jacob_m

This was probably the flight I was mostly looking forward to during the entire trip (although there are competitors).
I was very satisfied when I managed to include Emirates First in the itinerary, the flight fitted perfectly with a 1 hour 20 min transfer in Singapore.
When I realised the aircraft would be fitted with the first class suites I was absolutely thrilled, I even had to double-check that part to be sure I was not mistaken. But the seat map indicated there could be nothing but the suite.

The UA flight from Hong Kong arrived at terminal 3, it parked conveniently right opposite the Skytrain train station with shuttle trains to the other two terminals.
Emirates uses terminal 1 at Changi and the lounge is located almost right above the Skytrain station in terminal 1, so it was a very easy transfer to make, gate to lounge in just five minutes.

Emirates Lounge, Singapore



The Emirates lounge in Singapore is reasonably new I believe, it opened as Emirates expanded its operations at Changi. Nowadays Emirates flies to a handful destinations from Singapore.

I already had a boarding pass for the flight, the check-in agent at the UA transfer desk in Hong Kong managed to check me in also for the Emirates flight.
However the boarding pass looked quite strange, some information was missing, so I asked the lounge agent to print me a new boarding pass, which she did without a question.
Now I had a proper Emirates first class boarding pass in my hand!

As expected the lounge had the very distinctive Emirates lounge interior, which is very stylish in my opinion. However the lounge in Singapore just felt a bit soulless, I think the lounge interior just didn’t work very well with the rest of the airport.
Otherwise I think Emirates has some excellent lounges. The combined first and business class lounges are definitely more first class than business class.



The selection of food and drinks was fantastic. There was definitely more available in the self-service buffet than I am able to recall here.
There was an ample selection of hot food, snacks, soup and sandwiches. There was also a very large circular table with fruits, cheese and desserts.
It all looked very appetising! Just too bad I was not particularly hungry, I had just come off one first class flight and wanted to save room for another first class meal.

There are two drinks areas in the lounge, one in the main self-service buffet area, and one by the entrance to the lounge next to a sitting area.

I had some fresh fruits, a bottle of water, and eventually could not resist the tiramisu from the desserts buffet, it was just calling for me...

With a transfer of 1h 20 min in Singapore the lounge visit ended up being quite short, not much more than 20 minutes. No boarding announcement had yet been made, but I was also very eager to get onboard the plane.

I quickly checked my e-mails using one of the internet computers in the lounge before I headed to the departure gate, almost right below the lounge.

Pics
The entrance to the Emirates lounge
Inside the lounge
One of the comfortable sitting areas
The self-service buffet area
Lovely desserts and cheese
Second part of the self-service buffet
Hot food and snacks
Plenty of drinks
The second drinks area in the lounge, just by the entrance. Impressive selection!

jacob_m

A wonderful start of the flight



As usual in Singapore security took place at the gate. Most passengers were already inside the gate lounge where boarding was just about to start, so no wait whatsoever.

As a first class passenger there was obviously no wait in the gate lounge, I could walk straight onboard.
First and business class passengers used the forward passenger bridge leading to door 1L. It’s been many years since I was this excited getting onboard a plane!

I was warmly welcomed at the door and directed to my seat. I had chosen seat 02K on this flight, a window seat on the second row. As you may have noticed I have a liking for seat 02F/H/K/L (whatever the window seat is called on the right side).

When entering the first class cabin I was absolutely amazed, the cabin was so cool! It was actually cooler in reality than every single photo I have ever looked at. ^
I passed through the first class cabin last year on a Emirates A380, but I think the cabin on the Boeing 777 made an even better impression as it is smaller and somehow more secluded.
The cabin is very compact with only two rows and eight seats, but there is no overhead storage and all this marble type of material used in the interior just shines when the lights are fully turned on in the cabin. The cabin feels much larger and airy than it really is.
Also as this was a midnight departure it was pitch-dark outside and all the lighting effects they have in the cabin and in the seat gave an excellent first impression.

