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Early December 2018 I flew my first Emirates business class from Dubai, United Arab Emirates to Casablanca, Morocco. On the return trip I was in economy.
Details:
Emirates Airlines EK751
Dubai (DXB) – Casablanca (CMN)
Sunday, December 2
Depart: 0725
Arrive: 1315
Duration: 9hr 50min
Aircraft: Airbus A380-800
Seat: 22G and 22D (Business Class)
Emirates Chauffeur Services Abu Dhabi to DXB
The trip started with a much too early 3am wake up in Abu Dhabi. I had arranged for the Emirates chauffeur service 2 days prior to pick me up 3 hours and 30 minutes before the flight at 0355. It’s free for all business and first class passengers traveling from any of the 7 Emirates.
In standard Emirates fashion, the chauffeur had no idea where to pick me up. For those who don’t know, the Emirates does not have a standardized street and numbering system. Everything is done off of landmarks or GPS pins sent via WhatsApp.
The driver called me at 0350, asked me to send him a pin on WhatsApp, and arrived at 0405. I wasn’t too stressed because it’s an easy drive from Abu Dhabi to DXB, especially at 4 in the morning. I should have arranged for an earlier car as well if I was going to be stressed about getting to the airport so close.
The driver also stopped for a bathroom break at an ADNOC (gas station) on the way to DXB. Again, not too stressful, but not exactly the level of professionalism I thought an Emirates chauffeur would have.
The trip took 1 hour and 36 minutes according to Google. The private first and business class section of Emirates Terminal 3 at DXB meant rapid check in, immigration control, and security check. Shoes were required to come off and laptops out of the bag. Next was a short tram ride to the A gates.
Emirates Terminal 3 Business Class Lounge
The flight departed from gate A9. The Emirates Terminal 3 Business Class lounge is massive. It took my at least 5 minutes to walk from the check in desk to the area closest to my gate. There was several bustling food options, coffee, a quiet area with lounging chairs for napping, and a business center with computers and a printer.
The Business Class Lounge offered direct gate access to A9. I boarded at 0650 for the 0725 departure. Boarding was through the upper deck door. The economy passengers had two jetways at the front and middle of the aircraft. The livery was big “Year of Zayed 2018” with Sheikh Zayed waving.
Flight Emirates 751 EK751
My seat was originally 22G, but I ended up moving one to the left because my entertainment system could not be reset to start working. The two photos below are of seat 22G.
This is a great seat if you are travelling alone and can’t get a window seat, which was my case. The beverage and console area are in between 22D and 22G, so it’s more private from your neighbor. Check Seat Guru for a good idea of the seat map.
This is a bulkhead seat so you just have a wall in front of you, but there’s no toilet or galley on the other side. Just a passageway from one side of the aircraft to the other. The flight attendants will sit in the jump seat on takeoff and landings, but otherwise it’s a quiet spot if you want to sleep.
I was afraid being in the rear section of the aircraft near the bar it would be noisy, but the aircraft ambient noise drowned out any noisy patrons.
My Allbirds were comfortable and fit perfectly in my shoe cubby. I wore the provided socks while sitting and put on the Allbirds when walking around or hanging out at the bar.
I started the journey with a glass of champagne and an orange juice. DIY mimosas!
And I continued with some more champagne throughout the flight. Since it was my first Emirates business class experience I decided to let loose a bit on my usually minimal alcohol intake.
Mission Impossible Fallout and Sicario: Day of the Solado were my movies of choice on this flight. I also started a Richtie McCaw documentary called “Chasing Great” on his quest to win back-to-back Rugby World Cups with the New Zealand All Blacks.
Mission Impossible 6 was entertaining. I appreciate Tom Cruise doing his own stunts and trying to get as many real shots as possible with very little green screen or GCI. The first Sicario was definitely better but the sequel had its moments.
The food was nothing to write home about. You can read plenty of other travel bloggers who gush about Emirates airplane food.
Breakfast was a simple continental affair with bread, fresh fruit, coffee or tea, and a warm croissant. For lunch I started with the salmon tartare and had the beef as my main.
The dessert was actually pretty tasty, a chocolate cake type thing. That plus a double espresso nearly put me to sleep.
Between 2 movies, decent food, a few drinks and interesting conversations in the bar, the nearly 10 hour flight went by very quickly, comfortably, and without the normal aches and pains associated with economy class. Since someone else was paying for the flight, I would say it was 100% worth it.