First, I was disappointed to see the caviar dished out onto the plate rather than served in the tin. However, I have to nitpick, in true first-class fashion. The blinis were perfectly cooked and the caviar tasted great, although I admittedly have only eaten caviar in my reviews of Cathay Pacific first class and Etihad first class. At boarding, a snack basket was on the front table in the suite with chips, gourmet popcorn, coffee-coated licorice, hydration tablets, a nut mix, a white chocolate bar and a packet of mints: I chose a 500 MB package, but I wasn't able to use even half of it by the time we were descending into LAX.Įmirates makes sure that no first-class passenger goes hungry or thirsty.
There were two data-based Wi-Fi packages available for purchase: $15.99 for up to 500 MB or $9.99 for up to 150 MB. When I tried to log in as a first-class passenger, I received the error that "your Skywards number is not entered for your flight today." Although I had added my Skywards number to my booking online a couple of days before my flight, it seems the Alaska Mileage Plan mileage number replaced it.
#EMIRATES AIRBUS A380 FIRST CLASS FREE#
Plus, first- and business-class passengers who are members of Emirates' Skywards program get free internet.Īlthough I was in first class, I wasn't able to claim a free internet package. The reason for this slowness is clear: The OnAir connection serves an entire A380's worth of passengers, and every passenger gets two hours of free text messaging and another 20 MB of free data. Even well outside the typical Arctic dead zone, it could take up to 20 minutes to do something as simple as sending a text message via data. And no, I don't mean like ground-based Gogo slow. The Wi-Fi connection was decent at the beginning of the flight, but it became unusably slow for the rest of the time. When it comes to Wi-Fi, prepare to be disconnected.
When I pressed the call button to ask for an additional pillow, I had my pillow less than 30 seconds after pressing the button. Also, I wasn't able to add basic data to my booking, such as my passport or emergency contact number. Despite having an Emirates booking reference code, I wasn't able to check in online anytime within the 48-hour window. I experienced several issues when trying to manage my booking on Emirates' website. That's not cheap, but the cash price for this one-way flight from Dubai (DXB) to Los Angeles (LAX) cost the equivalent of almost $9,200 at the time I booked it as an award flight.
#EMIRATES AIRBUS A380 FIRST CLASS PLUS#
At that rate, you can buy enough Alaska miles to get this redemption for $3,257 ($3,165 for the miles plus $92 in taxes and fees on the award). For example, there's currently a 40% bonus promotion running through February 16, which drops the purchase price as low as 2.11 cents each. If you're considering buying Alaska miles for this redemption, make sure to do it when there's a buy-miles promotion. Even better, you can search and book these awards right on Alaska's website:Īlthough 150,000 Alaska miles is a lot, there's an easy way to stock up: Buy them. We opted, instead, to book this award with Alaska Mileage Plan for 150,000 Alaska miles plus just $92 in taxes and fees. However, Mileage Bank now passes along hefty carrier-imposed surcharges and there are limited options for accumulating Mileage Bank miles. The cheapest option for this route currently is Japan Airlines Mileage Bank at 135,000 miles. There are quite a few options for booking Emirates first-class awards and they are expensive. (ExpertFlyer is owned by Red Ventures, the parent company of TPG), we found it on the Dubai to Los Angeles nonstop, clocking in at 16 hours and 15 minutes. Searching ExpertFlyer for availability on Emirates' longest flights to the U.S. We wanted to start in Dubai to experience the first-class lounge there and fly to the U.S., maximizing time on board by booking the longest flight possible. Having reviewed Etihad's Apartment and Cathay Pacific's first class last year, I flew Emirates with high expectations. Emirates first-class service won the 2018 TPG Award for Best International First Class Product and although it ceded the 2019 title to Air France's La Première, it remains one of the top first-class products in the world.
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