EK412 - Emirates B772LR Inaugural Landing in AKL
Feb 5, 2009, 3:45 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: AKL
Programs: Skywards Gold, Qantas FF
Posts: 479
EK412 - Emirates B772LR Inaugural Landing in AKL
Hi All
This TR covers my return flight back to AKL after the A380 Inaugural flight from AKL .
Initially, I wasn't happy that I wouldn't get the A380 on the way back ... but with this SYD-AKL flight being operated by Emirates' first Boeing 777-200LR into AKL , it would be a nice set of firsts back to back for me so decided that it wasn't so bad after all
The A380 flight was among the best EK F flights I had flown but wouldn't you know it ... the EK F cabin crew on the return flight went on to improve the service and have raised the bar again ^
My Day started quite early at 06:00 am with a Chauffeur Drive to the airport in a beautiful Audi A8 ...
The Check-In Desks were not that busy .. only a couple in front of me for F so hopped onto the empty J counter to speed things up ...
After a quick check-in made my way past security and got stopped by the customs staff as they noticed my A380 goody bag and wanted to know what it was like so spent a good few minutes chatting to the whole group of them ... as it was early and there were not many pax going through security.
The SYD Lounge
There were a couple more similar A380 poster flags in the lounge to mark the event.
The lounge invitations were printed rather than Hand written so it looked much more professional ... So although the hand written ones do communicate more personalised service the printed ones look good as souvenirs
A few pics of the lounge before it got busy ...
The EK Water Feature
EK Logo
The Bar
The Food ?
The Food
Liked this EK flag so a quick shot with the A380 goody bag...
The SYD lounge turned out to be quite busy as a lot of the people ( From Media & Travel) in the lounge had also travelled on the A380 the night before and were returning home .
Our flight today was delayed by a few minutes but this allowed me to click a few pics of it taxing to the aero-bridge:
Boarding was announced so I collected my things and made my way to the boarding gate 59.
Arriving at Gate 59 I saw something strange .... there was a huge crowd and the boarding staff were letting Y pax on the premium line as well and there was no usual premium boarding service which was very strange and a first for me on my EK travels but , once I got past the 3 extra minutes, it took to process me , I saw the beautiful EK B77LR so all thoughts went flying out as I was eager to get on the plane.
As we boarded through the same bridge as J pax so was welcomed on board by J cabin crew who escorted me through the J cabin and introduced me to our purser today Jedine.
Jedine again gave me a warm welcome and went to fetch the pre-departure drinks as I settled into my Suite 2A.
The B772LR suite and F cabin is similar to the B77ER so hope these few pics suffice...
Suite 2A
F Cabin
F Bar
Leg - Room
Massive Screen
Suite Space
Sealed Storage Compartment
This sealed off space I'm told is/was supposed to be the Suite Trash Receptacle intended to allow F pax to dispose off any trash they had without getting the FA but then the was the issue of cleaning the bin which would disturb the F pax so for the moment they're still working on it.
Wire-Less Controller
You can see the same window shades control buttons as on the A380 but they dont work here ..
Welcome Drink
Arabic Coffee & Date
Round 2
A few pics as we taxied and then took off
GPS Location
Gate After Push back
Flight Info:
Spotted the SQ A380
A Qantas plane coming into land
Finally SYD
Take -Off:
Here's where the first difference from the A380 was obvious ... I noticed and felt the whole take off run tenfold as opposed to my prev A380 flight and a few things also fell off from the magazine compartment in the adjacent suites and not mention the usual engine noise too ...
After the seat-belt sign was turned off Jedine was at my side again briefing me on today's menu and she took my order whilst kneeling down the traditional EK way. After I had sussed out my brunch she introduced me to Fahad who would be looking after my side of the cabin today.
Brunch :
I started with a delicious Banana Smoothie & hot mixed nuts
Followed by some fresh fruit
Some more Dom
And then the main event arrived
The meal was excellent with a real tender and juicy lamb cutlet , tasty chicken sausage along with a stuffed mushroom cap and some veges.
Dessert : was a rich Cafe au lait tartlet
Accompanied with a freshly brewed cappuccino
As with all EK trans tasman flights in F ... the end of the meal service usually happens a few minutes before our descent ... but once again the food was real great and the service flawless.
