Last week, I was on the A380 Emirates First class, seat 1A. My screens worked during take-off and landing only, total blackout during the flight. As my priority was to enjoy the shower and the bar, that was not a big deal for me. The stewardesses were much more funny and professional in Business class. "My" stewardess in First class seemed stressed and not nice. But I was really impressed to see that there was a stewardess who was there only to clean the "spa" toilets/shower EACH time after a first class passenger was in. So every time you go to the toilets, that's perfectly clean, amazing!
There was definitely something wrong with the crew on your flight. Usually in emirates service begins as soon as you sit down and they always ask if they can give a tour. Thanks for your amazing work 🙌
I’m a frequent flier with EK, and without fail your CS experience is linked to the purser. A great purser, and it is wonderful. An indifferent one, indifferent service. SOP on EK F is you are meant to be escorted to your seat. They are meant to introduce themselves (name, country, languages). Hot towel is meant to be offered within five minutes, and PDB. Nuts are meant to be warm.
Having been an EK gold card holder I found this interesting. It is the soft touches, eg the service from the crew which makes the difference. I flew back to DXB where I lived on an overnight flight and asked for a drink one hour after take off, to be told that the crew were busy. I said you are not, half the cabin is asleep. In contrast we flew first when my twin grandsons were born and the service could not have been better. All down to the crew !
Great video! Emirates crew not fixing your map after multiple requests is extremely bad. The same issue happened on my SQ A380 Economy flight and they reset the IFE to fix it within seconds. They also remembered my seat (among the almost 350 economy seats which were completely full) and came to check back. Hope Emirates improves soon with better service & Business Class seats.
Little bit of trivia re: the caviar. Emirates offers a ~50gm serving, vs the standard 30gm jars. That's why they just dollop it on the plate. They can't provide a neater presentation, like your own actual jar, because their serving sizes are that big. Shame that the crew were sub par, on my experiences with Emirates first, they've always been wonderful.
Hi, Kevin. The part that struck me hard was when the cabin attendant, working the first class cabin, referred to the leaf of red belgian endive in the amuse-gueule as "lettuce" with crème fraîche... I've worked for different airlines for more than 20 years and I can tell you that the overall performance of an entire crew depends on the head of the crew, be it a purser or a cabin services director or whatever each airline calls them. There is also a big challenge for airlines like Emirates and their neighbors to perform consistently in environments of such diverse cultures, and I don't know that those airlines invest enough time and effort to address cultural differences and truly address the delivery of a standard cosmopolitan service by working on a culture-by-culture basis. It must be really costly to achieve that, but in theory they have the means for that. In my opinion, Emirates has been successful at marketing itself as an aspirational travel experience with a heavy dose of "bling-bling" for the nouveau riche. It's the airline version of that California family with an Armenian last name that starts with a "K". I can't help wondering what's in store with Riyadh Air, but I have a feeling they'll do everything to try to outpace Emirates and Qatar...
Over the years of researching the prices of the wines on offer on each of my flights- Emirates is by far (like, really far) the standout in this regard for Business and First. Some of these F wines were in the lounge as well.
Sjeesh….I found this such a frustrating video to watch 😅……SO MANY MISSED OPPORTUNITIES!!! I think you have been quite generous with your rating when you actually count how many times they dropped the ball, especially boarding (all important first impressions!) and a service after takeoff that started absurdly late and they couldn’t even have bothered to warm up the nuts….it makes me 🤬 Don’t even get me started on the purser making the cavalier remark about “ The Dom”…. Ok, rant over, give me ANA first class anytime please 🙏🏼 Thank you Kevin, beautiful video as ALWAYS! 🤩
Yeah, I'll be honest this is one of the few scores which sometimes feels right and sometimes feels way off to me. Fact of the matter is my lasting impression was overall a positive one simply because the hard product is just that good- that special. But if this was an average hard product or just any of their other F cabins, I reckon the score would have been much lower. In retrospect I actually wish that my crews were switched on my two F flights. Would have been much more fun to have a 100/100 video followed by a 60/100 haha.
@@tfftKevin you were too nice to them. I wasn’t impressed enough especially the part about the ‘occasion’ and lack of formality. I expect more from them but came out thinking it’s just another high roller gimmick you see in Dubai or Vegas. While the others like ANA first are really about flawless execution resembling something you find in a tucked away 5+ star resort.
only downside with your channel is that you always speed up the video during takeoffs. Thats part of the nice highlight with these trip videos in my opinion
If people actually watched them, the full length would be in every video. A longer video with a shorter average view time means the video is guaranteed to perform worse- which in turn means less videos... So, it's give and take.
I was upgraded twice to Emirates first class on a short 5 hour flights. The staff were very attentive on those occasions. The privacy and comfy seat was nice, not to mention the convenience of having luggage easily accessible. As a teetotaler and a vegetarian, I am happy to accept the occasional upgrade, but paying either in cash or points is not worth it. I agree that their ice system is the best. I agree, though, that one of their long-haul routes is where the amenities can be truly experienced. I have flown business class with them multiple times and encountered a wide range in what you described as the human touch, in cabin service. I must add to your point about AA, that I have usually found their cabin service in business pretty good on international flights, even if their amenities are not that fancy.
I had the best Flight Attendant in the world on an Emirates long haul flight in first class. Her name is Leila Gallego, and she is from Argentina. I’m a former flight attendant with two airlines so I know what the job entails. She is simply the best FA that I ever had on any airline!!!
I took Emirates F on A380 last July. I guess I had high expectations after watching all the videos online. But somehow I wasn't too impressed. I guess the only thing that stands out was the showering experience onboard. But food was also my major disappointment. I had a fish dish that was dry as hell. I don't know how I finshed it but in retrorespect, I should have return it and order something else. And this flight is from DXB so the catering should be top notch.
I find the problem with first class products is, the larger the space, the more disconnected you feel with the aircraft. So, it's a strange dynamic of the smaller spaces potentially being unimpressive because they're smaller or not private- and the larger private spaces being unimpressive becuase you brain isn't registering that you're on a plane, therefore SQ Suites (for example) feel like absurdly small hotel rooms lol
Let’s keep things in perspective. Even if the worse case scenario happened with your seat change. It still beats a heart surgeon telling you that you’re going to miss your next 4 trips because he’s going to cut you open in 4 days. A month later I still don’t know if I’m more upset about the surgery or that I’m not in Barcelona today. The video is helping with my recovery!
Just subscribed! Great videos! I understand you're based in Asia, but you've obviously been to Paris, so was wondering if you're considering doing AF's "La Première", ideally from CDG to wherever for the best total pre-flight experience, where IMHO you're far less likely to find the service and food lapses experienced on EK.
Ah, this is my home country. Brussels Airport really feels like home. Thanks for sharing your trip, and the very detailed review! It’s like coming along with you! I flew Emirates from Brussels many times, on Economy, usually towards Asia and Indonesia. Okay and uneventful. I find Singapore Airlines, ANA and Qatar Airlines to be better, Etihad slightly worse. On SQ and Qatar I had the privilege to try Business Class. Me and my parents got a real sense of occasion. In both airlines, they specifically were very welcoming towards my parents. I’m very grateful the crew could give my parents these great memories. I’m not sure Emirates would do the same thing..
KIa Ora Kevin!! I thought the new First-Class Decor is wonderful!!!! Just a pity the Inflight Experience wasn't up to your par, however still great to watch and learn :-).
