Emirates: Could they Please Give Instruction to USA Airlines?
Written: Apr 15 '07 (Updated Apr 15 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Very clean aircraft, Great cabin services
Cons: You have to leave from JFK
The Bottom Line: Fly Emirates and re-discover what international flying should be.
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| royalcrowncola's Full Review: Emirates Airlines |
If you fly on a typical US airline—or, one of their European brothers, as well—you have just come to expect shody service and airline service workers that are as tired and well-used as the older aircraft they fly. If you want a great experience flying internationally, then you should try Emirates.
Aircraft:
Emirates flies the spacious Airbus 340-500 from JFK to Dubai. The interiors in Coach are light tan color with mauve upholstery with aqua highlights. The ceiling panels have an interesting touch; every other panel has tiny star-lights shining when the cabin lights are dimmed to give the impression that you are looking up into a starry sky while flying. The seats are very comfortable with generous (for coach class) legroom. The Emirates uses the 2/4/2 seating arrangement in the coach cabin. Each seat-back has a very large screen and control/telephone built into it. Restrooms are much nicer, the sink-countertop is all marble, and there are free colognes for passengers who wish to use them. Evidently, the cabin attendants clean the restrooms very frequently, because even at the end of the flight the restrooms were as clean and fresh as when our trip started in New York.
In Flight Entertainment
The in-flight entertainment has the greatest variety of selection I have ever seen on an aircraft. There are literally hundreds of channels of movies, T.V. shows, information, games, music, radio…and, of course, the channel I liked to check out from time-to-time: the nose camera. With the nose camera option you can watch the take-off and landing on your T.V. screen getting something of the same view the pilots get from the flight deck. I was supposed to be doing some reading (for my meetings this week): however, I found the entertainment system unusually entertaining and it was difficult to pry my attention away and back to my notebook.
Cabin Crew
There is obviously a selection criteria for Emirates cabin crew. Most of them are young; the ladies are unusually attractive. They wear a tasteful uniform that is color coordinated with the cabin interior colors. They are well trained and faultlessly courteous to the passengers. They hand out actual cloth “hot towels” for refreshing yourself before meals and before landing in Dubai. Unlike flying with a USA based airline to Europe, the flight attendants actually move through the cabin on a regular basis taking care of passenger needs.
Food
That is one of the “extras” that USA based airlines have done away with long ago. But, upon being seated on the aircraft we were presented with the menu for the meals for the flight. The food was actual food. Evidently, Emirates prepares special meals for vegetarians and some religious considerations; however, I wouldn’t count on getting a kosher meal on Emirates. The meal I had had hearty (for airline food) portions of beef with onion, green pepper, and mushrooms. The meal was rounded of with a very crispy salad, cheese, a desert, and a small piece of chocolate.
Carry-on Items
Like all airlines Emirates has begun to be very picky about size, weight, and numbers of carry-on items. One of the ground staff asked that I check my carry-on at the door. I explained that my carry-on contained only by computer (which I use for video editing) and my camera equipment. He was glad for me to carry all of this individually…but, once my carry on was emptied of those items it hardly weighed much at all. So, after some negotiations, I took my carry-on with me onto the aircraft.
The One Hiccup
When we left from our hometown to go to Chicago, JFK, and Dubai, we started out on American Airlines. The counter agent printed out all our boarding passes, including the one for Emirates. So, we assumed (foolish assumption for regular international travelers like us) that we were set to simply go to the gate and board the Emirates flight in New York. Evidently, there is a different plan for that—which nobody informs you of—that requires you to go to the Emirates counter and exchange the boarding pass that American Airlines issues for an Emirates boarding pass. We had several hours of lay-over at JFK, so we ate a leisurely meal and wandered the shopping area for quite some time. About an hour and a half before the boarding was to start we went to the security line for the concourse that would take us to our gate. On entering the security line we were pulled out by a very rude individual who ordered us to back to the Emirates counter and get a proper boarding pass. It didn’t take long…but, if we were on a short connection, then it would have been a problem. Evidently, the nicely lettered well placed sign that advises you of this requirement has been replaced by a very rude security person from JKF. What a shame!
The Bottom Line:
Emirates is what an airline should be and most of the time isn’t. They have very gracious and knowledgeable employees who seem to be empowered to be problem solvers rather than just rule enforcers. Their airplanes are very clean and very well maintained. I think everyone should have at least ONE great airline story.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
royalcrowncola
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Location: Albuquerque, NM
Reviews written: 69
Trusted by: 38 members
About Me:
Travel has expanded my "horizons". Diet NOW! My body shouts.
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