I have to commend Fahad on a job very well done. His service through-out the meal was excellent .. I took my time with the food as I enjoyed every morsel ... This meant Fahad had to keep coming back and checking, discreetly & unobtrusively if I had finished and he did this so well that the one time I tried to catch him out he had the bottle of Dom ready to top me up lol
Once my table had been cleared Jedine came back to chat and she was really such a sweetheart , her manner was professional & friendly but most importantly her warmth was genuine.
It was a pleasure to see a purser looking after the F cabin pax and the rest of the cabin crew so well. ^ ^
Whilst we were chatting, Jedine asked me if I would like to have a tour of the plane with her after we landed ... Unfortunately I couldnt spare a lot of time but agreed to a quick tour as I was excited to see the cockpit and crew rest areas too.
Approaching AKL
HOME
Once we landed I waited till all the F pax left , then Jedine came back from the door and took me to see the pilots ...
The lovely Jedine
Then we chatted some more about their next flight and her time with EK whilst the Y pax deplaned. After a few minutes Fahad came back and informed us that we could now go to the crew rest area as the Y area was now clear. Fahad lead the way to the crew quarters which in this aircraft was right at the end of the Y cabin ...
The Open Door showing the steep stairs
The Bunks
A Crew bunk
Fahad
Fahad in the tight crew quarters
Empty Y cabin
With my tour over I went up to the F cabin to say thank Jedine who was finally having a bite to eat but stopped to say a final good bye.
As I was leaving the plane I met all the other FAs who joked about how they were off the plane before me
Final Thoughts :
This flight was a very memorable one for me and I enjoyed every minute of it. The F cabin was half full so it was a bit busy yet the service and attention through-out the flight was very well orchestrated.
Both Fahad and Jedine were real great examples of Exceptional Cabin Crew.
I enjoyed seeing some hidden areas of the plane. The best part about this was the offer to see the places came from Jedine directly and I didnt even have to ask .
So Thank you Jedine & Fahad for a fantastic flight and thanks Emirates for once again giving me a great flight experience.
I hope you enjoyed this flight as much as I did and thanks for reading ... Comments and feedback are much appreciated !
Cheers
This TR covers my return flight back to AKL after the A380 Inaugural flight from AKL .
Initially, I wasn't happy that I wouldn't get the A380 on the way back ... but with this SYD-AKL flight being operated by Emirates' first Boeing 777-200LR into AKL , it would be a nice set of firsts back to back for me so decided that it wasn't so bad after all
The A380 flight was among the best EK F flights I had flown but wouldn't you know it ... the EK F cabin crew on the return flight went on to improve the service and have raised the bar again ^
My Day started quite early at 06:00 am with a Chauffeur Drive to the airport in a beautiful Audi A8 ...
The Check-In Desks were not that busy .. only a couple in front of me for F so hopped onto the empty J counter to speed things up ...
After a quick check-in made my way past security and got stopped by the customs staff as they noticed my A380 goody bag and wanted to know what it was like so spent a good few minutes chatting to the whole group of them ... as it was early and there were not many pax going through security.
The SYD Lounge
There were a couple more similar A380 poster flags in the lounge to mark the event.
The lounge invitations were printed rather than Hand written so it looked much more professional ... So although the hand written ones do communicate more personalised service the printed ones look good as souvenirs
A few pics of the lounge before it got busy ...
The EK Water Feature
EK Logo
The Bar
The Food ?
The Food
Liked this EK flag so a quick shot with the A380 goody bag...
The SYD lounge turned out to be quite busy as a lot of the people ( From Media & Travel) in the lounge had also travelled on the A380 the night before and were returning home .
Our flight today was delayed by a few minutes but this allowed me to click a few pics of it taxing to the aero-bridge:
Boarding was announced so I collected my things and made my way to the boarding gate 59.
Arriving at Gate 59 I saw something strange .... there was a huge crowd and the boarding staff were letting Y pax on the premium line as well and there was no usual premium boarding service which was very strange and a first for me on my EK travels but , once I got past the 3 extra minutes, it took to process me , I saw the beautiful EK B77LR so all thoughts went flying out as I was eager to get on the plane.
As we boarded through the same bridge as J pax so was welcomed on board by J cabin crew who escorted me through the J cabin and introduced me to our purser today Jedine.
Jedine again gave me a warm welcome and went to fetch the pre-departure drinks as I settled into my Suite 2A.
The B772LR suite and F cabin is similar to the B77ER so hope these few pics suffice...
Suite 2A
F Cabin
F Bar
Leg - Room
Massive Screen
Suite Space
Sealed Storage Compartment
This sealed off space I'm told is/was supposed to be the Suite Trash Receptacle intended to allow F pax to dispose off any trash they had without getting the FA but then the was the issue of cleaning the bin which would disturb the F pax so for the moment they're still working on it.
