Emirates » B777-300ER (three-class) » User reviews

blendLondon flew Emirates First class, on a B777-300ER (three-class) (09/03/2012 12:18)

Emirates are not what they were.

This flight was a suite, but the recent problems with the A380 wings have forced them to use some pretty ancient planes on the LHR/DXB route recently.

Twice recently first class suites did not materialise, and instead the very old configuration with the old ICE systems were used. That said, on this flight it is the only time I have ever seen the Cabin Service Director rolling up his sleeves and serving passengers in first.

The flight was uneventful but also unremarkable. Average food, average wines, and apart from the CSD very average service.

The London lounge has also had some changes recently, and hot food appears to have disappeared in favour of more tables to sit down and be unable to the missing hot food. I don't understand this as it is definitely a backward move. The Dubai T3 First lounge is good as is the service, but isn't a patch on the Concorde lounge in T5 for example.

I am going to give Emirates a rest for quite a while I think and see what happens to them - they seem to be going in the wrong direction at the moment, and I am not at all sure where they land (forgive the pun). Hey ho! back to BA.

peterandrew62 flew Emirates Business class, on a B777-300ER (three-class) (03/03/2012 15:54)

Having connected from Sydney after a quick shower in the lounge, we headed to what seemed a distant gate where boarding was in progress.

Once onboard saw we were on the plane with the old angle flat seats, but still with plenty of space. Left gate close to departure time and finished my Veuve as we were taxing for a short time. Usual nuts with my gin and tonic, then offered a choice on the menu of smoked slamon roulade and a seafood main which I'd preordered, washed down with an excellent sancerre, with generous top ups from an attentive crew member. Was full and declined anything else even before coming into Gatwick.

Only minor annoyance were so rather active children at the front who were up and down the aisle as mum smiled at the little darlings.

Baggage arrived soon after arrival and transfer was waiting to take us home.

peterandrew62 flew Emirates Business class, on a B777-300ER (three-class) (18/02/2012 06:57)

Early start, to be picked up at 3.30 for transfer to Sydney airport, short journey and there by 3.45. Prompt check in, but advised immigration didn't open until 4.30. Got through via express line and airport just opening up.

The Emirates lounge is on the lower ground level, it had pleny of hot and cold food as well as plenty of drinks. I enjoyed tea, a smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel as well as a beetroot, ginger and apple detox breakfast drink. Called to reception to find our seats had moved to the front row due to a problem with the chair not going fully flat, this theme reoccurred later in the day!

Boarding prompt at 5.30, most of economy already boarded, enjoyed a glass of Moet and then pushed back slighty early at just after 6.00. Long taxi to the end of the runway, little around at that time so took off promptly. Excellent breakfast, offered choice, but enjoyed seafood as requested, plentiful and felt full without finishing the croissant and thick raisin loaf. As the flight was 14 hours enjoyed a good doze for a couple of hours, then watched some TV. Excellent light bite of lobster au gratin, then further rest and lunch before coming into Dubai. Pleasant fish terine and light choice blue eyed cod with vegetables, followed by opera cake.

Flight a bit bumpy and seemed slow to tell the crew to be seated whilst they were serving lunch. Excellent Mersault to wash down lunch. Seat wouldn't return to upright so moved to seat across the aisle.

Arrival slightly early before connecting on to London. Good crew, excellent attention to detail. well done Emirates.

peterandrew62 flew Emirates Business class, on a B777-300ER (three-class) (17/02/2012 17:34)

Arrived at the gate which looked fairly full and an anouncement was made that boarding would be delayed due to late arrival of the inbound plane.

Boarding began after the departure time and then a delay was announced due to technical problems, eventually we departed at 04.00.

Decided to skip food as had eaten in the lounge beforehand, so laid down and slept for several hours. Offered breakfast and given choice of seafood meal as requested, but opted for the vegetarian omelette.

Arrival in Singapore was delayed as we seemed to circle for quite a time. We all deplaned and then lined up to go through security 30 minuted later.

Dinner was served, enjoyed my seafood and an excellent dessert of orange mousse, with raspberry coulis. Sampled the New zealand sauvignon, but prefered the French Mersault. Cabin crew pleasant, but a bit slow with the rolls and wine, a bit to mechanistic/task related, although polite.

Enjoyed the movies and the crew seemed to deal with a medical emergency in economy as the lady was wheeled through to the front of the plane to make her more comfortable. Light bite of prawn satay was enjoyed before arrival, which was nearly 2 hours late. At least I wasn't continuing to Auckland!

Got through immigration rapidly and our driver got us to our hotel with no diificulties.

peterandrew62 flew Emirates Business class, on a B777-300ER (three-class) (17/02/2012 17:18)

Our transfer arrived promptly, the driver was chatty and got us promptly to LGW.

Having mostly checked in on line, check in was rapid and after a slow queue at what was fast track got to the Emirates lounge.

