TheLocalYokel
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Birmingham-Melbourne
A few weeks ago my wife and I flew from Birmingham (BHX) to Melbourne (MEL) and return, with a change of aircraft at Dubai (DXB) in both directions.
We were collected by an Emirates chauffered car from our home in the West of England and arrived at BHX in good time for our Monday evening departure on Emirates flight EK 38 to Dubai.
Check-in was quickly accomplished and after a look at the bookstalls in the user-friendly BHX terminal we made our way to the excellent Emirates lounge situated in the new part of the airport where we enjoyed a full meal and drinks.
We were called to our aircraft shortly before it was due to depart. It was parked near the lounge and we were soon in our seats via an airbridge. We were travelling on a Boeing 777-300 which had 42 business seats and around 400 economy seats. The business seats were of the older non-pod variety but comfortable nonetheless. The business cabin seemed pretty full and the flight in general appeared well-filled.
We pushed back on time at 2025 GMT and after a short taxi were airborne. A five-course meal was offered but we elected a light portion of the full offering, having eaten our fill in the lounge prior to take-off. We did have one or two drinks that helped us both to snatch a couple of hours light sleep later in the flight (we are normally very poor sleepers on aircraft).
The celebrated Emirates ICE entertainment system (of which more later) was in full working order with individual pull-up monitor screens, although on this type of aircraft they cannot be used for take-off and landing and have to be stowed, presumably as a safety precaution in case they obstruct in an emergency situation. We are not great ones for inflight entertainment, preferring to read or look out of the window, but we did, out of curiosity, have a look at what was on offer in case we felt like being entertained on the next, much longer leg to MEL.
The flight was without incident and we arrived at DXB shortly after 0700 local (0300 GMT), a leg of nearly seven hours.
DXB is a modern airport (for the most part) and extremely busy. Because we had first-class boarding cards for the onward flight to MEL we were able to use the Emirates first-class lounge. We spent a couple of hours in the lounge which, rather surprisingly, was almost empty of passengers (I understand it can accommodate one thousand), had a shower and freshen-up and cups of tea and coffee together with a snack. We didn't feel like drinking alcoholic beverages at that time of day.
Our onward flight to MEL on EK 406 was due to depart at 1000 local (0600 GMT) and we were at the gate in good time. The flight was clearly going to be full or nearly so and we walked down a tatty and dingy passage (unlike the ultra-modernity of most of DXB) to be taken by bus on a tortuous journey (including through a tunnel) to our aircraft parked at a remote stand.
The aircraft was again a Boeing 777-300, with eight first-class suites, 42 business seats and over 300 economy seats (not sure of the exact number). The suites are in two rows of four at the front of the aircraft. I noticed that the business seats immediately behind the first-class cabin were of the modern pod variety.
My suite was on the right-hand side of the second row and stretched the length of three windows. My wife's was to my left across the aisle.
The suites are effectively tiny rooms that can give complete privacy be means of a door that can be opened and shut at the touch of a button on the passenger's control console.
The seats turn into flat-beds at the touch of a button and any intermediate position can be achieved. They are extremely comfortable with inbuilt massage facilities and bedclothes of varying degree, depending on the passenger's preference.
There is a personal mini bar in each suite, as well as a bowl of 'treats', magazines, fresh flowers, table lamp, illuminated vanity mirror, a fold-away table for working or eating and a 23inch digital tv screen.
Emirates' ICE entertainment system features over 1200 channels of entertainment from films to games to radio to news, but I was most interested in the forward and downward facing cameras fitted to the outside of the aircraft, and the comprehensive system for following the progress of the flight. Unlike our flight from BHX that was entirely flown in the dark meaning the on-board cameras were of little value, EK 406 departed in bright sunshine on a hot morning more or less on time.
Because the tv screens in the suites remain on during take-off and landing I was able to follow our lengthy taxi path through the eye of the pilot. Once in the air I switched to the downward-facing camera for fascinating views of the desert landscape below us as we headed out from Dubai.
Emirates offer seven-course meals in first-class together with fine wines and spirits, and other excellent alcoholic beverages ranging from aperitifs to cocktails but, to out regret, neither of us felt like eating or drinking much. Meals or snacks can be taken at any time according to the individual passenger's desire.
