First class trouble review upgrade#

Most airlines have an annual drinks budget, which their purchasing manager will use to get best possible deal on whatever is available for the next year. A considerable step up from standard Dom Perignon – which is already one of the best champagnes served on any airline. However, on this particular flight, we were especially lucky to be presented with Dom Perignon’s late release P2 champagne. I’ve been fortunate enough to experience almost every First Class cabin to grace the sky, over the last decade, but this is really something else.Īs I mentioned in my previous review of First Class on the A380, the Emirates wine list is already beyond anything available on any other airline, barring perhaps JAL.

My first impression when laying eyes on the suite was that it was absolutely stunning. I selected Suite 1A and Kamara was located in 1E, just across the aisle from me. It is worth noting that the middle suites (1E and 2F) offer considerably more space than the window suites – as well as featuring the much vaunted virtual windows. These are the seats to pick if travelling in a couple.Īs a solo traveller, seats 2A and 1K offer the most privacy – since their doors open out onto a wall, and not the door of another suite. However, a quick check on gives a more accurate representation: Seats 1A and 1E share an aisle, as do seats 2F and 2K. The Emirates website doesn’t give much away, since you can only see seat maps for the 777s featuring the old First Class. Given the 1-1-1 layout of this six suite First Class cabin, it can be a little difficult to understand the best seats to pick. We had to leave the lounge, descend to a crowded lobby area and wait there for a bus transfer to the plane.Įmirates 777 Gamechanger – First Class cabin. On this particular day, our luck was out. Unfortunately though, boarding from the gate is not guaranteed on the Boeing 777, which features the new Gamechanger First Class product. This is a fantastic perk that totally transforms the boarding experience for passengers in premium cabins on the A380. This is possible not only from its Dubai hub, but also from a multitude of lounges around the world. The following day, I checked availability on this new flight number and found no award space on any other day.Įmirates is an airline which has pioneered the concept of boarding aircraft directly from the lounge. In the process, I think somebody must have forgotten to flick the switch that said “block First Class award space”. I suspect that we benefitted from the fact that the flight number changed a couple of months before departure. Ordinarily, Gamechanger award space is very hard to come by for a couple, since the cabin only has 6 seats. Moments later, the Emirates agent confirmed that the points had appeared in my account and she proceeded with the upgrade, at a cost of 39,000 Emirates Skywards points per person.

First class trouble review upgrade#

Upon confirming the upgrade space on the phone with Emirates, I instantly transferred the points over from my UK Amex Platinum card online. I found the award space by setting an alert on Expertflyer (which alerts you before the system). One lucky day, I was searching for fares at random, as I often do (I’m sure I’m not the only one) and I stumbled upon this absolute gem: I was genuinely thrilled at the prospect of trying a product which could compete with my current favourites: A fully enclosed suite from floor to ceiling, with custom lighting and temperature controls a seat designed by NASA and, of course, Emirates’ world beating wine list to keep me entertained. So far, I had been wowed by First Class, enjoying it far more than I thought I would.Ĭonversely, I had found the Business Class experience to be rather average and certainly not on the level of regional rivals Etihad and Qatar.Įverything that I had read online thus far made me believe that the Gamechanger First Class suite would be the greatest aviation experience of my life. This flight was the culmination of a trip in which I finally tried both First Class and Business Class on the Emirates A380. Upgrade from Business to First: 39,000 Skywards miles.Booking type: Cash fare (LON-DXB-JNB r/t for £1376).Frequent Flyer status during flight: None.