Emirates has long had the reputation of being the crème de la crème when it comes to providing a luxury passenger experience in their top product. I must admit, I never found another airline that provides a similar experience.

As I write this, I am in a First Class Suite on Emirates flight EK 333 from Manila to Dubai. We will arrive in Dubai in 2 hours and I am sorry the flight will be over soon.

I have never flown on their double-decker A380 on which they have a shower for first class passengers and a standalone bar. That is for the future. This 777 experience is plenty good enough.

When I boarded the plane, I was escorted by an attendant to my seat. The size of my compartment is about the same as first class compartments with most major airlines, but the wall and stone table and the sliding door make it seem larger and more luxurious. There is a large, permanently-mounted screen instead of screen that needs to be swung out.

There is a closed compartment next to the seat. Push the button to open it and it reveals bottles of sparkling and still water, a glass, and a couple jars of snacks.

The safety video says there is a compartment for storing my carry-on luggage under the shelving in front. Maybe that’s on their A380s, but that is not the case on any of the 777s I have flown with them. The first time I flew with them, I asked where I should put my bags. I was told to just put them on the floor in front. That is unusual, but I found it quite convenient for getting access to my items during the flight.

They gave me a kit with toiletries and asked if I would like a pair of pajamas. Along with the pajamas, the attendant gave me a bag that I could use to carry all the items they gave to me. Emirates is the only airline that I know that gives a bag with their amenities and that is something I really appreciate.

Unfortunately, they changed the contents of the toiletry kit early this year. They still have Bulgari cologne, but, unlike the cologne shown above (from January 2024), I find the odor of the new cologne to be unpleasant. One of the attendants told me they also changed the contents of the woman’s bag.

Shortly before take-off, two attendants offered me coffee service. They had a box with 3 types of dates. They offered me a date and fragrant Arabic coffee.

In my opinion, there are three things that set Emirates First Class menu apart from that of other airlines:

• Dom Pérignon champagne
• Caviar
• The Arabic Mezze .

Dom Pérignon Champagne

One of the flight attendants asked me what I would like to drink. When I said, “champagne”, she immediately broke out the Dom Pérignon. I read someplace that they are not allowed to open the Dom Pérignon until after take-off. The attendant told me that depends upon the airport of departure and in most cases, they are now allowed to serve it on the ground.

BTW, I learned on this flight that Dom Pérignon makes a pink champagne. I had it with lunch and it was very good.

After we were in the air, I ordered caviar. This was maybe the 4th time in my life I ate caviar. In the past, I didn’t like it at all, but I have been told Emirates only serves the best. I wanted to see if it was really as good as I have heard.

They asked what I would like to drink with it. I said vodka, but only if it was ice-cold. The attendant immediately put a bottle of vodka in the freezer.

It took them 20 or 25 minutes to prepare the caviar and the condiments.

The caviar was very good. I look forward to having it again next time I fly with Emirates. However, in the future I will ask for it with just the sour cream and lemon and blinis. I did not think that the eggs, onions, and chives added to my enjoyment.

The attendant who served me told me that he added to my record that I want my vodka with caviar to be ice-cold. He said that in the future, they will put a bottle of vodka in the freezer when I board. Now that’s service!

I had an Arabic mezze for the appetizer. Look at its size! It was much too much for an appetizer. The was the second time I had it, and just like last time, I wasn’t able to finish it.

I will have it again, but will select only about half of the available dishes.

Lunch and dinner consist of three courses: appetizer, main course, and dessert.

Besides the mezze, they offer soup, salad, or some other option such as salmon for the appetizer.

For the main course, they have 5 options. Typically, they would offer a beef dish, another meat or chicken dish, fish, shellfish, and a vegetarian option. Often, one of the options is a biryani, an Indian dish with basamati rice.

To finish the meal, they have a couple types of pastry, fresh fruit, or a cheese plate. I have never seen them serve ice cream.

My most recent meal was lobster biryani. I did not like the lobster very much. It certainly wasn’t a Maine lobster.

Besides the Dom Pérignon, they have wide selection of wine. Most of the wine is French, although they do have a 40-year old tawny port from Portugal. I also see one Italian wine on the wine list.