This lounge has consistently had a good choice of foods, I enjyed a very mustardy welsh rarebit, smoothy and some tea.

Boarding was called when most of the plane was already on board so had the joy of walking on board ready for take off.

Push back was delayed slightly, as the plane was de-iced. Meanwhile enjoyed the Veuve champagne. Push back 10 minutes late and then the long taxi to end of the runway with take off 20 minutes later.

Aperitifs and hot nuts were offered, followed by lunch, although I'd ordered a seafood I was offered the choices on the menu, but enjoyed the smoked salmon starter and the roast salmon main. Skipped the desert, but enjoyed the cheese selection. Enjoyed the sancerre and even got offered the Napa valley chardonay when the senior stewardess apologised for the sancerre needing to be chilled a bit longer. My partner enjoyed the St Emillion. Afternoon tea was scones and jam, was still full from lunch.

Arrived promptly and were bussed from our stand to the terminal with plenty of time to connect for my onward flight.

TominScotland flew Emirates Economy class, on a B777-300ER (three-class) (04/09/2011 20:40)

This review relates to the non-stop Brisbane - Dubai service with onward connection on a 777-200 (two class) to Glasgow. On the outbound, I had used miles to upgrade to Business for the Dubai - Brisbane leg and, ironically, had hardly slept so was in some trepidation about the return, timetabled as 14:40, in Economy.

Check in in Brisbane was fast and very well managed. I had pre-selected seats for both legs (no cost) but when I tried to check-in online, could not print my boarding pass. This was not a problem at check-in. Baggage allowance is very generous (up to 32kg) which is way above most carriers and as my case was heavy (28 kg) I was pleased with my airline selection. Security and Immigration were a breeze with no queues and I went into Departures to wait for the flight. No Lounge access as I have been downgraded to Silver (back up to Gold now on the back of these flights!).

Boarding was well organised and I was able to use the Priority Line with my Silver card. Seating on the 777-300 ULR is very good for this class - reasonable legroom and comfortable seats. I had my preferred aisle seat two rows behind Business Class. Push back was on time and the Captain announced a short flying time of 13:20 which would get us into Dubai some 75 minutes early. A simple amenity kit was handed out as this was a night flight. Drinks service commenced soon after take-off, followed by dinner of prwn salad, with a choice of beef and chicken (both appetising) and a chocolate dessert. Emirates ICE selection is second to none with both current and classic movies and, my favourite, of all UK No1s by week back to 1952!! I slept far better than in Business and only woke for the welcome chicken pie and fruit service about half way across. Breakfast was served some 90 minutes out of Dubai and we landed, as predicted, well ahead of schedule.

This is when Dubai gets a bit silly. We taxied for 25 minutes to a remote gate and deplaned into buses for another 25 minute tour of the airport before reaching the terminal. I guess this will be the reality (and getting worse) until the new airport opens in, I think, 2020. It appears to be random whether planes are allocated remote or terminal gates - my outbound ex-Glasgow deplaned into the terminal - a first time for me on this route.

With my Silver card, I was able to use the Emirates Business Lounge in Terminal 1 (not the main Lounge which is Business and Gold only). This was fine, with a welcome shower, good food and drinks and strong, free wifi. Boarding for Glasgow was on time. Again, I was in an aisle seat in the second row of Economy but the two class 777-200 has rather more cramped seating and overall has an older, rather more tatty feel. Catering was an extensive continental breakfast followed by a lunch choice of lamb or chicken. Arrival was on time and my luggage came though in reasonable time.

These are clearly very popular services as both legs appeared to be 100% full. It is obvious why other airlines are pulling out of services through to Australia and New Zealand as Emirates (and Ethihad, Qatar by all accounts) are offering far asuperior Economy product in terms of seating, service and routing options (6 Oz and Kiwi cities and 6 UK destinations) than the competition.

AlpineCY flew Emirates First class, on a B777-300ER (three-class) (09/06/2011 17:12)

I was traveling first class on the B777 from Sydney to Bangkok and I have to say that I much prefer it to the A380. Even though there is no shower and no bar at the back, the cabin has only two rows and you get a much more customized service. Also, the plane, even though they are older, seems to be in better shape. The suits are very comfortable and the food was excellent. The lounge in Sydney was overcrowded and the food selection was mediocre which was not the best experience but as I didn't mind as I only had 45 minutes before boarding anyway. I think, even though many people like the A380 better, I would try to get on a B777 the next time.

herrybirch flew Emirates Economy class, on a B777-300ER (three-class) (05/03/2011 11:59)

DBX to LGW. We were sat at the back of the cabin only 2 seats instead of 3 so wider aisle and ICE AVOD fab as always and food good. Seats were fab, can't see why people complain and 6 hours felt like 2.