We decided on fruit juice and water and settled down to try to get some shut-eye. We cat-napped for four or five hours but the persistent turbulence (lightish but noticeable and enough for the seat-belt signs to be illuminated for much of the flight) was a hindrance to deep sleep.
My wife then had a light continental breakfast but I contented myself with further fruit juice and water. I then watched a very old black and white film (the classic 'The Grapes of Wrath' for anyone remotely interested) before finally deciding I could tackle some food (about nine hours into the flight). I selected a pan-fried beef fillet and accompaniments followed by cheese and biscuits and a decent Shiraz – very reluctantly I could not face the full seven courses.
By now we were in our second local night so I dozed, read a bit and played idly with the ICE system. My wife was trying to doze in the neighbouring suite.
We arrived over the state of Victoria between 0500 and 0600 local time on Wednesday morning (1800-1900 GMT on Tuesday) and it was beginning to get light. I was able to watch the approach into MEL, the landing and taxi on the tv screen in my suite. We landed about 0630 local (1930GMT the previous day) after a flight of just under 13 hours from DXB and a total time of just under 20 hours in the air for the entire journey.
We had an Emirates chauffered car to take us to our destination in the Melbourne area.
Melbourne-Birmingham
Our return was three weeks later on a Monday evening.
We arrived at MEL a couple of hours or so ahead of our 2225 hours (1125 GMT) departure.
After a quick check-in we made our way to the Emirates lounge which was very similar to the one at BHX, though we both thought the BHX lounge was slightly better in most respects.
We had a full meal and drinks in the lounge and I had a couple of large brandies as I was determined to get some sleep.
Boarding the EK 407 was simplicity itself and I occupied the same suite as the outbound, except the aircraft was a sister of the one coming out. I elected for a fruit juice instead of the offered champagne on boarding (as I did on the outbound) and once in the air downed a couple more brandies over the next half hour.
I closed my suite door and managed to get five or six hours of reasonable sleep (very good sleep for me on an aircraft in fact) but it was napping rather than a really good kip. It was still dark when I awoke and the flight continued that way all the way to Dubai as we flew towards the oncoming night.
I had a light snack and fruit juice, together with the copious amounts of water that I always consume on long-haul flights.
I watched another very old film (this time Humphrey Bogart in 'The Big Sleep') and then dozed. I just did not feel like attacking any of the culinary delights on offer, and didn't even consume any more alcohol.
The dark night gradually gave way to the lights of Dubai and we landed about half an hour early at 0510 local (0110 GMT) after a flight of around 13 and a half hours. We encountered light turbulence for much of the way and again the seat-belt signs were illuminated for the greater part of the journey.
Because our ongoing flight to BHX was business class we accessed DXB's Emirates business lounge. I had read a number of disturbing reports about this lounge and they turned out to be correct.
It was extremely busy (it can hold 1500 people) and available chairs and tables were difficult to find. There was even a queue for the gents. We had cups of tea and coffee respectively and a light snack. It was not a particularly restful place and we were not sorry when it was time to walk to the gate.
Our aircraft home was a Boeing 777-300 similar to the outbound from BHX with non-pod business seats, of which about 30 of the 42 were occupied. Our flight (EK 39) pushed back at 0855 local (0455 GMT) around fifty minutes late, the reason for the delay being heavy traffic according to the captain.
Although the individual seat monitors had to be stowed for take-off there was a public screen at the front of the cabin that gave us the view of the pilot through the forward-facing onboard camera. There were three or four Emirates aircraft ahead of us and as we turned to enter the runway we saw a queue of four or five airliners behind us. We were immediately behind an Emirates A 380 and had a great view of the behemoth on its take-off roll and lift-off. We were held at the end of the runway for several minutes, presumably to allow the effects of possible wake turbulence to dissipate.
Climb-out gave us a splendid view of Dubai and all its modern buildings and artificial islands in the sea.
For once we were both quite hungry and enjoyed a continental breakfast. I then settled down to look out of the window (it was clear until we reached the Bulgarian coast in the vicinity of Varna), and enjoy the desert landscape of Iraq via the downward-facing camera.