As I was settling in my new seat a young FA approached me, introduced herself, addressed me by name and welcomed me onboard. The FA turned out to be a Russian woman in her early 30s, unfortunately I have forgotten her name. She was the one who would be serving me during the flight.
I have read reports that the service on Emirates can be a hit or miss, although the hard product is top-notch the service is not always very consistent.
However we hit it off from the very first moment. She was incredibly friendly and courteous, but also very relaxed and easy-going.
She was assisted by a 29-year old woman from Singapore, she was a bit more timid but very friendly (and I think very curious about who I was, flying first class in a remote part of the world).

The Russian FA asked me where I came from and was very surprised to hear my nationality. As we were nearly from the same part of the world we concluded there is a major lack of Emirates routes to northern Europe.

The next part of the conversation went something like this:
Her: So is this your first time onboard Emirates?
Me: Yes in fact it is, so you have every possible chance to impress me (with a smile).
Her: Oh, so howcome you have never tried Emirates before?
Me: Well since you don’t fly to northern Europe, it’s a bit tricky. Actually Qatar airways fly to Stockholm now...
Her: Oh do they? That’s not good, well we’ll see what we can do...
(I had actually completely forgotten I flew Emirates last year, not deliberately)

She also asked me if I wanted anything to drink before departure and I asked for a glass of champagne (you’re surprised now aren’t you?).
They served the wonderful Dom Perignon 2000 onboard, which is a great champagne!
She also offered me a nice selection of newspapers and magazines.



A few minutes later she was back with her male colleague. They have a special routine onboard in first class serving Arabic coffee before departure.
The coffee is poured at the seat in front of you, and for some reason the small cup has to be kept above another cup when the coffee is poured. She did not really know the reason, just said that’s how it should be done (probably some traditional/cultural reason).
With the coffee they served dates, I had one with walnuts.



A few moments later she was back again and handed me, not just slippers and eyeshades, but a pyjamas and an amenity kit. That was very unexpected! ^
She argued that since this was a night-time flight I may wish to get some sleep onboard. Well a night flight it was, but a flight of four hours, possibly even shorter than four hours, and I had not planned to waste my time onboard sleeping. But I was obviously delighted!

The pyjamas was packed in a brown bag and included brown pyjamas pants and a beige pyjamas top. I tried it later and it was very comfortable.

The amenity kit was a brown rather sizeable leather bag with the Emirates logo in gold.
I opened it and got even more impressed. Not only was the bag excellent with many small pockets, it also included Au Thé Rouge toiletries from Bvlgari.
In a red box there was a 30 ml Bvlgari after shave, a 30 ml Bvlgari body lotion, and a small (10-15 ml) bottle with Bvlgari eau parfumée. That’s not exactly cheap stuff!

I was offered a refill of my champagne glass, which I dutifully accepted. She also asked me if I liked the Arabic coffee and in fact I really did, it was very nice. A refill of the coffee was also arranged.

She was quickly back at my seat with the champagne and another cup of coffee and asked if everything was fine so far, I had no objections whatsoever.
Then another surprise was revealed: “Well it actually looks like you will be the only passenger in first class to Colombo, so do make yourself comfortable”.

So what about that? I was sitting in this space cabin, in this marble suite drinking Dom Perignon, being served by two lovely flight attendants, and I would have it all to myself for the next four hours.
Actually when I reserved the seat there were at least four seats reserved according to the seat map, so this was unexpected, probably some last minute cancellations/rebookings.

Pics
The entrance to heaven
A first impression of the first class cabin
The first class suites
First class suite 02F
A first glass of Dom Perignon, many more to come....
Champagne, Arabic coffee and dates
Blvgari amenity kit and pyjamas
Slippers and eye shades
Welcome screen for seat 02K

Singapore-Colombo, flight EK 349 operated by Emirates
Departure: 00:55
Arrival: 01:55
Aircraft: Boeing 777-300ER (B77W)
Class: First Class
Seat: 02K



Boarding was completed well before scheduled departure time. I think economy was almost full, the load was a bit lighter in business, and then I was the only passenger in first.