Great video! Thanks! 21 Minutes after boarding started in F??? I would never, ever fly with them again. Thanks for your great videos! Kind greetings from Frank, Najomtien, Thailand
Interesting that your flight had similarly offhand crew in First that I had on my EK flight from Bangkok. It was one of my most disappointing flights ever. As good as the hard product can be, if your crew don’t care then the overall experience is very different.
Great video Kevin! You got your score on point best seat in the sky but definitely not the best first class soft product compared to ANA and SQ, however the bland meal was probably your flight did not come from Dubai where their best catering is. Do you prefer a better seat or soft product or somewhere in the middle?
For business I’d say any seat that gives all aisle access is good for me no matter the service. For First though, I think it needs to be a mix- for first service and amenities can make up for a lack luster hard product.
Hi Kevin, as you will have experienced, a flight on a B 777 is worse than the A 380 in terms of engine noise and pax space, but notwithstanding my comments, I will look forward to my J Seat on an A 380, From Melbourne to Dubai and the B777 to Malta. Curious about the lack of welcome by the staff, but hardly a deal breaker. Last question, how did you enjoy the 1 st class ambiance and was it worth you while?
Emirates: Wonderful hard product, hit and miss service. I’ve been lucky on my last couple of EK F flights to have wonderful crews. A poor crew has a huge negative impact on the overall experience.
It's such an odd experience to remember. Sometimes I "love" the experience I had bc the hard product is so good... then other times I think about how crap the service was and I'm just mad haha. I cut out a very snarky comment in my upcoming Egyptair review about how I got 2 hot towels on an Egyptair Biz class flight, but none on THE Game Changer haha.
Agreed. I’ve just done 4 flights in F from London to Bangkok via Dubai and return. 2 crews were good, 1 was excellent but the other crew just turned up and did the bare minimum
I completely agree with your point about the importance of "Human Touch". I have experienced this firsthand. The staff seemed to lack the necessary service skills, and there was more arrogance among the crew rather than a genuine effort to make a positive difference for the customers/flyers. Given the choice, I would try to avoid flying with Emirates if there are other options available for the same route.
My friend who is a FA in EK First class, said they usually noticed youtubers very quickly and would let you to film all you want without disturbing you much. One may think that "If they know then the more they should put up the best customer service". To them it's the opposite, they want you to film the seat and cabin as much as you want without interrupting your shots. Hence they dont come to you often. I make videos just like yours too, and noticed the same thing, as soon as they see me seizing all opportunity to film, they let me do my own thing
No idea if that's the case or not, but it does sound the opposite of what is meant to be done. That combined with the fact that the purser thought I was served already- then kept making other mistakes and didn't so much as give a proper greeting as I boarded just make this sound more like it was a crappy purser.
They look super friendly in other social media influencer video, very attentive and quick response. They offer help for people to take their photo on their business/first class cabin and cost-playing as a crew in a bar. Did Emirates pay those influencer or what? I don't think the problem is filming. Let's just admit this is the real situation and they need to fix their service. I don't understand people blaming Kevin when the problem is the company... He gave us independent reviews so we don't waste our money
Thanks, as ever, for the review. Emirates car service and in flight entertainment are the best in class. Their amenities, drinks, and seat are contenders. Bathrooms and lounges vary, from very good to okay - like most providers, really. However, I think that the most valuable customers care most about seat, food and service. Get those things right, as Emirates most often do, and you get repeat custom; get it wrong, and frequent flyers will quickly shop for alternatives. Given that Emirates got two of three badly wrong here (the 'bro culture' service approach post-covid seems particularly off-point) that seems like a massive fail.
Agreed. I'd fly the product again just to experience that seat- but (not that I have the means for it anyway) I'd never consider it as a product to fly regularly if the service could be that inconsistent. Funny thing is I prefer low touch service, so it's not like I want someone hovering... I just want the basics done well.
Great video. A little sad that the crew seemed a bit disinterested in showing you the ins and outs of the suite. And for first class, the meal did seem like it was hastily prepared.
Great trip report as always. A shame about your crew being a mixed bag on this flight... I did the same route on the same 'game changer' EK F at the beginning of 2023 and my crew were exceptional, especially one FA from Russia who gladly couldn't stop pouring me drinks during the meal service... she effectively knocked me out for the rest of the flight till 30 mins before landing and still managed to finish my dessert in time before the wheels touched the ground 😅 But yes, 6 hours is too short to effectively enjoy this product; they should be placed on routes that would be at minimum, 9 hours IMO. Hope to see you give it a go again in the not so distant future with a better crew!
They dropped the ball on this one. I wouldn't mind trying their premium economy. I'd love to get a taste of their first class from LCA to MLA, which is a 777 flight. Keep up the good work.
@@tfft have you been on one of KE's a380s? I've heard they have one big lounge, two smaller ones and a duty free shop. Also it's the least dense configuration.
Thomas Ney should be notified, EK invest lots of time and training in Nojoum to provide fantastic experiences onboard. Pioneering- Cosmopolitan- Considerate- Personal are their service personalities regrettably that was not offered. Service Delivery Ambassadors didn’t deliver. A shame!
@@tfftseems like it on their long delayed 777-9s. plus with their A350 ULRs approaching their D check deadline I wonder if they would take the opportunity to do it, knowing that they launched what was supposed to be launched on the A380 back in 2006 on the 777-300ER
I live in Dubai and fly a great deal. Frankly while emirates is convenient, It’s always more expensive, has middle seats where it shouldn’t, and since my budget only allows biz class, I will invariably fly Qatar or Oman given a choice.
I really appreciate your posts, thank you. Honestly, absolutely no inclination to fly Emirates 1st for the price, especially on the 777. I fly business and think it’s a good hard and soft product on the A380 Actually I think your experience was diabolical
I’m very glad, that I can watch your videos with Kazakh subtitles. Thanks from Kazakhstan 🇰🇿 ❤ p.s hope you’ll get a chance to fly with Air Astana, they are a very underrated airline!
I flew Air Astana last December Bangkok - Almaty. Truly one of the best Economy class products I've had! Exceptional quality and nice service. You should be proud of your airline :)
Sounds like the product is there, but the staff were a bit sloppy. Something like this problem can be fixed, and Emirates will address those issues proactively.
Your Emirates service resonates. I flew Emirates Frist from LHR to SYD (on a Qantas ticket). The seat is amazing, and the service LHR-DBX was fine. but the service DBX-SYD was so bad (had to get up to chase a wine glass refill after 45 mins, remind them to serve me my main after 30 mins etc. etc. make my own bed) that despite the amazing shower, I have gone back and booked BA for my next flight to Sydney. (Qantas does not have WiFi so that is a no-go for me). Even the food was disappointing Yes, the caviar is amazing but the rest of the meal: BA First is better (gotta love those pre-starters). And Qantas First is waaaay ahead (amongst the best food in first anywhere, just that pesky WiFi, grrrr...) So disappointing: I was fully expecting to be persuaded to change my frequent flyer focus.
Unusual for Emirates to drop the ball, but no airline is 100% perfection, First Class and Business Class are just pipe dream's on any airline.,as far as i'm concerned.But Premium Economy is a possible option, as always you've made a upfront & honest awesome flight review👍✈
KAL, JAL, ANA, and SIA may not be as flashy, but they certainly have the service part down pad. Something that Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar promise with abandon, but never quite deliver.
