When I first started travel hacking, one of the premier redemptions I heard about was flying in First Class on Emirates. Many travel blogs and social media accounts document this incredible product. Two years into my travel hacking journey, I finally landed tickets from the United States to the Maldives and back on this incredible airline. The journey to the Maldives departed from Los Angeles, and the return flight arrived in New York City. We had a layover in Dubai going both directions. The flights to and from the United States were on the Airbus A380. This was the First Class experience I was most excited for, and this review will be based on the A380 First Class product. The flights to and from the Maldives were on the Boeing 777-300ER, and while still incredible, they did not compare to the First Class product on the A380.
Booking:
Booking First Class seats on Emirates with points can be difficult to accomplish. I booked one way tickets from Los Angeles to Malé (The Maldives capital city and location of its international airport) the day Emirates released the tickets (almost one year in advance). I did the same for our return flight to New York City, but initially I could only book Business Class tickets for the Dubai to New York City leg. I was eventually able to upgrade those seats to First Class using points as well. I transferred all the points used for the bookings from Chase Ultimate Rewards and American Express Membership Rewards. I do not remember the exact amount of points needed, but I believe in total I used about 600,000 points for two tickets to fly First Class to and from the Maldives. I also spent approximately $500 per person in taxes and fees. As a comparison, these tickets would have cost over $10,000 each if I would have paid cash!
Check-in:
Check-in in Los Angeles was very easy. We arrived at the check-in counter shortly before 12:30, but it was not open. There was a line already forming at the counter. We did not see a dedicated First Class line, so we got in the line everybody else was waiting in. The counter opened at 12:30, and immediately upon opening, agents opened a line for First Class passengers. We moved to that line and were assisted immediately with checking in. Check-in was seamless and we then headed to the Emirates Lounge.
Lounge:
We had four hours before our flight departed so we went to the lounge for lunch and drinks. We were the first people in the lounge when it opened, and it was approximately twenty minutes before anybody else arrived. For lunch, I had salmon, prawns, and lamb and several glasses of cabernet sauvignon. The food was decent, but I expected better. The chairs were very comfortable and spread out, which made the lounge not feel very busy. A notification was made when it was time for the plane to board, and passengers made their way to the gate.
Seat:
The first class cabin on the A380 has fourteen seats in a 1-2-1 configuration. We were in seats 2E and 2F. These were center seats. The window seats are ideal for solo travelers or couples who each want their own window seat.
As we boarded the airplane, flight attendants showed us to our seats. The seats were incredible. They were extremely comfortable, and I had no problem spending the next 15+ hours in the seat. These seats are a suite, with a door that closes for complete privacy. As you would expect from a premium cabin on an international flight, they are lie-flat seats. The seat was very wide, which made sleeping on the flight easy. There is a massive in-flight entertainment screen, with plenty of good entertainment options. There is also a mirror so you can see yourself if needed, and there is plenty of lighting in the suite from various angles.
An amenity kit was waiting for us with Bulgari products. There are both male and female amenity kits. With four first class flights on this trip, I ended the trip with four amenity kits each! The cologne and lotion both smelled amazing.
Food and Drink:
Something I was excited for on these flights was free flowing Dom Perignon. The flight attendant told me they could not serve Dom Perignon before takeoff, but he poured me Veuve Clicquot. I drank that before we departed, and the flight attendants took my glass just before takeoff. Shortly after we were airborne, the flight attendants came through the cabin and offered us Dom Perignon, which I gladly accepted. I also was able to order caviar, which was something I was very excited for. It was my first time trying caviar, and it was amazing.
Dinner is served on demand. I ordered beef tenderloin for dinner and chocolate cake for dessert. Both were excellent. The presentation is also amazing. Dinner is served on a white table cloth, which the flight attendant puts over your tray table.
Something else I was looking forward to on this flight was the on board bar, which is available for first and business class passengers on the A380. The bar is located at the very back of the upper deck. Several hours into the flight, I went to the bar and ordered a few drinks. There is not much seating in the bar area, and I can imagine it can feel cramped if many passengers come to order drinks at the same time. I had my drink and left.
Looking back, I think I would have spent more time here as a business class passenger, and I would not worry about visiting the bar as a first class passenger. In a way it took away from the exclusivity of the Emirates first class experience, but it was still neat to go sit at a bar on an airplane.
Shower:
Emirates has two showers on the A380 for its first class passengers! I was excited to try it, but I thought it would only be a novelty. I had no idea how nice it would be to shower after a fifteen hour flight though! The lavatory, which includes the shower, for first class passengers is massive. There is plenty of room to walk around or change clothes.
Shower times were scheduled by the flight attendants within a few hours of landing. Each first class passenger is scheduled for a thirty minute window to use the lavatory during their time for a shower, and they are allotted five minutes of water during that time. There is a timer in the shower so you can see how much water you have remaining, and the water can be turned on and off so you can save it as needed. The remainder of the thirty minutes can be spent getting dressed before landing.
Deboarding:
Even the deboarding process as a first class passenger is special. Emirates does not let other passengers exit the plane until first class passengers have exited. I embarrassingly learned this when we landed on our return flight from Dubai to New York City. I wanted to buy a model A380, which could be purchased on board the airplane. I was trying to pay, but it took several minutes, as they were having issues with the credit card processor. All of the other first class passengers had deboarded, and after several minutes the credit card processor worked, and I paid for my model airplane and went to deboard. I noticed the flight attendants were blocking the paths of the business class passengers so they could not deboard the plane. As soon as I passed, the business class passengers followed. I was embarrassed that everyone else was waiting on me, but that kind of treatment as a first class passenger was pretty incredible.
Overall Impression:
Overall, the Emirates first class experience blew away my expectations. The seat and service are top notch, and we were truly treated like the most important passengers on the plane. It was a special experience that very few travelers will ever have, and I am fortunate we were able to experience it. I would highly recommend not passing up the chance to fly this product if it ever presents itself.