I previewed various films and tv shows on ICE but found nothing that really interested me so I settled on an audio version of Les Miserables to accompany my lunch – this time I went for the five courses: canapes, Arabic mezze, seasonal salad, braised beef, wild berry and orange frangipane concluding with the cheese board. I washed this down with two or three glasses of Sauvignon Blanc, perhaps not the choice of a wine connoisseur (which I'm certainly not) with such a meal, but I wanted something light and refreshing.
We were nearing the Dutch coast by the time I had properly done so the approach into a bright but very cold BHX soon came into view on the public monitor at the front of the cabin (the individual monitors had been stowed again for landing).
We touched down around twenty minutes late a minute or two after midday GMT giving a flight time from DXB of just over seven hours, and an overall time in the air from MEL of just over 20 and a half hours.
Our bags were amongst the first on the carousel and the immigration was swiftness personified - plenty of manned desks.
The Emirates chauffered car was awaiting us - there was quite a fleet meeting EK 39 - and we were back home in the West Country by a quarter past two.
Summary
I believe we obtained a great deal in that we paid little more than business fares for the return trip, the bulk of which was in the first-class suites. We booked with a well-known travel chain specialising in long-haul flights and holidays and were able to nominate and reserve our seats, including the actual suite numbers, three months beforehand. The deal also included complimentary chauffered car travel to and from BHX and from MEL. We could have also been driven to MEL but chose not to as we had family transport.
Emirates sometimes comes in for criticism from travellers on trip report web sites but we were very pleased with all aspects, apart perhaps from the Dubai business lounge and DXB itself, a large and extremely busy airport with crowds in the public areas at times resembling football crowds in density.
Food and drink were excellent, though we lamentably failed to do justice to it on the first-class legs, and the cabin staff attentive and helpful. Emirates say they have four cabin staff dedicated to the eight first-class suites. On the return only five of the suites were occupied and we troubled the cabin staff little so they must have been very bored.
The trip was also useful to us in that it showed how easy BHX is to reach from the West Country (we had never used it before). We could have flown from LHR on a similar deal but don't much like big airports unless there is no alternative - we've had our fill of them in the past. We were favourably impressed by BHX and will certainly be looking to use it the next time we visit Australia as we couldn't find anything approaching this deal from our local airport at Bristol.
A few weeks ago my wife and I flew from Birmingham (BHX) to Melbourne (MEL) and return, with a change of aircraft at Dubai (DXB) in both directions.
We were collected by an Emirates chauffered car from our home in the West of England and arrived at BHX in good time for our Monday evening departure on Emirates flight EK 38 to Dubai.
Check-in was quickly accomplished and after a look at the bookstalls in the user-friendly BHX terminal we made our way to the excellent Emirates lounge situated in the new part of the airport where we enjoyed a full meal and drinks.
We were called to our aircraft shortly before it was due to depart. It was parked near the lounge and we were soon in our seats via an airbridge. We were travelling on a Boeing 777-300 which had 42 business seats and around 400 economy seats. The business seats were of the older non-pod variety but comfortable nonetheless. The business cabin seemed pretty full and the flight in general appeared well-filled.
We pushed back on time at 2025 GMT and after a short taxi were airborne. A five-course meal was offered but we elected a light portion of the full offering, having eaten our fill in the lounge prior to take-off. We did have one or two drinks that helped us both to snatch a couple of hours light sleep later in the flight (we are normally very poor sleepers on aircraft).
The celebrated Emirates ICE entertainment system (of which more later) was in full working order with individual pull-up monitor screens, although on this type of aircraft they cannot be used for take-off and landing and have to be stowed, presumably as a safety precaution in case they obstruct in an emergency situation. We are not great ones for inflight entertainment, preferring to read or look out of the window, but we did, out of curiosity, have a look at what was on offer in case we felt like being entertained on the next, much longer leg to MEL.
The flight was without incident and we arrived at DXB shortly after 0700 local (0300 GMT), a leg of nearly seven hours.
DXB is a modern airport (for the most part) and extremely busy. Because we had first-class boarding cards for the onward flight to MEL we were able to use the Emirates first-class lounge. We spent a couple of hours in the lounge which, rather surprisingly, was almost empty of passengers (I understand it can accommodate one thousand), had a shower and freshen-up and cups of tea and coffee together with a snack. We didn't feel like drinking alcoholic beverages at that time of day.