Great review. Loved it. One odd thing -- 99% of the time I watch your videos on my mobile phone and don't have the closed caption on. I watched today's video on my laptop and the closed caption was on. The video and the CC were off quite often. There was text you didn't say and sometimes you said stuff that wasn't in the CC. Very weird.
Strange in deed. I will say, often there are parts of the script that I need to cut out- but I leave it in the CC kinda like bonus content lol. But RUclips is generally pretty good about matching it up correctly- syncing the unspoken parts in between the actual spoken bits. Perhaps they were tired today lol.
Having been lucky enough to fly this twice - it’s almost like chalk and cheese to me - so many failings on behalf of the crew- I was barely sitting down when I was offered Champagne and an in- depth ( way too much but grateful) run down on the suite - the food looked dry or something - for the Onboard Manager to have not introduced himself is inexcusable, I wondering If they were aware of this being an award ticket- it just didn’t make sense - the lack of interest ? Anyway I’m looking forward to the “quickie” shortly - enjoyable as always
This is one thing that I have heard talked about many times- that EK crew cannot know which tickets were cash and which were points, unlike many other airlines that show the crew that info.
@@tfft I only have a limited understanding of how this works with one particular carrier - The Onboard Manager was privy to my status of having an award ticket - hopefully this isn’t shared with the crew - their iPad’s show details which should be confidential 🤐
Though not first class, my business class experience with Emirates had equal hints of disappointment! To sum it up, the purser was walking down the aisle carrying a slight smile. Our eyes met and her smile instantly dropped into a scowl and it did not get any better from there. I wanted to click my heels and say, "EVA Air, take me away!"
Lol sorry , but probably yes. They've been 'trying' to replace that service with trains for years now, hence why it stood out to me at the beginning of your video . Thanks for the TR! Immersive as always .
It's always nice when cabin crew don't really care about you filming or taking pictures. Flew on KLM recently, and as I was arriving to the gate, the crew came past me, and I wanted to take a picture of the gate, with the view of the apron behind, with them in the picture. The purser, who lagged behind some of the crew pretty much scolded me like a child and instructed me to delete the picture that had the crew in it. Keep in mind, no faces were shown in my photo, just the back of their heads, much like your shot at 8:38. That was not even the craziest part, the purser even went a step further and made an announcement ON THE PLANE pre-departure, forbidding passengers from taking pictures of or filming the crew without permission. Made such a big deal out of nothing! Never happened to me before.
doing Dubai to brussels in about 2 weeks... learned that flight attendant can see you through video... so, if you are taping left and right, they will probably leave you alone :)
About best seats: 1K is right by the galley so risks noise. so it's not my favourite. Regarding 1A and 2K, if no-one's in the adjacent middle seat (not uncommon IME) you get to use the middle seat as your bed seat. 2A and 2K are slightly more roomy than 1A and 1K due to the plane's taper, and so there's space for more goodies in the larger cabinets around the screen. The middle seats also have the larger goodie storage. IMHO the middle seats are definitely the least favourable, with the TV "window" being little more than a gimmick. The biggest problem with the seat is that I find my limbs kept falling off the edge so sleeping is hit and miss. For that reason alone, I prefer the origin suites on the A380 & 777 TBH. PJs: I have plenty of these, and they became my attire of choice during lockdown. They're super durable, and I still routinely wear them when at home. Regarding the wine list, the simply add the business offering to the first class wines to make it a bigger list. Very welcome too, often you get a better food pairing that way. There's no better wine list in the sky IMHO.
I quite like the middle seats actually. The middle suites are larger as the window seats taper due to the plane’s curvature and the virtual windows are much dimmer compared to actual windows so you can keep it on when you sleep
Not the first 10 seconds you driving to the airport along my street! How you managed to find a sunny day in Brussels I am at a loss, though :) I've never flown Emirates - the only ME3 Airline I haven't. The cost is often prohibitive compared to others. And I have never seen what makes it so great honestly. I guess I just don't get it :) Thanks again for the honest and comprehensive review.
No, I'm with ya. If they often had discounts or sales or something I would see the allure, but I think it simply comes down to marketing, marketing and marketing. They're the "first" and "largest" with so many things, they're in the spotlight by default.
It's strange to look back on- bc nothing was like overtly offensive... but at the same time, this was supposed to be the 'best in the world' and frankly- I've had much better service on *many* airlines in Business.
I would fly OMAN AIR in Business over this EK F Product any day. What a huge disappointment that the majority of the Crew supposed to Elevate your experience into the Stratosphere were not fit for purpose, I wonder if anyone with seniority at EK has seen this and attempted to reach out to you? Love all of your vlogs, amazing and very educational with your fantastic narration and personality. 🎉
I just flew the emirates first class a month ago (albeit not the game changer seats) and the crew was absolutely amazing~ from the purser to like 3 more flight attendants, they were very accommodating and sensitive to my needs. Maybe this crew had issues as it's unusual to see all of them in emirates business or first not accommodating towards the passengers 🤔 loved your flight review though! hopefully i get to try the game changer seats too!
When I was on board for the old 777-300 Emirate first class couple weeks ago, I also felt similar experience with the purser. He was pushing hard on a couple high ticket duty free items to me, especially the $900 USD colonge, despite my disinterest in them. He then tried to upsell some electronics to me. What's more ridiculous was at the end of the flight, when we were at the door about to leave, he ran to me passing me the duty free magazine... which was very odd. Not much attention to detail service from him and affter my refusal (politely) to the duty free items, I received very bland interactions and services were lackluster. The rest of the other crews though, were very friendly and accomondating. I agree the foods aren't that memorable, I tried their mezze and steak and nothing stand out. Had much better food experience with UA, China Airline business class meals. Their drink options though, are one to die for. It seems you got a even worse batch, with the broken flying map, lack of service, dirty toilet, dirty plates etc.
There is no doubt that you put a lot of effort into your reviews, and I have watched some of your videos as well as those of other vloggers. I believe that your reviews, along with others, might be better described as “journey reviews” rather than airline reviews. This is because the airline's setup remains consistent whether you fly today, next week, or next month. Take Emirates, for example. If you fly First or Business Class from destination A to B, you will experience the same seat, the same lounge, and perhaps a slightly different food menu, but overall, the experience will be similar for anyone flying that route on that airline. The only variable that changes with each flight is the human interaction, such as your interactions with the ground staff at check-in or the cabin crew. These interactions significantly shape the majority of reviews. For instance, you mentioned that for 16 minutes, no one welcomed you, which I find very odd because Emirates cabin crew are well-trained in greeting their customers. I’ve never encountered any issues with them in my numerous travels in premium class. Unfortunately, just as you judged them based on your specific flight, they might have judged you based on your appearance, attitude, and other factors when you boarded. These human factors vary from trip to trip; apart from them, everything else remains the same. You might agree that hotel reviews are different, even though the facilities remain the same every time you stay at a particular hotel. The human factor is present there as well, but the rooms differ-they have different views, designs, colors, sizes, etc. Therefore, you can provide a more detailed view based on your temporary residence in the hotel, as the chances of someone staying in the exact same room are extremely rare. The reason I wrote this lengthy message is that you rated Emirates 84/100 based on your experience, but that doesn’t necessarily mean I would have the same experience. This makes your review somewhat biased. Additionally, the title of your video, “Emirates Game Changer 777 First Class a Big Disappointment,” is misleading. The term “game changer” refers to the superior quality of their cabin, which sets a new standard above other airlines. As I recall, you praised the cabin and its amenities, except for the fact that you felt it was more like a Mercedes E-Class rather than an S-Class!! So why did you call the “game changer” cabin a big disappointment? I feel that your overall rating is based on “human factors” rather than the quality of the product.
