Review of Emirates flight Dubai Chicago in First

Airline Emirates
Flight EK235
Class First
Seat 1K
Aircraft Boeing 777-300ER
Flight time 15:30
Take-off 20 Feb 19, 10:00
Arrival at 20 Feb 19, 15:30
EK   #1 out of 94 Airlines A minimum of 10 flight-reports within the past two years is required to appear in the rankings. 633 reviews
Rewardflying
Published on 2nd September 2019

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After a great day and tour of Dubai, it was time for another Emirates first class flight where the hope was for a better experience that lived up to their reputation. I will say this flight was far more enjoyable.

The limousine arrived at 6:30AM to whisk me off to Dubai International. There is a separate entry for premium class passengers where I was dropped off.


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Passengers to the the United States have a specific checkin counter.


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Through security in no time I made my way to the Emirates First Class Lounge. A full review of this lounge is under the Lounge section of RewardFlying. (Link below). Departing the lounge I headed to the gate.


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After a 2nd security screen at the gate I was onboard the newer Boeing 777 going to Chicago. 


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The cabin is much cozier that the A380 as it only seats 8 versus 14 in the A380.


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Less bling too as the bulkheads are styled in natural tones.


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As with the A380 there are no overhead bins in First Class which makes this 777 feel much larger.


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1K had my name on it and as you can see I positioned my carryon so it wouldn’t get caught on the leg rest this trip.


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In the front galley a self serve bar was set up including lots of Evian water which I never needed to retrieve because today’s FA, Ingrid from Brazil, was always delivering them to me in my seat.


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This isn’t a great photo of the ceiling in flight, but it’s meant to show a starlet sky.


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The biggest drawback on the 777 versus the A380 is the size of the lavatories for first class. Obviously there isn’t a shower, but the size is significantly smaller. Where you can you have plenty of room to change in an A380, it’s pretty tight on the triple 7.



A sneak peak into business class. I still don’t understand Emirates thinking behind 2x3x2 business class seating in the day of all aisle access.


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Back to F. A very comfortable seat with less bling. 


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The best first class monitor I have seen. Not only is it huge, the HD is superb.


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Apparently the DXB flight to Chicago originates in the town of Eskisehir Turkey.


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Electronic window shades that you don’t see much on Boeing jets.


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Other photos of the cabin including a seat belt for my broken luggage, and a very comfy private bed.



An onboard camera on the 777 like the A380, only the view is just pilot view, no tail camera.



The new 777 has a much better IFE system as well as seat controls versus older A380's.



My two main beverage selections.


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And later on…


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And the rest..



Food Menu


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Actually it is lunch as it is 2PM in Chicago.


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Today’s Canapés. I guess Ingrid gets a top grade for at least serving them, unlike last flight. While they were ok, the presentation wasn’t visually appealing.


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This flight I passed on the caviar and opted for the foie gras (I know, it’s one time). I parred this with a Sauternes and it was a delicious combination. The standout of the meal.


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The dreaded decanter ;)


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The veal chop was my main (I know, again it was one time).


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The veal was inedible. The potato gratin was delicious and there are those canned green beans again.


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A second pair of Emirates pjs for next winter.


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Amenities galore on this flight. From kits to writing materials to lotions to snacks, they have it covered.



Breakfast was good. Emirates doesn’t cooks eggs to order like you might find on Lufthansa or Austrian among others, but the meal was tasty. I’m still not a fan of airplane omelets.


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The 15 hour flight went by pretty quick and we were back in chilly Chicago. Pulling into the gate British Airways BOAC retro livery was parked down the way.


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Head to Reward Flying for a full review on the Emirates First Class Lounge as well as ratings for this flight. 


http://www.rewardflying.com/lounge-reports/2019/5/28/dxb-emirates-first-class-lounge

See more

Verdict

Emirates

8.0/10
Cabin8.0
Cabin crew8.5
Entertainment/wifi9.0
Meal/catering6.5

Dubai - DXB

8.1/10
Efficiency8.0
Access8.0
Services8.5
Cleanliness8.0

Chicago - ORD

7.0/10
Efficiency7.0
Access7.0
Services7.0
Cleanliness7.0

Conclusion

Cabin: I found this cabin nicer than the A380. It was quieter and decorated more to my tastes with the obvious drawbacks of no shower or on-board bar.

Food/Amenities: The amenities were excellent, the food was not, although better than my previous flight. So far Emirates is 0-3 with food for me.

IFE: This was the new ICE system. While having plenty of choices the system is easier to navigate and the tablet is much lighter than the A380 system. The HD monitor was incredible.

Flight Attendants: Ingrid, my primary flight attendant was great. A little language barrier as her native language was Spanish, but she delivered on everything.

Aircraft: This 2 year old 777 was immaculate. I preferred it over the A380, probably because I failed to shower on the A380, again.

Related

4 Comments

If you liked this review or if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to post a comment below !
  • Comment 520418 by
    ThomasDutch SILVER 639 Comments
    While EK is serving caviar in F class, one may wonder what EK's thinking by serving you canned green beans in your next meal..... Surely if you can serve caviar, how hard would it be for an airline to use proper green beans? Was cabin crew actively offering drinks or any other services inbetween both meal services as 15 hours is quite a long flight? Thanks for sharing another great report!
    • Comment 520580 by
      Rewardflying AUTHOR 493 Comments
      Hi ThomasDutch. Thanks for the note. The crew was great. I tend to not mention much as it’s not repeatable. Sure it’s great at the time when you have a super FA, but you could easily get the opposite on your next flight. Ingrid my FA on this flight was very attentive. I rarely, if at all had to ring her. As far as the beans, I’m totally not impressed with EK food. Champagne and caviar, impressed?
  • Comment 523308 by
    KévinDC TEAM SILVER 6719 Comments
    Yikes, it's so obvious those green beans are canned...how shameful...how so not First class! Bad Emirates!

    The piece of foie gras looks delicious, though, and a generous portion. And yes, a Sauternes is a perfect pairing.

    This flight I passed on the caviar and opted for the foie gras (I know, it’s one time).

    Could you have had both? I would have wanted both.

    Thanks for sharing!
  • Comment 523491 by
    Rewardflying AUTHOR 493 Comments
    Hey Kévin, good to hear from you.

    Could you have had both? I would have wanted both.

    Flying them twice in a couple weeks, I'll try (new F Suite!)

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