Our onward flight to MEL on EK 406 was due to depart at 1000 local (0600 GMT) and we were at the gate in good time. The flight was clearly going to be full or nearly so and we walked down a tatty and dingy passage (unlike the ultra-modernity of most of DXB) to be taken by bus on a tortuous journey (including through a tunnel) to our aircraft parked at a remote stand.
The aircraft was again a Boeing 777-300, with eight first-class suites, 42 business seats and over 300 economy seats (not sure of the exact number). The suites are in two rows of four at the front of the aircraft. I noticed that the business seats immediately behind the first-class cabin were of the modern pod variety.
My suite was on the right-hand side of the second row and stretched the length of three windows. My wife's was to my left across the aisle.
The suites are effectively tiny rooms that can give complete privacy be means of a door that can be opened and shut at the touch of a button on the passenger's control console.
The seats turn into flat-beds at the touch of a button and any intermediate position can be achieved. They are extremely comfortable with inbuilt massage facilities and bedclothes of varying degree, depending on the passenger's preference.
There is a personal mini bar in each suite, as well as a bowl of 'treats', magazines, fresh flowers, table lamp, illuminated vanity mirror, a fold-away table for working or eating and a 23inch digital tv screen.
Emirates' ICE entertainment system features over 1200 channels of entertainment from films to games to radio to news, but I was most interested in the forward and downward facing cameras fitted to the outside of the aircraft, and the comprehensive system for following the progress of the flight. Unlike our flight from BHX that was entirely flown in the dark meaning the on-board cameras were of little value, EK 406 departed in bright sunshine on a hot morning more or less on time.
Because the tv screens in the suites remain on during take-off and landing I was able to follow our lengthy taxi path through the eye of the pilot. Once in the air I switched to the downward-facing camera for fascinating views of the desert landscape below us as we headed out from Dubai.
Emirates offer seven-course meals in first-class together with fine wines and spirits, and other excellent alcoholic beverages ranging from aperitifs to cocktails but, to out regret, neither of us felt like eating or drinking much. Meals or snacks can be taken at any time according to the individual passenger's desire.
We decided on fruit juice and water and settled down to try to get some shut-eye. We cat-napped for four or five hours but the persistent turbulence (lightish but noticeable and enough for the seat-belt signs to be illuminated for much of the flight) was a hindrance to deep sleep.
My wife then had a light continental breakfast but I contented myself with further fruit juice and water. I then watched a very old black and white film (the classic 'The Grapes of Wrath' for anyone remotely interested) before finally deciding I could tackle some food (about nine hours into the flight). I selected a pan-fried beef fillet and accompaniments followed by cheese and biscuits and a decent Shiraz – very reluctantly I could not face the full seven courses.
By now we were in our second local night so I dozed, read a bit and played idly with the ICE system. My wife was trying to doze in the neighbouring suite.
We arrived over the state of Victoria between 0500 and 0600 local time on Wednesday morning (1800-1900 GMT on Tuesday) and it was beginning to get light. I was able to watch the approach into MEL, the landing and taxi on the tv screen in my suite. We landed about 0630 local (1930GMT the previous day) after a flight of just under 13 hours from DXB and a total time of just under 20 hours in the air for the entire journey.
We had an Emirates chauffered car to take us to our destination in the Melbourne area.
Melbourne-Birmingham
Our return was three weeks later on a Monday evening.
We arrived at MEL a couple of hours or so ahead of our 2225 hours (1125 GMT) departure.
After a quick check-in we made our way to the Emirates lounge which was very similar to the one at BHX, though we both thought the BHX lounge was slightly better in most respects.
We had a full meal and drinks in the lounge and I had a couple of large brandies as I was determined to get some sleep.
Boarding the EK 407 was simplicity itself and I occupied the same suite as the outbound, except the aircraft was a sister of the one coming out. I elected for a fruit juice instead of the offered champagne on boarding (as I did on the outbound) and once in the air downed a couple more brandies over the next half hour.
I closed my suite door and managed to get five or six hours of reasonable sleep (very good sleep for me on an aircraft in fact) but it was napping rather than a really good kip. It was still dark when I awoke and the flight continued that way all the way to Dubai as we flew towards the oncoming night.