I mean, your questions are answered already: -I say in every video, this is my opinion based on my unique experience. -I refer to my videos as trip reports. -‘Game Changer’ is the name Emirates assigned to this seat, not me. I said this clearly in the video. I make videos about what happens on my trips. Nothing less, nothing more. If you think that makes me biased, good on ya- I disagree.
@@tfft It seems you missed the main point of my message. The term "game changer" refers to the new cabin with its superior qualities and amenities, which you rated 20/20. However, in your title, you mentioned that the game changer is a big disappointment. Am I misunderstanding something here? I recognize that this is your personal opinion, but you focus on trivial issues that seem unimportant. This brings me to the purpose of your reviews. If you want them to appeal to travel enthusiasts, you should focus on the big picture. If this review is meant for your personal digital diary, then it's understandable to include every detail. For instance, mentioning that the purser poured wine when there was still an inch left in the glass is amusing, but I'm not sure how relevant that is to the thousands of people who will watch this video. I have flown with Emirates numerous times, including the Brussels-Dubai route in the same cabin, most recently in January 2024, and I have consistently experienced top-notch service in every aspect. The only point I agree with you on is that the Diamond lounge is indeed very poor and doesn't match the quality of Emirates. You described it as underwhelming when it is, in fact, very bad. You seem to be very picky when it comes to high standards, but for something below average, you don't use a fitting description.
Ohhhh KEVIN! Might the attire of one “Flip Flop Traveller” possibly be why they didn’t provide better service? 🤷🏻♂️ think of the bias they may have for those occupying those seats. Still not sure why the new F isn’t on more and their longest routes! 6 hours doesn’t seem worth it!
It is so unfathomable… how such a large airline can be so inconsistent sometimes… from slow welcome drink and rather uncaring response about that map… I will be really mad if it happens to me(never flown first class before)
Btw, forget about the 2 million + inhabitants of Brussels that are reported via these inflight systems. The actual number is far lower. No idea how they come up with this inflated number. Thanks for the interesting accounts you produce !
Nice video. Sounds like it was a bit of let down, service wise. Unfortunate. I was going to say luck of the draw, but that should not be. FC should be consistent regardless of the route or airplane, it’s about branding, Try a different city pair, next time. Cheers!
Food specially from outstations is just luck but shocked that the service was so bad. Sounds like a typical AA first and most BA premium crews, not Emirates. It is a great product and would love to try it once but except for super rich, I can't see the point vs J suite products.
Yeah generally I agree about first products. But I think this specific seat and the full ANA experience are two that are worth it for the correct special occasion.
I'm of the opinion that the entire flight is in their hands- as 50% of any crew would always love to have an "easy" flight and slack off... (and can't really blame them). 50% of any crew on any flight slacking off is guaranteed to kill the flight.
Yes and no lol. I think there's a big difference between "we'll never say never" and "maybe!" 😂 Emirates has clearly shifted their long term game away from exclusively mega jets and without OK there isn't a chance in hell that the A380 would come back. I'll put it at 0.00035% chance lol
Last week, I was on the A380 Emirates First class, seat 1A. My screens worked during take-off and landing only, total blackout during the flight. As my priority was to enjoy the shower and the bar, that was not a big deal for me. The stewardesses were much more funny and professional in Business class. "My" stewardess in First class seemed stressed and not nice. But I was really impressed to see that there was a stewardess who was there only to clean the "spa" toilets/shower EACH time after a first class passenger was in. So every time you go to the toilets, that's perfectly clean, amazing!
Thanks for sharing ✈️
Love your channel and how calming your videos are
Thanks very much 🙏🏻
There was definitely something wrong with the crew on your flight. Usually in emirates service begins as soon as you sit down and they always ask if they can give a tour. Thanks for your amazing work 🙌
Seems so! Thanks for watching 🩴
yea they are the best so something was off here.
The honesty in your videos is unparalleled, and your voice is always authentic.
Appreciate that!
I’m a frequent flier with EK, and without fail your CS experience is linked to the purser. A great purser, and it is wonderful. An indifferent one, indifferent service.
SOP on EK F is you are meant to be escorted to your seat. They are meant to introduce themselves (name, country, languages). Hot towel is meant to be offered within five minutes, and PDB. Nuts are meant to be warm.
Somebody whispered at 25:17 “The plate was also dirty”. A small whisper that you have to listen to 😆. Why couldn’t you just say it loud ?
An acknowledgement that I wanted to keep listing other things that were wrong... but knew I had to stop somewhere lol
Having been an EK gold card holder I found this interesting. It is the soft touches, eg the service from the crew which makes the difference. I flew back to DXB where I lived on an overnight flight and asked for a drink one hour after take off, to be told that the crew were busy. I said you are not, half the cabin is asleep. In contrast we flew first when my twin grandsons were born and the service could not have been better. All down to the crew !
Thanks for sharing ✈️
I took my partner to COMO Uma Ubud based on your video for her 30th birthday, it was an AMAZING recommendation!
Glad you enjoyed it so much!
Great video! Emirates crew not fixing your map after multiple requests is extremely bad. The same issue happened on my SQ A380 Economy flight and they reset the IFE to fix it within seconds. They also remembered my seat (among the almost 350 economy seats which were completely full) and came to check back. Hope Emirates improves soon with better service & Business Class seats.
Thanks for watching 🩴
Did you take all those jars of sweets with you when you left? Is that allowed? Or is it considered part of what you get when you buy the ticket?
Take em! You already paid for them lol
I would not had anything left to take 😅
Little bit of trivia re: the caviar. Emirates offers a ~50gm serving, vs the standard 30gm jars. That's why they just dollop it on the plate. They can't provide a neater presentation, like your own actual jar, because their serving sizes are that big.
Shame that the crew were sub par, on my experiences with Emirates first, they've always been wonderful.
Thanks for watching 🩴
Hi, Kevin. The part that struck me hard was when the cabin attendant, working the first class cabin, referred to the leaf of red belgian endive in the amuse-gueule as "lettuce" with crème fraîche...
I've worked for different airlines for more than 20 years and I can tell you that the overall performance of an entire crew depends on the head of the crew, be it a purser or a cabin services director or whatever each airline calls them. There is also a big challenge for airlines like Emirates and their neighbors to perform consistently in environments of such diverse cultures, and I don't know that those airlines invest enough time and effort to address cultural differences and truly address the delivery of a standard cosmopolitan service by working on a culture-by-culture basis. It must be really costly to achieve that, but in theory they have the means for that.
In my opinion, Emirates has been successful at marketing itself as an aspirational travel experience with a heavy dose of "bling-bling" for the nouveau riche. It's the airline version of that California family with an Armenian last name that starts with a "K".
I can't help wondering what's in store with Riyadh Air, but I have a feeling they'll do everything to try to outpace Emirates and Qatar...
I agree about the differences in culture. It’s surely easier for SQ to reach and maintain a high service level than the likes of EK and QR.
I love to see a good white burgundy. I can’t believe they stock 2. When I realized the Chase lounge at LGA started carrying one I was overjoyed!
