The Emirates story started in 1985 when they launched operations with just two aircrafts a leased Boeing 737, and an Airbus 300. Fast forward and now Emirates are flying to over 155 destinations in more than 80 countries around the world. Over 1,500 Emirates flights depart Dubai each week on their way to destinations on six continents, from their dedicated terminal in Dubai Airport.
This is my Economy Cabin experience flying from London Gatwick to Dubai…
Flight EK012 9.40am
Route London Gatwick to Dubai
Cabin Economy 3-4-3 configuration
Seat 68A
Flight Duration 6 hours 50 minutes
Plane Type Airbus A380
Boarding
Boarding started promptly at approx 9am, economy & business boarded at the same time due to the cabins being on separate decks , which ultimately cut down on the boarding time.
I recieved a warm welcome from a crew member and the flights Cabin Manager who were at the aircraft door welcoming passengers onboard.
Cabin & Seat
The economy cabin takes up the entire lower deck on the A380, from rows 52 to 88, with seats in a 3-4-3 configuration.
The cabin is split into three sections , with the rear section being the smallest with only eight rows.
I was sitting in the middle section in seat 68A , in my opinion one of the best economy seats in the cabin, this is due to the seat in front being removed due to the curvature of the plane. The seat is classed as an extra legroom seat, which is £75 to pre book , or you can take your chances at check in and nicely ask if its available for allocation on the day.
Its worth noting that on the A380 seats rows 68 & 81 A& K in the economy cabin all have no seat in front of them , which means these are the ones to aim for if you need plenty of legroom.
A regular economy seat has a pitch of 32 to 34 inches , I’m 5ft 7 and found it comfortable when I tried out the empty seat next to me in 68B.
Arriving at my seat I found a decent cotton covered pillow, a lightweight fleece blanket and a pair of headphones for the flight.
Whilst there were no amenity kits in the economy cabin, I noted there were toothbrush packs stocked in the restrooms for passengers to take.
On the seat
Entertainment
Emirates on board entertainment system ICE is as good as in flight entertainment can get with over 4,000 channels of movies , box sets and music , there’s plenty to keep you entertained. If your a sports fan you won’t even miss the big game whilst your in the air, Emirates streams live sport events straight to your seat in all cabins.
As well as the entertainment channels you can follow your flight’s progress on the moving map, or see the world from 40,000ft on the planes external cameras.
Whilst the plane was wifi enabled, sadly I was unable to connect as the system was not accepting my Emirates Skywards number, so despite a number of attempts, so im unable to provide any feedback on this, but wifi is avalible up to 150mb or up to 500mb for a fee paid onboard by inputting your credit card details.
Food & Drink Service
Upon boarding crew were handing out menus and serving water and juice with a small bag of pretzels before take off.
Once in the air, I noted there was no drinks service before the lunch service which started a tad early at 11.25am in my opinion, especially as I’d had breakfast in the terminal just moments before boarding started.
On the menu there was a choice of two mains , a chicken curry ( pictured below ) or a braised beef, I was surprised to see that there was no main vegetarian option offered on the menu.
The meal was served with a small appetiser of coleslaw, finishing with a desert of apple and blackberry torte , which was more like a crumble. It’s worth noting, all meals served on Emirates are halal as standard.
The meal was tasty and served pipping hot , which is no easy feat with plane food, especially in large economy cabins, I finished everything , and easily could have eaten another chicken curry.
Emirates economy cabin main meal
After the meal there was a bar service with the usual beers, wine (basic red or white ) and spirits. Champagne was also available for a fee of $20 for a small 200ml bottle.
In between the meal service , crew would regularly come through the cabin with soft drinks , and would get alcoholic drink when requested.
Approximately 90 minutes before landing an ‘afternoon tea’ was served, with a chicken tikka and cheese and pickle sandwich and a warm scone served with cotted cream and jam and a cup of tea.
Emirates economy cabin afternoon tea
In my opinion …
This was my first experience on Emirates, Its well known that Emirates works hard to provide a great passenger experience, and on this flight I found the crew warm and friendly, and willing to go the mile.
I found my seat comfortable and had plenty legroom and the entertainment system had more than enough to keep me entertained during the flight. The food was more than adequate for plane food, and more importantly was served hot which is always a plus. I found flying in the economy cabin on Emirates was a good experience, this was enhanced by me having a great seat which I think is worth paying for on longer flights, so you are guarenteed to be able to strech out in comfort.
For more information regarding Emirates routes and fares check out their website https://www.Emirates.com #Flybetterwithemirates
I had a similar seat with Cathay pacific for a trip between HK to London and it was brilliant. I do like the Emirates IFE on the newer planes
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i keep telling people do your research , one day … if i’m sitting in economy for 12 hours i’ve got to make sure that i’m at least as comfortable as possible .
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