A safety video was shown on all screens followed by a welcome announcement by the purser in English and Arabic.
We actually pushed back a few minutes before departure time and took off shortly afterwards from runway 20C with a nice view of Singapore at night during the climb.

As there is no overhead storage in first class, all cabin baggage has to be stowed in front of you below the screen. There is ample space there and a strap to secure the hand luggage so it won’t move during take-off and landing.

After the seatbelt sign had been switched off the real inflight service started and the curtains were closed between first and business.
The cabin lighting was dimmed and they switched on the nice mood lighting they have, including the one with what looks like twinkling stars. Very relaxing!

I was asked if I wanted anything to drink and asked for some more champagne, this time it was served a bit more elegantly at the seat and I got to taste it properly.
She also offered me a bowl with assorted nuts.

Pics
Storage for the hand luggage below the screen
Night view of Singapore, seconds after take-off
A glass of champagne after take-off
Assorted nuts

The menu

The menu was handed out already before take-off, presented in an elegant leather binder, and below is the menu for the flight to Colombo. A wine list was available separately.
The menu also included the second meal service (breakfast) between Colombo and Dubai.

But seriously, I think whoever wrote that menu should look up the definition of a “light meal”...

Well anyway, here it goes:

Pics
The first class menu

Meal order and seat switch



Soon she was back at my seat again to take my meal order. I had decided to have the full meal onboard but I asked to skip the soup.
Since I was not very hungry I asked if I could wait an hour, which was of course not a problem. This was a reasonably long flight (well at least a long regional flight) and with some strong winds the flight time was nearly four hours, so there was plenty of time for the full meal service (and for some sleep as well, if I had wished that).
In the meantime my glass of champagne was topped up a few times and I was offered more nuts.

Unfortunately there was a problem with my seat 02K, the remote control unit (which is wireless and can be detached from the seat) just could not be removed.
Apparently that function is completely electronic, even though you just press a button on the seat panel to remove it. They tried to reboot the system but did not manage to fix it.
Of course you can use the remote control even when attached to the seat, but I was offered to move across the aisle to seat 02F where everything was working properly.
Since I was the only passenger in the cabin I could obviously move around as I wished, and there was nothing but darkness outside the window anyway. I kept my belongings in the old seat though.

She helped me move my glass of champagne and I settled in 02F and started watching a few more Friends episodes while sipping champagne. I have started picking up that series again, not having seen it for several years now.

Pics
Just moved to seat 02F
My original window seat 02K

The meal service



After an hour she was back asking if I was ready to eat and my table was prepared for the meal service.
The table is massive, I basically only used half of it. The white table cloth laid on the table was also the kind you rather find at a family dinner table than at a single airline seat.
The table setting was very elegant, although unfortunately no bread basked was placed on the table (as I have seen on other photos), but I was offered the same impressive bread selection from another basket.
We had quite a bit of turbulence during the flight, so the FAs really had struggle during the flight to make sure no items/meals/drinks moved or fell.

There were two choices of appetiser and I chose the seared tuna which was very nice.
I skipped the soup and fortunately there was no salad, I would not have managed it.
I had the lamb shanks as main course, just wonderful! I like lamb! They were very generous with the serving and even offered me more afterwards.
Everything was washed down with more Dom Perignon champagne.



My table was cleared and the Russian FA asked me if I wanted a dessert as well, and who am I to decline a chocolate mousse dessert?! It was absolutely wonderful and also very nicely presented.
Just as I was struggling with the chocolate dessert (I was not exactly hungry by now) the Singaporean FA came with a very nice cheese plate with brie, camembert and some grapes. For whatever reason it ended up on my table as well.