Over the years of researching the prices of the wines on offer on each of my flights- Emirates is by far (like, really far) the standout in this regard for Business and First. Some of these F wines were in the lounge as well.
Were the $200 wines really much better than $20 wines?
Some, yes lol
Sjeesh….I found this such a frustrating video to watch 😅……SO MANY MISSED OPPORTUNITIES!!! I think you have been quite generous with your rating when you actually count how many times they dropped the ball, especially boarding (all important first impressions!) and a service after takeoff that started absurdly late and they couldn’t even have bothered to warm up the nuts….it makes me 🤬 Don’t even get me started on the purser making the cavalier remark about “ The Dom”…. Ok, rant over, give me ANA first class anytime please 🙏🏼 Thank you Kevin, beautiful video as ALWAYS! 🤩
Yeah, I'll be honest this is one of the few scores which sometimes feels right and sometimes feels way off to me. Fact of the matter is my lasting impression was overall a positive one simply because the hard product is just that good- that special. But if this was an average hard product or just any of their other F cabins, I reckon the score would have been much lower.
In retrospect I actually wish that my crews were switched on my two F flights. Would have been much more fun to have a 100/100 video followed by a 60/100 haha.
@@tfftKevin you were too nice to them. I wasn’t impressed enough especially the part about the ‘occasion’ and lack of formality. I expect more from them but came out thinking it’s just another high roller gimmick you see in Dubai or Vegas. While the others like ANA first are really about flawless execution resembling something you find in a tucked away 5+ star resort.
only downside with your channel is that you always speed up the video during takeoffs. Thats part of the nice highlight with these trip videos in my opinion
If people actually watched them, the full length would be in every video. A longer video with a shorter average view time means the video is guaranteed to perform worse- which in turn means less videos... So, it's give and take.
@@tfftEhh their all the same, I prefer the sped up version.
I was upgraded twice to Emirates first class on a short 5 hour flights. The staff were very attentive on those occasions. The privacy and comfy seat was nice, not to mention the convenience of having luggage easily accessible. As a teetotaler and a vegetarian, I am happy to accept the occasional upgrade, but paying either in cash or points is not worth it. I agree that their ice system is the best. I agree, though, that one of their long-haul routes is where the amenities can be truly experienced. I have flown business class with them multiple times and encountered a wide range in what you described as the human touch, in cabin service. I must add to your point about AA, that I have usually found their cabin service in business pretty good on international flights, even if their amenities are not that fancy.
What was my point about AA? 🤔
@tfft maybe misheard ANA as AA. You were talking about services in first class.
I had the best Flight Attendant in the world on an Emirates long haul flight in first class. Her name is Leila Gallego, and she is from Argentina. I’m a former flight attendant with two airlines so I know what the job entails. She is simply the best FA that I ever had on any airline!!!
I took Emirates F on A380 last July. I guess I had high expectations after watching all the videos online. But somehow I wasn't too impressed. I guess the only thing that stands out was the showering experience onboard. But food was also my major disappointment. I had a fish dish that was dry as hell. I don't know how I finshed it but in retrorespect, I should have return it and order something else. And this flight is from DXB so the catering should be top notch.
I find the problem with first class products is, the larger the space, the more disconnected you feel with the aircraft. So, it's a strange dynamic of the smaller spaces potentially being unimpressive because they're smaller or not private- and the larger private spaces being unimpressive becuase you brain isn't registering that you're on a plane, therefore SQ Suites (for example) feel like absurdly small hotel rooms lol
Let’s keep things in perspective. Even if the worse case scenario happened with your seat change. It still beats a heart surgeon telling you that you’re going to miss your next 4 trips because he’s going to cut you open in 4 days. A month later I still don’t know if I’m more upset about the surgery or that I’m not in Barcelona today. The video is helping with my recovery!
Ah that sucks- certainly everything always is relative.
First time watching your channel!
Very nice!,,
Thanks very much 🙏🏻
Same ❤
I think for many this would be a once in a lifetime thing. It should be treated like an event for everyone!
Agreed!
Just subscribed! Great videos! I understand you're based in Asia, but you've obviously been to Paris, so was wondering if you're considering doing AF's "La Première", ideally from CDG to wherever for the best total pre-flight experience, where IMHO you're far less likely to find the service and food lapses experienced on EK.
I'd love to, but the two AF flights I have coming up aren't are F equipped aircraft! Hopefully next year.
At 11:54 it felt cool to see a magazine with it's cover from India, specifically it's poster of a movie named MS DHONI the untold story (being Indian)
Thanks for sharing ✈️
Ah, this is my home country. Brussels Airport really feels like home. Thanks for sharing your trip, and the very detailed review! It’s like coming along with you! I flew Emirates from Brussels many times, on Economy, usually towards Asia and Indonesia. Okay and uneventful. I find Singapore Airlines, ANA and Qatar Airlines to be better, Etihad slightly worse. On SQ and Qatar I had the privilege to try Business Class. Me and my parents got a real sense of occasion. In both airlines, they specifically were very welcoming towards my parents. I’m very grateful the crew could give my parents these great memories. I’m not sure Emirates would do the same thing..
Thanks for sharing ✈️
Would you suggest doing the trip in reverse AMM DXB BRU; if I were looking to fly the game-changer?
Reverse would be much better as you can enjoy the emirates first class lounge.
The AMM leg would be irrelevant, but yes you'd likely have it on the BRU leg.
@@tfft I meant MCT. OBVS
IVE BEEN WAITING FOR SO LONG love your content ❤❤❤
Enjoy it!
KIa Ora Kevin!! I thought the new First-Class Decor is wonderful!!!! Just a pity the Inflight Experience wasn't up to your par, however still great to watch and learn :-).
Thanks for watching 🩴
Great video! Thanks! 21 Minutes after boarding started in F??? I would never, ever fly with them again. Thanks for your great videos! Kind greetings from Frank, Najomtien, Thailand
Thanks for watching 🩴
Thank you !! This is not the first video I have watched where the Emirates crew are not nice ( one of them were from nonstopdan )
Interesting that your flight had similarly offhand crew in First that I had on my EK flight from Bangkok. It was one of my most disappointing flights ever. As good as the hard product can be, if your crew don’t care then the overall experience is very different.
Agreed!
Nice to see you leaning into the ASMR content with the comment about the plate! Love your channel!
Haha... trying to cover all of my bases!
Your ANA first class vid is still my favourite
Same here.
Great video Kevin! You got your score on point best seat in the sky but definitely not the best first class soft product compared to ANA and SQ, however the bland meal was probably your flight did not come from Dubai where their best catering is. Do you prefer a better seat or soft product or somewhere in the middle?
For business I’d say any seat that gives all aisle access is good for me no matter the service. For First though, I think it needs to be a mix- for first service and amenities can make up for a lack luster hard product.
Hi Kevin, as you will have experienced, a flight on a B 777 is worse than the A 380 in terms of engine noise and pax space, but notwithstanding my comments, I will look forward to my J Seat on an A 380, From Melbourne to Dubai and the B777 to Malta. Curious about the lack of welcome by the staff, but hardly a deal breaker. Last question, how did you enjoy the 1 st class ambiance and was it worth you while?
I'm a fan of in flight 777 noise, so I'm not sure I'd agree lol. I think A380s are too quiet, especially upstairs.
Thank you, enjoyed it lots... blessings & love always ... Indeed!!!
Appreciate that!
