don't drink alcohol so that's wasted on us even in business class.

Thank you again (and for the welcome).

Babies are either put in Row 6 or Row 8. It is generally pot luck but I would guess that they would put them in Row 8 first because Row 6 babies will disturb F class pax.

Unfortunately the lights cannot be dimmed fully for the meal which is served straight after departure and should take about 1 hour to serve. From then on the cabin will be dark. They should then be turned out pretty much throughout the flight until 1-2hrs before landing when you will get another meal. On some routes (not sure if PER qualifies) you will get a third meal during the flight.

I can usually sleep on slanted seats so, personally, I wouldn't. However, if you can sleep on the flat bed seats (and not on slanted seats) I think it is worth it as you will feel much once you arrive in Perth. When I sleep on flights I usually have a much more productive day upon arrival and can deal with jetlag better. To me, this is worth the 300 or 400 extra pounds.

In terms of F vs J: the main difference is the bed which is fully flat. The food is also of a significantly higher quality and the ground services in Dubai (lounge) are also much better. You will get 200% of the miles instead of 150%. Finally, the service is much, much better. EK has 42 seats in J on its 777ERs but only 12 seats in F so everything feels much more personal.

I don't drink either but still find the drink selection better in F and J than Y (addition of things such as arabic coffee and cappuccino are welcome.)

Cheers

Thanks for all that info Sadiq. Very helpful and much appreciated.

I was just off to join Skywards when I had a thought :rolleyes:

Do hubby and I join separately as we are both going on this trip?

As the flight is already booked, will the miles for this trip be added? I can't see us travelling very often with Emirates, this trip is to celebrate a big birthday although I shall try my best to find other excuses!

Thanks again.

Yes, both join separately. You can then phone the Skywards office and have your membership numbers added to the booking.

Did you book online? If so, you'll get a bonus of 70% of your miles.

Cheers,
Rick

No Rick, we booked through a travel agent which was a much better price than we found booking direct on the Emirates site.

Thanks for the info about joining separately.

Hi Sadiq

Got travel agent to check and he said that the planes we are travelling on Dubai-Perth and Perth-Dubai do actually have lie flat seats in business class so didn't bother asking price of upgrade. Fingers crossed but I wont hold my breath as this agent has given us duff information on other queries!

Managed to get the seats changed, from row 10 to row 7 on Dubai-Perth but although I did state 6 or 7 if he could manage it he said they weren't available for the return flight so changed us from 10 to 8. Wasn't a lot of point in doing that really especially as I only asked for a change if he could get 6 or 7, still shan't bother him to change it again. Just hope there's no babies on that flight.

Again, thanks for your help.

Just a couple of points about Birmingham...

1) Does your ticket include the chauffeur drive service? Probably worth checking, although Emirates have now started to exclude this from some cheaper fares. You also may be outside of the free zone, but just paying for the extra few miles is probably still cheaper than using a local taxi firm.

2) Emirates check in at BHX is at the far right end of the terminal. They have an agent at the head of the queue and you need to tell him/her you're in business to be let into the correct queue (they check your name against a list IIRC).

3) I *think* I saw a fast track security channel at BHX, but check-in will clarify this (just passed the end of the T1 screening last month when walking from T2 to the train).

4) Wait in the lounge until the agent calls you to the gate - don't go by the monitors (although probably worth checking on arrival in the lounge that the agents do intend to call the flight that day).

5) The lounge at BHX can be a bit of a pain to find, so keep an eye open on the left hand side after you leave the security screening point. Basic point, but you are free to come and go from the executive lounge as you please. Obviously don't leave luggage unattended and I think it's worth making eye contact with the agent when leaving so you don't get hassled for your invite (which you've already handed in) when you return.

6) When you get down to the gate at BHX, they tend to channel the Economy passengers into the seating area and will board special needs/J class passengers first. Make sure the ground staff can see your blue boarding pass as I've found they tend to have a quiet word to get you onboard quickly. Timed it wrong once and they just asked us to 'hang around' near the top end of the gate lounge, so they could push us onboard first.

7) Enjoy it. I think Emirates is a great introduction to Business Class travel. It's still 'fun' IMO, rather than centred wholly around the seat.

Thanks very much SwissTony, lots of useful information there which I've printed off so I don't forget!

We do have chauffeur drive. Although we live in North Wales we were outside the chauffeur drive limit for Manchester and it would have cost us heftily so we are overnighting at my mother's in Birmingham who is about 20 minutes drive from the airport so comfortably within the chauffeur drive zone. Such luxury :D

It would be nice to be fast tracked through the security channel, last time we used Manchester (to fly to Cyprus) the queue was very long and the woman who searched me was not only extremely surly but if it had been a man I would have reported him for being "overly zealous" if you get my drift!

Thanks again for all the tips.

Glad you found your answers over here

Afraid to say, security at BHX is the pits. At least IMO at Heathrow the staff are professional about it, whereas at BHX they just seemed to be on a power trip, making up their own rules over and above those of the DfT.

Even if you are in a fast track queue, the staff will be no less surly with you. Jut think though, once you've got that out the way it's all plain sailing from there on in.

Just for interests sake, at BHX there is no real fast track channel, however check-in staff normally give J passengers, a classy laminated bit of paper that allows you to walk past (what quickly becomes) a very disgruntled queue and then push in at the end... I actually found it quite embarassing compared to a seperate dedicated channel!!

Also I think DXB-PER does not have lie-flat seats, have done this route twice in the last two months and both times got the cradle seats, hopefully it has changed !!!

The seats from DXB-PER are NOT the new lie flat as stated by the travel agent. I travel this route frequently. You wil get a 60 inch pitch, though.