My champagne glass was refilled a last time, I had a look at the bottle and it was pretty much empty.
Gosh, I had finished a bottle myself. I checked the retail price of a bottle of Dom Perignon 2000 and finishing a bottle of that myself is almost something to put on the CV.

I had asked for a cup of coffee with the dessert, but due to the turbulence I had to skip it. They have a policy not to serve hot drinks during turbulence, and it’s probably a wise policy.
However a whisky can not cause any skin burns and the choice fell on the 21 year old Glenfiddich, which was duly delivered to my seat.

All-in-all a wonderful meal service! ^

Pics
Appetiser
Main course
Dessert
And they found some cheese as well…
Nice cheese plate
A glass of Glenfiddich

The suite



I guess most people here have already seen the suite, in case not I have provided more than enough photos for you to explore it, I took over 100 photos during this flight.

It is a wonderful suite and one of the few that is truly a suite given that there are doors that can be closed for the ultimate privacy (there is even a “do not disturb”-button to press in the suite, which is shown outside the suite).
The whole suite is truly luxurious and has more features and buttons than I have seen in any other seat.

Just to mention a few of the features:
-A wireless remote control that controls the entire suite, including the seat, the lamps, the door and the inflight entertainment system. It is mounted beside the seat but can be detached and used wirelessly.
-A private minibar with five soft drinks and a glass, the crew will happily replace the contents if you want something else there. The minibar can be opened and closed and when open it has a built-in lamp
-When sitting at a window seat there are four in-seat buttons to lower the four window shades inside your suite
-There are three individual lamps in the suite. A reading lamp right behind you, a similar spotlight lamp on the wall next to the screen, and a larger decoration lamp with a dimmed light. All lamps are controlled from the suite remote control
-A drawer with a nice first class writing kit
-Two doors, around 150 cm in height, that can be fully closed
-A built-in beauty box with skin products and two “sniff boxes” that should help you sleep. The beauty box also has a light which is turned on when opening the box
-A telephone handset, you can actually call “room service” (i.e. the crew) if you want to order something to your suite
-Ample storage for your hand luggage, reading material and all the amenities they give you during the flight.

The seat can be reclined to a fully flat bed and there is a mattress and a duvet stored right behind the seat. It’s probably even unnecessary to mention there is a seat pitch of 86”, legroom is not something you even think about.

If you have problems figuring out all this yourself there is a very nice first class suite guide available at the seat

Not much more to comment about really, it’s a truly fabulous place!

Pics
The suite remote control and the seat panel with FA call button, “do not disturb”-button and four buttons to lower the window shades
The doors to the suite closed
The personal mini bar
The beauty box
The first class writing kix
Good storage for newspapers and magazines
The Emirates first class suite guide, quite useful!
Mattress and duvet behind the seat

Mood lighting



On top of all the seat features there is an advanced mood lighting system in the cabin which can create the effect of a sunrise or a sunset for example.

Pics
Sunset in the cabin
Sunset, turning into night
Stars in the sky

Inflight entertainment system



The inflight entertainment system is called ICE (Information, Communication, Entertainment) and is a very extensive AVOD version with plenty of audio and video, enough to keep you entertained for quite some time.
There is also a cockpit camera (or even two flight cameras) and a very nice inflight map.

In the audio section it is possible to listen to all UK No. 1 hits since the 50’s sorted by year. Very fun! The sound quality was perfect and they provide excellent noise-cancelling headphones in first class.

I won’t go into more detail about the IFE as many others have covered it before me, but it’s easily one of the better in the industry.

In the suite the IFE is enjoyed on a 23” screen which is touch screen, so you can navigate the IFE, switch audio track or pause a movie just by touching the screen.

Otherwise the IFE is controlled using the suite remote control where there is a smaller touch screen which usually displays the exact same menu as you see on the main screen.
The remote control is very advanced and quite nice to use, but occasionally it loses contact with the system which is a drawback.