Emirates: Wonderful hard product, hit and miss service. I’ve been lucky on my last couple of EK F flights to have wonderful crews. A poor crew has a huge negative impact on the overall experience.
It's such an odd experience to remember. Sometimes I "love" the experience I had bc the hard product is so good... then other times I think about how crap the service was and I'm just mad haha. I cut out a very snarky comment in my upcoming Egyptair review about how I got 2 hot towels on an Egyptair Biz class flight, but none on THE Game Changer haha.
Agreed. I’ve just done 4 flights in F from London to Bangkok via Dubai and return. 2 crews were good, 1 was excellent but the other crew just turned up and did the bare minimum
I completely agree with your point about the importance of "Human Touch". I have experienced this firsthand. The staff seemed to lack the necessary service skills, and there was more arrogance among the crew rather than a genuine effort to make a positive difference for the customers/flyers. Given the choice, I would try to avoid flying with Emirates if there are other options available for the same route.
My friend who is a FA in EK First class, said they usually noticed youtubers very quickly and would let you to film all you want without disturbing you much. One may think that "If they know then the more they should put up the best customer service". To them it's the opposite, they want you to film the seat and cabin as much as you want without interrupting your shots. Hence they dont come to you often.
I make videos just like yours too, and noticed the same thing, as soon as they see me seizing all opportunity to film, they let me do my own thing
No idea if that's the case or not, but it does sound the opposite of what is meant to be done. That combined with the fact that the purser thought I was served already- then kept making other mistakes and didn't so much as give a proper greeting as I boarded just make this sound more like it was a crappy purser.
They look super friendly in other social media influencer video, very attentive and quick response. They offer help for people to take their photo on their business/first class cabin and cost-playing as a crew in a bar. Did Emirates pay those influencer or what? I don't think the problem is filming. Let's just admit this is the real situation and they need to fix their service. I don't understand people blaming Kevin when the problem is the company... He gave us independent reviews so we don't waste our money
Very wise for the Muscat leg if only to gorge in the First Class lounge while in transit.
If only I wasn't in C Concourse haha.
Thanks, as ever, for the review. Emirates car service and in flight entertainment are the best in class. Their amenities, drinks, and seat are contenders. Bathrooms and lounges vary, from very good to okay - like most providers, really. However, I think that the most valuable customers care most about seat, food and service. Get those things right, as Emirates most often do, and you get repeat custom; get it wrong, and frequent flyers will quickly shop for alternatives. Given that Emirates got two of three badly wrong here (the 'bro culture' service approach post-covid seems particularly off-point) that seems like a massive fail.
Agreed. I'd fly the product again just to experience that seat- but (not that I have the means for it anyway) I'd never consider it as a product to fly regularly if the service could be that inconsistent. Funny thing is I prefer low touch service, so it's not like I want someone hovering... I just want the basics done well.
Great review Kevin! Will you be reviewing their economy class?
Yes but not in the next couple of months.
Kevin, I’d love your review on the new JAL A350-1000 NYC-HND in business and first classes.
I would have loved it too, if they launched it on time lol
Great video. A little sad that the crew seemed a bit disinterested in showing you the ins and outs of the suite. And for first class, the meal did seem like it was hastily prepared.
Agreed!
Great trip report as always.
A shame about your crew being a mixed bag on this flight... I did the same route on the same 'game changer' EK F at the beginning of 2023 and my crew were exceptional, especially one FA from Russia who gladly couldn't stop pouring me drinks during the meal service... she effectively knocked me out for the rest of the flight till 30 mins before landing and still managed to finish my dessert in time before the wheels touched the ground 😅 But yes, 6 hours is too short to effectively enjoy this product; they should be placed on routes that would be at minimum, 9 hours IMO.
Hope to see you give it a go again in the not so distant future with a better crew!
Fingers crossed!
They dropped the ball on this one. I wouldn't mind trying their premium economy. I'd love to get a taste of their first class from LCA to MLA, which is a 777 flight.
Keep up the good work.
I'd love to try their Premium Eco, but my god do they charge an arm and a leg for it.
@@tfft honestly I've never looked into it because it's only on the a380. Now I'm not sure I want to look. Maybe if and when it rolls out fleet wide.
@@tfft have you been on one of KE's a380s? I've heard they have one big lounge, two smaller ones and a duty free shop. Also it's the least dense configuration.
Thomas Ney should be notified, EK invest lots of time and training in Nojoum to provide fantastic experiences onboard. Pioneering- Cosmopolitan- Considerate- Personal are their service personalities regrettably that was not offered. Service Delivery Ambassadors didn’t deliver. A shame!
Agreed- at least though my crew on the other three EK flights were great!
Flew economy from Dubai to London last Saturday....Shocking service on board 😢
Sorry to hear!
Flight data doesn’t sync when the tablet is detached from base.
So how do you explain the (attached) IFE monitor which I clearly said didn't work for the entirety of the flight? lol
Oh yeah SQ just launched new premium economy services. Would be appreciated to see a video on it from you some day.
Their new stoneware for PE service is so out of character for SQ that it makes me wonder if there is a Business Class overhaul coming as well.
@@tfftseems like it on their long delayed 777-9s. plus with their A350 ULRs approaching their D check deadline I wonder if they would take the opportunity to do it, knowing that they launched what was supposed to be launched on the A380 back in 2006 on the 777-300ER
If I'm understanding you correctly all of those expensive wines and champagne were complimentary with for class correct?
Correct.
I live in Dubai and fly a great deal. Frankly while emirates is convenient,
It’s always more expensive, has middle seats where it shouldn’t, and since my budget only allows biz class, I will invariably fly Qatar or Oman given a choice.
Thanks for sharing ✈️
so you say this is better then Singapore A380 F suite?
Have you seen my SQ Suite video? I didn't care for it...
I really appreciate your posts, thank you.
Honestly, absolutely no inclination to fly Emirates 1st for the price, especially on the 777.
I fly business and think it’s a good hard and soft product on the A380
Actually I think your experience was diabolical
Thanks for watching 🩴
Definitely have to watch your ANA and SIN 1st class videos after this one ☝️
Enjoy them!
I’m very glad, that I can watch your videos with Kazakh subtitles. Thanks from Kazakhstan 🇰🇿 ❤
p.s hope you’ll get a chance to fly with Air Astana, they are a very underrated airline!
They're on my list!
I flew Air Astana last December Bangkok - Almaty. Truly one of the best Economy class products I've had! Exceptional quality and nice service. You should be proud of your airline :)
I live vicariously through your videos. One day!
Thanks for watching 🩴
Jal First on A350-1000 seems to be better both in terms of hardware and software. 😊
Eh, I'd take ANA over JAL (even the new seat) any day of the week.
Sounds like the product is there, but the staff were a bit sloppy. Something like this problem can be fixed, and Emirates will address those issues proactively.
Well… if proactively it probably wouldn’t have happened haha.
Your Emirates service resonates.
I flew Emirates Frist from LHR to SYD (on a Qantas ticket). The seat is amazing, and the service LHR-DBX was fine. but the service DBX-SYD was so bad (had to get up to chase a wine glass refill after 45 mins, remind them to serve me my main after 30 mins etc. etc. make my own bed) that despite the amazing shower, I have gone back and booked BA for my next flight to Sydney. (Qantas does not have WiFi so that is a no-go for me).
Even the food was disappointing Yes, the caviar is amazing but the rest of the meal: BA First is better (gotta love those pre-starters). And Qantas First is waaaay ahead (amongst the best food in first anywhere, just that pesky WiFi, grrrr...)