Wire-Less Controller
You can see the same window shades control buttons as on the A380 but they dont work here ..
Welcome Drink
Arabic Coffee & Date
Round 2
A few pics as we taxied and then took off
GPS Location
Gate After Push back
Flight Info:
Spotted the SQ A380
A Qantas plane coming into land
Finally SYD
Take -Off:
Here's where the first difference from the A380 was obvious ... I noticed and felt the whole take off run tenfold as opposed to my prev A380 flight and a few things also fell off from the magazine compartment in the adjacent suites and not mention the usual engine noise too ...
After the seat-belt sign was turned off Jedine was at my side again briefing me on today's menu and she took my order whilst kneeling down the traditional EK way. After I had sussed out my brunch she introduced me to Fahad who would be looking after my side of the cabin today.
Brunch :
I started with a delicious Banana Smoothie & hot mixed nuts
Followed by some fresh fruit
Some more Dom
And then the main event arrived
The meal was excellent with a real tender and juicy lamb cutlet , tasty chicken sausage along with a stuffed mushroom cap and some veges.
Dessert : was a rich Cafe au lait tartlet
Accompanied with a freshly brewed cappuccino
As with all EK trans tasman flights in F ... the end of the meal service usually happens a few minutes before our descent ... but once again the food was real great and the service flawless.
I have to commend Fahad on a job very well done. His service through-out the meal was excellent .. I took my time with the food as I enjoyed every morsel ... This meant Fahad had to keep coming back and checking, discreetly & unobtrusively if I had finished and he did this so well that the one time I tried to catch him out he had the bottle of Dom ready to top me up lol
Once my table had been cleared Jedine came back to chat and she was really such a sweetheart , her manner was professional & friendly but most importantly her warmth was genuine.
It was a pleasure to see a purser looking after the F cabin pax and the rest of the cabin crew so well. ^ ^
Whilst we were chatting, Jedine asked me if I would like to have a tour of the plane with her after we landed ... Unfortunately I couldnt spare a lot of time but agreed to a quick tour as I was excited to see the cockpit and crew rest areas too.
Approaching AKL
HOME
Once we landed I waited till all the F pax left , then Jedine came back from the door and took me to see the pilots ...
The lovely Jedine
Then we chatted some more about their next flight and her time with EK whilst the Y pax deplaned. After a few minutes Fahad came back and informed us that we could now go to the crew rest area as the Y area was now clear. Fahad lead the way to the crew quarters which in this aircraft was right at the end of the Y cabin ...
The Open Door showing the steep stairs
The Bunks
A Crew bunk
Fahad
Fahad in the tight crew quarters
Empty Y cabin
With my tour over I went up to the F cabin to say thank Jedine who was finally having a bite to eat but stopped to say a final good bye.
As I was leaving the plane I met all the other FAs who joked about how they were off the plane before me
Final Thoughts :
This flight was a very memorable one for me and I enjoyed every minute of it. The F cabin was half full so it was a bit busy yet the service and attention through-out the flight was very well orchestrated.
Both Fahad and Jedine were real great examples of Exceptional Cabin Crew.
I enjoyed seeing some hidden areas of the plane. The best part about this was the offer to see the places came from Jedine directly and I didnt even have to ask .
So Thank you Jedine & Fahad for a fantastic flight and thanks Emirates for once again giving me a great flight experience.
I hope you enjoyed this flight as much as I did and thanks for reading ... Comments and feedback are much appreciated !
Cheers
Last edited by EK_Flyer; Feb 5, 2009 at 5:22 pm
Feb 5, 2009, 8:43 pm
#2
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Bargara Australia
Programs: VA, SQ, IHG, HH,ALL, Europcar
Posts: 1,530
Great report - thank you - loved the shots of the crew area.
The issue with boarding at SYD comes down to the company that now does the ground handling. DNATA - I understand they are a Emirates based company, and they are doing all the ground handling in SYD.
On my last flight at check in - I asked if the seat next to me was still vacant, as i am a person of size - its more comfortable for me and more importantly for my seat mate.
Previously check in staff at both SYD and CHC have been only too happy to block out the seat next to me, as does Air NZ and Virgin Blue. (Obviously if its a full flight they cannot do it, but if the flight is not full).
The response was the seat is currently empty but we cannot block it for you.