The following cocktails are on their menu: Bloody Mary, Champagne Cocktail, Aperol Spritz, Kir Royale, Cosmopolitan, Manhattan, classic Martini, breakfast Martini, Expresso Martini, Mojito, Old Fashion, and Negroni.

Their collection of spirits includes Grey Goose vodka, Bacardi rum, Johnny Walker Blue, Woodford Reserve bourbon, Glenmorangie single malt whiskey, and Hennesy Paradis cognac.

As a first class passenger, you are entitled to use the on-board internet for the duration of the flight, but only if you are a member of Emirates’s frequent flyer program, Skywards. If you are going to fly with them in first class, make sure to bring your Skywards number and your password with you. The first time I flew with them, I didn’t have my password and there was no way to get it or reset it once the flight started.

The quality of the internet is excellent. On my most recent trip, I connected both my computer and my tablet to wi-fi and used the tablet as a second screen on the computer. This made it easy to do lots of work on the long flight.

On the Boston side of my trip, Emirates sends a chauffeur at no charge to pick me up at Logan airport to take me to New Hampshire (the chauffeur will take passengers up to 50 miles). When I depart from Boston, Emirates sends a chauffeur to pick me up in New Hampshire and take me to Logan airport.

Unfortunately, they do not offer a similar service in Manila.

My biggest complaint with Emirates is their frequent flyer program. With one exception, miles expire after 3 years even if you fly regularly with Emirates. The one exception is if you have Platinum status. However, to obtain Platinum status, you must fly enough to get 150,000 elite miles in a year.

It is likely I will make two round trips in First Class next year (2025) between Boston and Manila. For that, I will get about 95,000 elite miles. Even if I were to make one additional round trip, I would still come up short for Platinum status.

When I am flying on Emirates, I am not flying on OneWorld airlines. I really don’t want to lose my OneWorld Emerald status. On the other hand, depending upon the airport of departure, most OneWorld airlines charge more to fly in Business Class than Emirates charges to fly in First Class. I need to decide soon if OneWorld Emerald status is really worth it.

Also, I am not thrilled with the Emirates lounges. Most of the following comments do not apply to the First Class lounge in Dubai.

They call their lounges Marhaba. The lounge has numerous sofas and a counter with drinks and food. The bar is not very well stocked. For example, they don’t have white rum at the lounge in Manila.

They have a separate room for first class passengers. In it, there are several easy-chairs, more snacks, and few additional bottles of spirits. The environment is not conducive to working.

The First Class lounge in Dubai is very large and they probably have 10 chefs that work all night. They prepare various dishes and pastries and meals to order.

Last time I was in Dubai, I went to the restaurant in the lounge. They had something like a deli counter just inside the restaurant area. There were numerous pre-made sandwiches. When I asked for one, I was told I had to go sit down and order it from a waiter. I did so. I figured it would take about 5 minutes to receive my order. After 25 minutes, I gave up and had to find someone else to get it for me.

Interestingly, my girlfriend had a similar experience in the same lounge, last year.

Update: Since writing the above review, I have revisited the Dubai lounge on two occasions. My experience was much better than described above.

First, it turns out they have a room where passengers can sleep between flights. Although nothing luxurious, 3 or 4 hours of sleep in it made a huge difference when I had to wait overnight for my next flight.

Secondly, on both occasions that I asked for wine with dinner, the waiter made an outstanding selection. They told me they don’t have a fixed wine list, but the two best wines I have drunk in the past year were both selections made for me by waiters in the Dubai lounge.

Last time I was there, I had a steak dinner that was cooked to perfection.

One last thing … last time I flew with them I left the lounge in time to get to the boarding gate about 10 minutes before the boarding time shown on the flights board. When I got there, the signs were saying “Final Notice”. I was one of the last people to board the plane. I don’t know why getting there 10 minutes before the declared boarding time was cutting it close.

In the future, I will go to the boarding gate at least half an hour earlier.

Coming Soon … The Game Changer

In July (2025), I flew from Manila to Dubai to Boston. When I boarded the plane in in Dubai, the attendant said to me, “I bet you have never flown on the Game Changer before”. I didn’t know what he was talking about, but I soon did. Wow! I wish all their 777 were “game changers”.

I am preparing for my next trip to Manila. As soon as I have some free time, I will tell you about what makes the “game changer” different from regular 777.