So disappointing: I was fully expecting to be persuaded to change my frequent flyer focus.
The inconsistency really is surprising to me. I suppose there are a few bad apples everywhere.
Unusual for Emirates to drop the ball, but no airline is 100% perfection, First Class and Business Class are just pipe dream's on any airline.,as far as i'm concerned.But Premium Economy is a possible option, as always you've made a upfront & honest awesome flight review👍✈
Thanks for watching 🩴
KAL, JAL, ANA, and SIA may not be as flashy, but they certainly have the service part down pad. Something that Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar promise with abandon, but never quite deliver.
Thanks for sharing ✈️
Last time i flew the game changer, they didn't have the tote bag and said it was only available on the A380 :(
That's odd. It's meant to be available on any flight that offers pajamas.
@@tfft I did get the pyjamas and everything but just not the tote :( oh well i guess time for another visit :) cheers!
Great review. Loved it. One odd thing -- 99% of the time I watch your videos on my mobile phone and don't have the closed caption on. I watched today's video on my laptop and the closed caption was on. The video and the CC were off quite often. There was text you didn't say and sometimes you said stuff that wasn't in the CC. Very weird.
Strange in deed. I will say, often there are parts of the script that I need to cut out- but I leave it in the CC kinda like bonus content lol. But RUclips is generally pretty good about matching it up correctly- syncing the unspoken parts in between the actual spoken bits. Perhaps they were tired today lol.
Eagerly waiting for your trip report on the latest JAL #A350-1000 1st class from Tokyo to NYC. Now this should be a game changer!
As was I... then they delayed the roll out lol
Having been lucky enough to fly this twice - it’s almost like chalk and cheese to me - so many failings on behalf of the crew- I was barely sitting down when I was offered Champagne and an in- depth ( way too much but grateful) run down on the suite - the food looked dry or something - for the Onboard Manager to have not introduced himself is inexcusable, I wondering If they were aware of this being an award ticket- it just didn’t make sense - the lack of interest ? Anyway I’m looking forward to the “quickie” shortly - enjoyable as always
This is one thing that I have heard talked about many times- that EK crew cannot know which tickets were cash and which were points, unlike many other airlines that show the crew that info.
@@tfft I only have a limited understanding of how this works with one particular carrier - The Onboard Manager was privy to my status of having an award ticket - hopefully this isn’t shared with the crew - their iPad’s show details which should be confidential 🤐
Though not first class, my business class experience with Emirates had equal hints of disappointment! To sum it up, the purser was walking down the aisle carrying a slight smile. Our eyes met and her smile instantly dropped into a scowl and it did not get any better from there. I wanted to click my heels and say, "EVA Air, take me away!"
Maybe he was role playing with you haha.
KL still serves BRU-AMS? 😅
Is that some of the Belgian humor? lol
Lol sorry , but probably yes. They've been 'trying' to replace that service with trains for years now, hence why it stood out to me at the beginning of your video .
Thanks for the TR! Immersive as always .
It's always nice when cabin crew don't really care about you filming or taking pictures. Flew on KLM recently, and as I was arriving to the gate, the crew came past me, and I wanted to take a picture of the gate, with the view of the apron behind, with them in the picture. The purser, who lagged behind some of the crew pretty much scolded me like a child and instructed me to delete the picture that had the crew in it. Keep in mind, no faces were shown in my photo, just the back of their heads, much like your shot at 8:38. That was not even the craziest part, the purser even went a step further and made an announcement ON THE PLANE pre-departure, forbidding passengers from taking pictures of or filming the crew without permission. Made such a big deal out of nothing! Never happened to me before.
Very odd.
Mate, Great Job Well Done,,,
Thanks very much 🙏🏻
Heres to hoping 777X be delivered to Emirates in mid 2026 🤞that’s when I’m planning on going to Dubai
Thanks for watching 🩴
doing Dubai to brussels in about 2 weeks... learned that flight attendant can see you through video... so, if you are taping left and right, they will probably leave you alone :)
I Havent Experience B777 First Class Jet.Great Trip Report
Thanks very much 🙏🏻
Something tells me you missed the on board map.
Someone had their listening cap on today!
About best seats: 1K is right by the galley so risks noise. so it's not my favourite.
Regarding 1A and 2K, if no-one's in the adjacent middle seat (not uncommon IME) you get to use the middle seat as your bed seat.
2A and 2K are slightly more roomy than 1A and 1K due to the plane's taper, and so there's space for more goodies in the larger cabinets around the screen. The middle seats also have the larger goodie storage.
IMHO the middle seats are definitely the least favourable, with the TV "window" being little more than a gimmick.
The biggest problem with the seat is that I find my limbs kept falling off the edge so sleeping is hit and miss. For that reason alone, I prefer the origin suites on the A380 & 777 TBH.
PJs: I have plenty of these, and they became my attire of choice during lockdown. They're super durable, and I still routinely wear them when at home.
Regarding the wine list, the simply add the business offering to the first class wines to make it a bigger list. Very welcome too, often you get a better food pairing that way. There's no better wine list in the sky IMHO.
Fair point about 1K with the galley noise- but on my flight that galley was coming in loud and clear in 2A as well lol. Thanks for sharing ✈️
I quite like the middle seats actually. The middle suites are larger as the window seats taper due to the plane’s curvature and the virtual windows are much dimmer compared to actual windows so you can keep it on when you sleep
Thanks for another great one. What do you do with all the amenities you have collected?
Hoard them haha. There will eventually be a display of sorts, but saving that project for when things calm down just a wee bit.
Lakrids by Bulow is yummy. Sitting here eating their passion fruit version. But so expensive even here in Denmark where they are made
I'd happily pay 10 Euro for the little jar of 7 that I had... but I have a feeling I'm way way way off base haha.
The best travel blogger
Thanks very much 🙏🏻
FYI the drop off area is so far away and the old one pedestrainised is because of the 2016 terrorist attack
Yah, didn't feel the need to reference it in the video, but I assumed that.
Not the first 10 seconds you driving to the airport along my street! How you managed to find a sunny day in Brussels I am at a loss, though :) I've never flown Emirates - the only ME3 Airline I haven't. The cost is often prohibitive compared to others. And I have never seen what makes it so great honestly. I guess I just don't get it :) Thanks again for the honest and comprehensive review.
No, I'm with ya. If they often had discounts or sales or something I would see the allure, but I think it simply comes down to marketing, marketing and marketing. They're the "first" and "largest" with so many things, they're in the spotlight by default.
wow, yeah, that soft service is really appaling..
It's strange to look back on- bc nothing was like overtly offensive... but at the same time, this was supposed to be the 'best in the world' and frankly- I've had much better service on *many* airlines in Business.
I'm 13 & a half minutes in and that comment about the vitamines & breath mints really got my attention, like no other before in a flight review 😳
lol
Hopefully GameChanger isn’t available from DC next year, the IAD flight is scheduled to return to A380 service starting at the end of March.
I'd take the Gamechanger anyday over their A380 product.
The plate was also dirty in a whisper had me loling
😅
waiting so long for pre departure drink? i ve been better served in qatar ans sq buisnes
I've been better served on American and Egyptair lol
That’s harsh man
Such a pitty! Crew can make or break the experience! Sq and Qatar always good ofcourse!
Would you prefer this or the apartments?
