Review of Emirates flight Dubai Tokyo in First

Airline Emirates
Flight EK312
Class First
Seat 2F
Aircraft Boeing 777-300ER
Flight time 09:40
Take-off 07 Oct 19, 08:00
Arrival at 07 Oct 19, 22:40
EK   #1 out of 96 Airlines A minimum of 10 flight-reports within the past two years is required to appear in the rankings. 633 reviews
Rewardflying
Published on 12th April 2020

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After a power nap at the Dubai International Airport Hotel, which doesn’t require passing immigration, I was back in the First Class Lounge preparing for the 8AM departure to Haneda in the virtual window suite.  


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I ordered small quick breakfast as the expectation was to be well fed over the next 9 hours. I should have indulged. But what was ordered, while not so small, was delicious.


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Today’s flight boarded through door one. I was not greeted by any flight attendant. 


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Suite 2F would be my virtual window home for the ride to Japan. 


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Yep, is it real or is it Memorex? (For those that remember these commercials from way back when.)


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The detail was incredible. And the fact that the window is “clean” made the visual even more impressive.


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Some detail the I’d missed on the BRU-DXB report. In place of overhead bins. 


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A look back in business class. What a stark difference between the two classes. 


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Especially for those two gentleman in the middle seat!


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When I went to the lavatory to change into my pj’s from yesterday’s flight I saw a Flight Attendant in the galley and we exchanged greetings. He offered a glass of water before departure, but nothing else.

The onboard camera with massive monitor along with crystal clear window views made for great entertainment on the ground and in the air. 



Once the crew was released the FA I met in the galley came by and closed my suite door. I continued to gaze out the window and take photos. Then at some point I must have dozed off. 


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I awoke about 2 1/2 hours into the flight. The suite door was still closed. I waited to see if anyone would come for about 15 minutes, then rang the call button.

A woman FA came to the suite. I asked for some coffee and, acting dumb, wanted to know if food was being served. She looked startled and said “you haven’t eaten”. I said no, I don’t even have a menu. Immediately she returned with coffee and menus. 


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This was the oddest thing that ever happened to me on a flight, let alone on a renowned Emirates First Class flight which I’ve never experienced the hype. Granted I did fall asleep for probably 60-90 minutes, but to only offer a glass of water on the ground, not drop off the amenities or menu before takeoff, close the suite door after departure and not check back for a few hours. The only explanation was someone (cabin was full) had requested they not be bothered from takeoff and somehow the seat/suite number got mixed up.

Here is today’s menu.


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.


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Since this flight departed at 8AM, the first course was breakfast. It was however lunchtime, but I digress. No western/international selection was appealing so I went with the Japanese breakfast. 


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Just as the menu said it was a “meal tray”.


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I should have known “simmered seasonal vegetables” was a red flag. 


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Seasoned rice, or is it mushrooms and rice??


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The roasted gindara (sablefish) was quite tasty, but isn’t anything roasted in teriyaki sauce tasty?


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Business class, at best, presentation of fruit. 


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I finished off an underwhelming breakfast with some green tea. I will say, once the FA’s realized there was someone in Suite 2K, attention and service improved immensely. 


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For the next few hours I did some work and watched some entertainment. Dinner was served a couple hours out of Tokyo.

Only Western/International came with all the courses, I assume because when I ordered the Japanese Kaseki service I wasn’t asked if I wanted anything else. Nor was I brought the Canapes course, not that I was expected one in Emirates First Class. 


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The 2nd page had the Japanese Kaiseki service on top, then the International Main Course. So based on the placement of these items I assume the FA’s had no clue how to serve this menu. 


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Regardless, this was the main attraction. This is an excellent wine if you run across it. 


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I only punished myself again ordering the Japanese Kaiseki service because earlier this year I had the veal chop on Emirates and it was horrible. 


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I love tamago, but not this version. And prawn teppo gushi? Ok then…


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At least everything wasn’t served on a single tray.


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Credit when credit is due, the simmered veal cheek was outstanding. 


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Hmmm, haven’t I seen something like this before?


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Maybe this was my dessert from breakfast.


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Not to mention they never served the rice, soup or Japanese pickles.

Along with a fresh set of pajamas I was given this amenity kit with Bvlgari products. 


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Soon we arrived outside of Japan.


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Where an extensive video was played before landing. 


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The map showed us on the runway in Haneda. 


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Upon arrival into Tokyo I had arranged for the Emirates Chauffeur service to take me to the Hilton in Narita. The website has limitations for this service and I wasn’t sure in Narita qualified. So I contacted Emirates to book the trip and the agent confirmed I would be taken by car to Narita.

At the airport, in the arrivals hall was the driver with a plaque and my name on it. We were in the car and off, probably within 15 minutes of landing. The driver didn’t say much as he drove because as I was about to find out, he spoke almost no English.

It was a rainy night in Tokyo. About a half hour outside of Narita we stopped to pay a toll. Then the driver pulled off to the side and paraphrasing said, “This as far as I can take you”. At least that is what I thought he said.

We went back and forth and I couldn’t understand him, he couldn't understand me. Then he called someone and handed me the phone. The woman spoke English and said in order to get to my destination I would have to pay with a credit card. I explained that I had a confirmed reservation to the Hilton and pulled it up on my phone, which of course the driver couldn’t understand. I became more agitated at this point. My options were pay with a credit card, pay with cash or get out in the rain on an expressway somewhere in Tokyo.