I had a light snack and fruit juice, together with the copious amounts of water that I always consume on long-haul flights.
I watched another very old film (this time Humphrey Bogart in 'The Big Sleep') and then dozed. I just did not feel like attacking any of the culinary delights on offer, and didn't even consume any more alcohol.
The dark night gradually gave way to the lights of Dubai and we landed about half an hour early at 0510 local (0110 GMT) after a flight of around 13 and a half hours. We encountered light turbulence for much of the way and again the seat-belt signs were illuminated for the greater part of the journey.
Because our ongoing flight to BHX was business class we accessed DXB's Emirates business lounge. I had read a number of disturbing reports about this lounge and they turned out to be correct.
It was extremely busy (it can hold 1500 people) and available chairs and tables were difficult to find. There was even a queue for the gents. We had cups of tea and coffee respectively and a light snack. It was not a particularly restful place and we were not sorry when it was time to walk to the gate.
Our aircraft home was a Boeing 777-300 similar to the outbound from BHX with non-pod business seats, of which about 30 of the 42 were occupied. Our flight (EK 39) pushed back at 0855 local (0455 GMT) around fifty minutes late, the reason for the delay being heavy traffic according to the captain.
Although the individual seat monitors had to be stowed for take-off there was a public screen at the front of the cabin that gave us the view of the pilot through the forward-facing onboard camera. There were three or four Emirates aircraft ahead of us and as we turned to enter the runway we saw a queue of four or five airliners behind us. We were immediately behind an Emirates A 380 and had a great view of the behemoth on its take-off roll and lift-off. We were held at the end of the runway for several minutes, presumably to allow the effects of possible wake turbulence to dissipate.
Climb-out gave us a splendid view of Dubai and all its modern buildings and artificial islands in the sea.
For once we were both quite hungry and enjoyed a continental breakfast. I then settled down to look out of the window (it was clear until we reached the Bulgarian coast in the vicinity of Varna), and enjoy the desert landscape of Iraq via the downward-facing camera.
I previewed various films and tv shows on ICE but found nothing that really interested me so I settled on an audio version of Les Miserables to accompany my lunch – this time I went for the five courses: canapes, Arabic mezze, seasonal salad, braised beef, wild berry and orange frangipane concluding with the cheese board. I washed this down with two or three glasses of Sauvignon Blanc, perhaps not the choice of a wine connoisseur (which I'm certainly not) with such a meal, but I wanted something light and refreshing.
We were nearing the Dutch coast by the time I had properly done so the approach into a bright but very cold BHX soon came into view on the public monitor at the front of the cabin (the individual monitors had been stowed again for landing).
We touched down around twenty minutes late a minute or two after midday GMT giving a flight time from DXB of just over seven hours, and an overall time in the air from MEL of just over 20 and a half hours.
Our bags were amongst the first on the carousel and the immigration was swiftness personified - plenty of manned desks.
The Emirates chauffered car was awaiting us - there was quite a fleet meeting EK 39 - and we were back home in the West Country by a quarter past two.
Summary
I believe we obtained a great deal in that we paid little more than business fares for the return trip, the bulk of which was in the first-class suites. We booked with a well-known travel chain specialising in long-haul flights and holidays and were able to nominate and reserve our seats, including the actual suite numbers, three months beforehand. The deal also included complimentary chauffered car travel to and from BHX and from MEL. We could have also been driven to MEL but chose not to as we had family transport.
Emirates sometimes comes in for criticism from travellers on trip report web sites but we were very pleased with all aspects, apart perhaps from the Dubai business lounge and DXB itself, a large and extremely busy airport with crowds in the public areas at times resembling football crowds in density.
Food and drink were excellent, though we lamentably failed to do justice to it on the first-class legs, and the cabin staff attentive and helpful. Emirates say they have four cabin staff dedicated to the eight first-class suites. On the return only five of the suites were occupied and we troubled the cabin staff little so they must have been very bored.
The trip was also useful to us in that it showed how easy BHX is to reach from the West Country (we had never used it before). We could have flown from LHR on a similar deal but don't much like big airports unless there is no alternative - we've had our fill of them in the past. We were favourably impressed by BHX and will certainly be looking to use it the next time we visit Australia as we couldn't find anything approaching this deal from our local airport at Bristol.