For hard product alone, the answer will always be this.
I would fly OMAN AIR in Business over this EK F Product any day. What a huge disappointment that the majority of the Crew supposed to Elevate your experience into the Stratosphere were not fit for purpose, I wonder if anyone with seniority at EK has seen this and attempted to reach out to you? Love all of your vlogs, amazing and very educational with your fantastic narration and personality. 🎉
I just flew the emirates first class a month ago (albeit not the game changer seats) and the crew was absolutely amazing~ from the purser to like 3 more flight attendants, they were very accommodating and sensitive to my needs. Maybe this crew had issues as it's unusual to see all of them in emirates business or first not accommodating towards the passengers 🤔 loved your flight review though! hopefully i get to try the game changer seats too!
oh as for the box tray i asked about it last month, they said they discontinued it 😭
Thanks for sharing ✈️
When I was on board for the old 777-300 Emirate first class couple weeks ago, I also felt similar experience with the purser. He was pushing hard on a couple high ticket duty free items to me, especially the $900 USD colonge, despite my disinterest in them. He then tried to upsell some electronics to me. What's more ridiculous was at the end of the flight, when we were at the door about to leave, he ran to me passing me the duty free magazine... which was very odd. Not much attention to detail service from him and affter my refusal (politely) to the duty free items, I received very bland interactions and services were lackluster. The rest of the other crews though, were very friendly and accomondating.
I agree the foods aren't that memorable, I tried their mezze and steak and nothing stand out. Had much better food experience with UA, China Airline business class meals. Their drink options though, are one to die for.
It seems you got a even worse batch, with the broken flying map, lack of service, dirty toilet, dirty plates etc.
That's very odd- I would literally tell crew to stop if they were trying to upsell me.
Which is cheaper first class? Too expensive for me hehe I can't afford it.
BA usually the cheapest.
There is no doubt that you put a lot of effort into your reviews, and I have watched some of your videos as well as those of other vloggers. I believe that your reviews, along with others, might be better described as “journey reviews” rather than airline reviews. This is because the airline's setup remains consistent whether you fly today, next week, or next month.
Take Emirates, for example. If you fly First or Business Class from destination A to B, you will experience the same seat, the same lounge, and perhaps a slightly different food menu, but overall, the experience will be similar for anyone flying that route on that airline. The only variable that changes with each flight is the human interaction, such as your interactions with the ground staff at check-in or the cabin crew. These interactions significantly shape the majority of reviews.
For instance, you mentioned that for 16 minutes, no one welcomed you, which I find very odd because Emirates cabin crew are well-trained in greeting their customers. I’ve never encountered any issues with them in my numerous travels in premium class. Unfortunately, just as you judged them based on your specific flight, they might have judged you based on your appearance, attitude, and other factors when you boarded. These human factors vary from trip to trip; apart from them, everything else remains the same.
You might agree that hotel reviews are different, even though the facilities remain the same every time you stay at a particular hotel. The human factor is present there as well, but the rooms differ-they have different views, designs, colors, sizes, etc. Therefore, you can provide a more detailed view based on your temporary residence in the hotel, as the chances of someone staying in the exact same room are extremely rare.
The reason I wrote this lengthy message is that you rated Emirates 84/100 based on your experience, but that doesn’t necessarily mean I would have the same experience. This makes your review somewhat biased. Additionally, the title of your video, “Emirates Game Changer 777 First Class a Big Disappointment,” is misleading. The term “game changer” refers to the superior quality of their cabin, which sets a new standard above other airlines. As I recall, you praised the cabin and its amenities, except for the fact that you felt it was more like a Mercedes E-Class rather than an S-Class!! So why did you call the “game changer” cabin a big disappointment? I feel that your overall rating is based on “human factors” rather than the quality of the product.
I mean, your questions are answered already:
-I say in every video, this is my opinion based on my unique experience.
-I refer to my videos as trip reports.
-‘Game Changer’ is the name Emirates assigned to this seat, not me. I said this clearly in the video.
I make videos about what happens on my trips. Nothing less, nothing more. If you think that makes me biased, good on ya- I disagree.
@@tfft It seems you missed the main point of my message. The term "game changer" refers to the new cabin with its superior qualities and amenities, which you rated 20/20. However, in your title, you mentioned that the game changer is a big disappointment. Am I misunderstanding something here? I recognize that this is your personal opinion, but you focus on trivial issues that seem unimportant. This brings me to the purpose of your reviews. If you want them to appeal to travel enthusiasts, you should focus on the big picture. If this review is meant for your personal digital diary, then it's understandable to include every detail. For instance, mentioning that the purser poured wine when there was still an inch left in the glass is amusing, but I'm not sure how relevant that is to the thousands of people who will watch this video.
I have flown with Emirates numerous times, including the Brussels-Dubai route in the same cabin, most recently in January 2024, and I have consistently experienced top-notch service in every aspect. The only point I agree with you on is that the Diamond lounge is indeed very poor and doesn't match the quality of Emirates. You described it as underwhelming when it is, in fact, very bad. You seem to be very picky when it comes to high standards, but for something below average, you don't use a fitting description.
Ohhhh KEVIN! Might the attire of one “Flip Flop Traveller” possibly be why they didn’t provide better service? 🤷🏻♂️ think of the bias they may have for those occupying those seats. Still not sure why the new F isn’t on more and their longest routes! 6 hours doesn’t seem worth it!
It’s not 1959 anymore… and I wasn’t the only one in the cabin with shorts and/or (God forbid…) exposed toes.
It is so unfathomable… how such a large airline can be so inconsistent sometimes… from slow welcome drink and rather uncaring response about that map… I will be really mad if it happens to me(never flown first class before)
Well one could argue that the problem is precisely because of their size.
Btw, forget about the 2 million + inhabitants of Brussels that are reported via these inflight systems. The actual number is far lower. No idea how they come up with this inflated number. Thanks for the interesting accounts you produce !
Thanks for sharing ✈️
Nice video. Sounds like it was a bit of let down, service wise. Unfortunate. I was going to say luck of the draw, but that should not be. FC should be consistent regardless of the route or airplane, it’s about branding,
Try a different city pair, next time.
Cheers!
Agreed. For other classes there's an inconsistency tolerance built in, but it doesn't be the same for F.
Food specially from outstations is just luck but shocked that the service was so bad. Sounds like a typical AA first and most BA premium crews, not Emirates. It is a great product and would love to try it once but except for super rich, I can't see the point vs J suite products.
Yeah generally I agree about first products. But I think this specific seat and the full ANA experience are two that are worth it for the correct special occasion.
I think you meant, "a Brusseling hub of sorts."
Touché
Always love your videos. Any chance you'll be trying Air France La Premiere?
Would love to, but the two flights I have coming up on them are both on non-F aircraft.
Great video 2A.... I mean Kevin 😅 Such a shame about the service. I often wonder how much a bad purser influences the overall experience.
I'm of the opinion that the entire flight is in their hands- as 50% of any crew would always love to have an "easy" flight and slack off... (and can't really blame them). 50% of any crew on any flight slacking off is guaranteed to kill the flight.
Airbus already anmnounced the possible resume of the A380 production!
Yes and no lol. I think there's a big difference between "we'll never say never" and "maybe!" 😂 Emirates has clearly shifted their long term game away from exclusively mega jets and without OK there isn't a chance in hell that the A380 would come back. I'll put it at 0.00035% chance lol