Pics
The 23” screen is touch screen
The remote control, also touch-screen
Watching an episode of Friends
Movie soundtrack - Sound of Music

Arrival in Colombo



The flight was very bumpy, almost until the very end, which meant I never got any coffee on the flight. Personally I was so involved in the flight, the service and the suite that I was not bothered whatsoever about the turbulence.

Anyway, all good things come to an end, we finally landed around 2 am Sri Lankan time on runway 22 at Colombo Bandaranayke international airport.
I have no idea what time zone my body was in, I had probably been awake for nearly 24 hours, but I was so excited that anything even remotely close to fatigue was light-years away.



Before landing the FAs were back at my seat to wish me goodbye and make sure I had enjoyed the flight.
Prior to landing I moved back to my original seat to enjoy the view, in case there would be one. Of course all goodies from the flight ended up in my bag.

It took a long time for the passenger bridge to be positioned so I ended up in the galley and had a last nice chat with the crew about airlines and favourite destinations.
The Singaporean FA was again very curious about me, especially my age (I do look younger than I am).

Eventually no passenger bridge was used (I don’t know if there was a problem with it) so we had to use stairs to door 2L and take a bus to the terminal (a very short bus ride).
Quite a lot of people at immigration, seemed like a flight from somewhere in India had landed just before us, however the immigration officers were very efficient and I was processed within a very few minutes.
After immigration there were quite a few tax-free shops for arriving passengers, surprisingly many sold electronic goods such as TVs (and not the latest models). An interesting scene!

Colombo airport is very modern and a large part of the terminal must have been completed not many years ago.
However surprisingly there were no monitors showing what belt was used for what flight. I had no idea which one to go to (2-3 am is rush hour for arrivals at CMB) but before I got the chance to ask a member of staff I saw a few people I recognised from the flight by one of the belts at the far end of the arrivals hall.

Baggage delivery had already started but in no particular order. In fact it took so much time for my suitcase to appear that I was nearly convinced it failed to make one of the connections.
I was quite relieved when it finally appeared after a couple of minutes.

I was starting to get seriously tired by now. After exchanging some money I was very happy to have a pre-arranged airport transfer waiting for me. Off for some well-needed sleep...

Pics
We are approaching Colombo
Thank you for flying Emirates!

Verdict

I think most things have already been said.
The Emirates first class suite is a stellar product. It is the most luxurious seat I have ever had the pleasure to sit in and equally the most advanced and private. The number of features in the suite is endless.

The meal was excellent, great food and a very nice drink list, I was nearly bursting after the meal service.

My only concern before the flight was the service, many experienced travellers on EK have reported the service has been declining.
I have no complaints whatsoever regarding the inflight service on this flight. The service was exactly the way I prefer it: attentive, polished and respectful but also relaxed and friendly.

It was a truly great flight that I will keep in my memory for a long time to come.

Airokid

Great Report! One small error I spotted. The 777-200LR is not a 77W. The 777-300ER is the 77W.

jacob_m

Thanks! Corrected! I'm not an expert of all these B777 models...

HHConrad

Impressive! And thanks for input on my topics.

"She was assisted by a 29-year old woman from Singapore"
Just wondering how you get all that detailed information?...

N751PR

Great report! ^ I'm curious to know what that KE luggage tag looks like though.

jacob_m

She sneaked at my landing card (where my date of birth was written) after landing in CMB, so I asked about her age as well...

I'll see if that can be arranged.
I really don't mind posting a picture of it, the problem is that is has my full name and frequent flyer number, which I'm not too happy to make public. But we'll see...

Abidjan

fantastic update ^. love the pics of the sunset/nightime ceilings.

jacob_m

Here is a map of my trip so far!

14685 miles have been flown, that's slightly less than a third of the trip.
10 airlines and 16 flights are still to be reviewed, including more first class products ...