I had nil other issues, but my partner flew over a few days later.
SYD had started to build the 380 gates (oct 2008) and first the arriving flight from DXB was delayed.
When boarding was announced - it was via a bus transit to the cargo area. There was no mention of this in the boarding announcement, all of a sudden all the pax found themselves heading down stairs and jammed onto a bus.
On boarding the flight - they sat on the tarmac for 40 mins before the doors were finally closed and the aircraft was able to depart.
From 1 hr delay at check in - the delay ran out to 2 hrs 10 mins.
Delays are not always avoidable, but its good customer service to communicate with your passengers.
I find EK wonderful to travel on, I hope that DNATA get their act together as check in and ground handling can make the difference between a poor experience and a great experience.
Adam
The issue with boarding at SYD comes down to the company that now does the ground handling. DNATA - I understand they are a Emirates based company, and they are doing all the ground handling in SYD.
On my last flight at check in - I asked if the seat next to me was still vacant, as i am a person of size - its more comfortable for me and more importantly for my seat mate.
Previously check in staff at both SYD and CHC have been only too happy to block out the seat next to me, as does Air NZ and Virgin Blue. (Obviously if its a full flight they cannot do it, but if the flight is not full).
The response was the seat is currently empty but we cannot block it for you.
I had nil other issues, but my partner flew over a few days later.
SYD had started to build the 380 gates (oct 2008) and first the arriving flight from DXB was delayed.
When boarding was announced - it was via a bus transit to the cargo area. There was no mention of this in the boarding announcement, all of a sudden all the pax found themselves heading down stairs and jammed onto a bus.
On boarding the flight - they sat on the tarmac for 40 mins before the doors were finally closed and the aircraft was able to depart.
From 1 hr delay at check in - the delay ran out to 2 hrs 10 mins.
Delays are not always avoidable, but its good customer service to communicate with your passengers.
I find EK wonderful to travel on, I hope that DNATA get their act together as check in and ground handling can make the difference between a poor experience and a great experience.
Adam
Feb 6, 2009, 12:59 pm
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: AKL
Programs: Skywards Gold, Qantas FF
Posts: 479
Thanks for reading , glad you enjoyed it
And thanks for the explanation as I was really surprised at how the boarding was handled.
Hope they get their act together as looks like i'll be using SYD airport almost exclusively now that there are no B77w coming into AKL
And thanks for the explanation as I was really surprised at how the boarding was handled.
Hope they get their act together as looks like i'll be using SYD airport almost exclusively now that there are no B77w coming into AKL
Feb 11, 2009, 4:32 am
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: AKL
Programs: Skywards Gold, Qantas FF
Posts: 479
Thanks for your +ve feedback chanp
The pictures of the crew rest areas, give an insight into how challenging the FAs job is ... so hopefully next time I/we'll cut them some slack !
Cheers,
The pictures of the crew rest areas, give an insight into how challenging the FAs job is ... so hopefully next time I/we'll cut them some slack !
Cheers,
Last edited by EK_Flyer; Feb 11, 2009 at 4:50 am
May 25, 2009, 4:57 pm
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: AKL
Programs: Skywards Gold, Qantas FF
Posts: 479
May 25, 2009, 7:09 pm
#9
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 1,188
Great report here EK_Flyer!! Tons of photos to give people who hasnt been on EK yet (like me) a feel of what it is like!
And very lucky that you get to visit both the Cockpit and the crew area! Not alot of chances in the world out there
just suprising that they use a plastic knife for the main course
hope there would be more coming up!
Keep up the good work!
And very lucky that you get to visit both the Cockpit and the crew area! Not alot of chances in the world out there
just suprising that they use a plastic knife for the main course
hope there would be more coming up!
Keep up the good work!
May 29, 2009, 7:39 am
#11
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: AKL
Programs: Skywards Gold, Qantas FF
Posts: 479
Great report here EK_Flyer!! Tons of photos to give people who hasnt been on EK yet (like me) a feel of what it is like!
And very lucky that you get to visit both the Cockpit and the crew area! Not alot of chances in the world out there
just suprising that they use a plastic knife for the main course
hope there would be more coming up!
Keep up the good work!
And very lucky that you get to visit both the Cockpit and the crew area! Not alot of chances in the world out there
just suprising that they use a plastic knife for the main course
hope there would be more coming up!
Keep up the good work!
Always been a plastic knife on EK for the AKL-DXB-AKL route a FA once told me it was Australian requirement but not sure if that's correct.
Cheers ^