Obviously I gave the credit card. It was $130 to get to the hotel!

When I returned to the states I called Emirates. They told me to file a complaint through their website which I immediately did. A few weeks went by and no response. I called Emirates. The agent assured me that someone would respond. This repeated three times, now into January. On the 5th call to Emirates I got an agent who actually helped. He said to refile the claim as something must have gone wrong as he couldn’t find record of the initial claim. To Emirates credit, once I filed the claim again they reimbursed me the $130 within a couple weeks. 


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See more

Verdict

Emirates

6.9/10
Cabin10.0
Cabin crew4.0
Entertainment/wifi9.0
Meal/catering4.5

Emirates Lounge - First (Gates A)

7.8/10
Comfort7.5
Meal/catering8.5
Entertainment/wifi7.5
Services7.5

Dubai - DXB

8.0/10
Efficiency8.0
Access8.0
Services8.0
Cleanliness8.0

Tokyo - HND

7.5/10
Efficiency7.5
Access7.5
Services7.5
Cleanliness7.5

Conclusion

Seat: Of course the suite is incredible. The difference in Suite 2F are the virtual windows which are really cool. Sharpness of detail, even in the air is far superior to what you would normally see. The question is, how does weather affect the projection? And the only negative is that you only see the angle of the camera. For instance if you want to look back, the field of vision doesn’t allow that. Minor issue.

Food: Granted the main dish of each meal was excellent, as was the wine and champagne which I didn’t indulge in. But the accompaniments were awful. In 4 Emirates first class flights I’ve yet to have a full meal that I would rank as even very good.

IFE: Awesome IFE monitor, large great clarity. Dual tablet airshow capability. Great overall content.

FA's: Bizarre would be the word to describe the Flight Attendants on this flight. From forgetting about me, to not serving the proper courses and not even serving all the items on some of the courses, well I won’t believe the polished Emirates First Class flight attendants TV commercials I’ve seen in the past.

Related

5 Comments

If you liked this review or if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to post a comment below !
  • Comment 551489 by
    KévinDC TEAM SILVER 6668 Comments
    Hey Mark, thanks for another great report!

    Today’s flight boarded through door one. I was not greeted by any flight attendant.

    Yikes, faux pas by the crew right off the bat! Not good. Also, when you say the flight boarded through 1L, you mean just F pax right? They didn't board the entire plane through the F cabin I hope!

    Suite 2F would be my virtual window home for the ride to Japan.

    that is just wild to me...and I honestly don't know how I feel about it

    A look back in business class. What a stark difference between the two classes.

    Stark indeed, 2-3-2 in J in 2020 is just wrong. This really speaks to the power of the EK PR/marketing machine...they manage to have a pristine image as a premium carrier with a truly sub-par premium cabin. And we can't even blame it on being an outdated product, those seats are brand new!
    All the bling must distract from the cabin's density, haha.

    To Emirates credit, once I filed the claim again they reimbursed me the $130 within a couple weeks.

    Yeesh, another customer service fail...well, at least initially. Thank goodness you were able to get that resolved before all the Covid madness, otherwise, it was have gone on foreeeever

    The cabin looks fantastic of course. Thanks for sharing!
  • Comment 551622 by
    Rewardflying AUTHOR 493 Comments
    Hi Kévin,
    They didn't board the entire plane through the F cabin I hope!

    -Nope, just first.
    that is just wild to me...and I honestly don't know how I feel about it

    -It was pretty cool. If you ever have a choice take the virtual over the std window!
    2-3-2 in J in 2020 is just wrong

    -I know, marketing machine or not, one and done for me if I didn't know before.EK is supposed to go 1-2-1 on the 777-x,but I wonder how long that plane will be delayed because of this covid shutdown, years maybe?

    Thanks for the comments, my Emirates experiments are over for now. JAL next!
  • Comment 552181 by
    Razza_Pr 215 Comments
    Hello, Rewardflying, and thank you for this Flight-Report.

    I should ask, how’s the quarantine life for you?

    Today’s flight boarded through door one. I was not greeted by any flight attendant.

    I’m more bothered by the fact that Mr. 1E had his feet on the table, tbh.

    A look back in business class. What a stark difference between the two classes.

    One might say… A Gulf of difference… I’ll see myself out

    He offered a glass of water before departure, but nothing else.

    Water, eh? Could you have asked for the kind where it’s made of pressed, fermented grapes… and with bubbles in it…? Perhaps vintage, even?

    Now, I know this is Emirates, of whom Al-Baker isn’t the CEO. But what *would* His Excellency think if he received this kind of service in a premium cabin? Were they too busy with something else? Yikes.

    Thanks again for this Flight-Report. I haven't much else to do this month, so I'll read your other ones, too.
    Cheers, and happy staying at home!
    • Comment 552187 by
      Rewardflying AUTHOR 493 Comments
      Hi Razza_Pr, thanks for the note. Hope you are staying safe.

      I’m more bothered by the fact that Mr. 1E had his feet on the table, tbh.

      No kidding, I thought about making a similar comment in my report but figured I was going to use my alloted snarky comments on EK first class service.

      Think I'm done with Emirates for awhile. Overall not impressed.
  • Comment 576242 by
    ChrisB GOLD 3391 Comments
    Really incredibly bad the soft product and crew behavior..
    I'm surprised EK didn't iffer some miles or voucher to make it up..

    Indeed the service customer treatment feels like you were an economy passenger.

    Thanks for sharing

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