Just started on the next instalment.

mjcewl1284

Fantastic update ^

jacob_m

As a flying addict it’s not very often I am actually happy when a flight is over, but in Colombo I was seriously relieved being able to leave the airport for a proper bed.

Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka, is not exactly your typical holiday destination. My small guidebook described the city as “not for the faint-hearted”, and I can somewhat attest to that.
It’s an overwhelming city to arrive in with all the traffic and all the people who want to speak to you for whatever reason. It was actually a positive thing to arrive right in the middle of the night.

I found Colombo to be a rather cool city, it’s beautifully located along the Indian Ocean. There is not a massive number of famous sights, but a few nice Buddhist temples, some nice museums (especially history ones, Sri Lanka has a long history) and some very good and cheap shopping.

Security is still a high priority in the city, even though the civil war has ended. There is a reasonably strong military presence, but as the airport driver commented, some of them are just there as the alternative would be unemployment.
As a visitor you can feel perfectly safe, security was nothing I spent much time thinking about, with the exception of what sights and buildings you are allowed to take photos of. You just never know...

jacob_m

Hilton Colombo was to be my home during the visit in Colombo.
It is a stellar hotel, by most people regarded as the best in the city, and I can agree on that.

I thought the hotel was great, it ended up being a really nice hotel stay.
I don’t know the exact star rating, however a New York, Tokyo or Hong Kong 5* hotel it is not, and making that comparison anyway would just not be fair, it is a Sri Lankan hotel with Sri Lankan standards.
The interior is not of the most recent western standard, I have definitely stayed in more high-tech rooms with more buttons and newer TVs, but I found the interior part of the charm.

The facilities are plentiful with several restaurants, 24 hour room service, a nice pool area, a well-equipped gym with instructors, a tennis court, a few shops and a bakery.

The service was absolutely impeccable! Very attentive, very polished and with great attention to details.
All the staff I interacted with were incredibly courteous and helpful, addressed me by name whenever they got the chance, and went out of their way with any requests.
I ordered room service one night, which was not just incredibly cheap, but also delivered on a beautifully decorated tray. They had really made a serious effort with the presentation.

The hotel is located right next to the World Trade Center with direct access from the hotel, this is a major advantage for all visitors. Business travellers will appreciate it, leisure travellers will also appreciate it as there is an HSBC branch inside with ATMs. You do not want to withdraw money from an ATM in the street with lots of locals around.
I even used the WTC to leave the hotel to avoid being approached by all kinds of people who notice you stay in one the city’s most upmarket hotels.

Thor3

When I first saw your posting, I was only going to read a few postings. I found myself reading the whole thing in one sitting. Thanks for all the effort in typing your journey. I look forward to the rest of the journey.

toyotaboy95

I think they just ran out of menus. I flew CA in Business from PEK to HKG just a few weeks ago (mid-July 2010) and they gave out menus to every passenger.

BTW, I was also flying ARN-PEK, but in Y just a few days ago as part of a HKG-PEK-ARN-PEK-HKG trip. Your comments about the check-in process and gate are right on the spot and reflect the situation quite well. The gates that CA uses, for some reason, are always so small and crowded. Last year, CA912 was using ARN gate 17 (with extra passport control) and this year F62 (same as you).

You also said that the SAS Scandinavian Lounge was closed for refurbishment? Strangely, as UA*G, I was able to enter it and it didn't quite look any different from last year (I also flew this routing last year and it was operated by the A330-200!).

jacob_m

Interesting! Maybe it depends on the route?! For both my flights they had just one menu which, on the PEK-SIN flight, I saw she stored in the galley.

I don't know if they actually refurbished it. I think "refurbishment" rather means cleaning it properly and replacing a few things, like internet computers or parts of the buffet area, everything that needs to be fixed that they don't have time to do during the high season.

The second reason why there is just one lounge during parts of the summer is that the demand is very low, most frequent travellers are on holiday and one lounge is simply enough.