MEMEMEMEME flew Emirates Economy class, on a B777-300ER (three-class) (18/12/2010 14:42)

We flew from LGW - DBX and I heard we would be going on an older Boeing 777-200 but was happy to be going on a 300er model. Worried because read that seats were too narrow but they were fine and the AVOD and food were great. The only annoying thing was that we were waiting and waiting at Gatwick to board with no info and waited in a small queue for about an hour to get our passport stamped. Very surprised how good it was.

Rohan-Ghosh flew Emirates Economy class, on a B777-300ER (three-class) (13/12/2010 14:55)

I have been taking this flight EK203 Dubai to New York for the past couple of years (this will be my fifth trip). Everything about this flight is well planned and thought off.

Love the schedule. You take of at 0200 from Dubai but get 14 hours to sleep. It lands in New York in the morning. Great for catching connections from JFK.

Love the menu. They feed you a lot! Starts off with a quick dinner and then a nice breakfast, also a midnight snack. I don't drink on planes but they serve a nice selection of beers wines etc.

If you are bored you can catch probably 150 channels of movies, documentaries and also video games!

The boarding is on a different floor than the your normal flights (maybe because of security) but it adds a quiet touch

The economy seats are really good with tons of legs space (if you know where to sit :)

The only negative thing - if there was any - is that the cabin crew are not seen once after the food is served. I think they tend to sleep... I am not sure though.

Here is a video on a complete economy class trip on Emirates I took last year, it will be give you a nice idea of what to expect

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vh9HQzWBG78

Cheers

TheFamousJames flew Emirates Business class, on a B777-300ER (three-class) (05/09/2010 08:26)

17/12/2008. We arrived into DXB from GLA in the old-style business class cabin and headed for the First Class Lounge in DXB T3.

The terminal had only been open about two months so it was interesting to see how it functioned, especially in the aftermath of the LHR T5 debacle.

The first disappointment was that we were parked on a remote stand and bus'd into the terminal. Upon arrival we discovered a very large queue waiting to pass through a security check. There was no equivalent of the UK Fast Track to which we have all become accustomed. Once through security, we headed up an escalator expecting to head for the lounge only to discover another security checkpoint with another massive queue. To their credit, the ground staff worked as fast as possible and remained friendly, but it was still an unwanted experience at 1am. The First Class lounge however does not disappoint and one quickly forgets the trials of getting from the plane. After a couple of hours in the lounge, a spa treatment, quick shower and a nice meal, we headed for our JNB flight.

Fortunately we were boarding from a gate not to far from the lounge. Unfortunately, and again quite surprisingly, there was no premium boarding option in the gate area and so it was a free for all to get to the bridge. Once there, there was a choice of two jetways, one for premium and one for economy which at least made boarding the plane a straightforward and rapid process. The First Class cabin was almost full and we we found ourselves in the original flat-bed seat rather than the new Private Suite.

Whilst roomy and with all the amenities expected of a "modern" seat, it was quite uncomfortable, especially where the seat padding seemed insufficient to prevent contact with the seat frame in places. I actually found myself wishing for the business class seat from our GLA flight. Otherwise, service was as expected - attentive but not overbearing, and prompt. Food and drink were excellent and though we hardly needed anything else after our lounge experience, it was difficult to refuse.

flyebos flew Emirates First class, on a B777-300ER (three-class) (20/03/2010 20:02)

Recent flight Dusseldorf-Dubai-Cape Town. The first leg we had the suites configuration (1-2-1) and the second leg was the "sky cruiser" seats (2-2-2)

Dusseldorf lounge:

The Emirates lounge in Dusseldorf only opened a couple of months ago and still has that new look. As we were pretty early, only a couple of people were using it, but it seems the lounge can easily seat at least 50 people. The food and drink bar was not that big but still has everything you need. No staff to wait you, all self service. There was a choice of cold and hot starters (the carpacio looked delicious), and for dinner there was a choice between meat, fish, vegetarian and Italian. We opted for the fish and although it was only lukewarm, flavours were alright. For desert there was a choice of creme brulee, chocolate cake and a fruit platter.

Boarding:

Twenty minutes prior departure a general call was made. One floor down and we were straight at our gate, through the first and business line, and welcomed aboard with a big smile.

Flight to Dubai

This was our first experience in First class, and we were lucky by having the private suites. I felt like a 5 year old in a huge toy shop! The suites are absolutely wonderfull! There are only 2 rows of suites, with 1-2-1 seating, and we were 4 couples on this flight, wich in practice means that each couple is seperated by an alley. This was not a big deal for us because I don't mind being seated 4 feet away from my husband but for one other couple it was huge problem, but nobody changed seats for them.

Flight attendants came along to help us with securing the hand luggage, and we were promptly served with a glass of Dom Perignon 2000 and the Arabian coffee. After takeoff the menus, amenity kit and pyjamas were handed out. Unfortunatly I'm not a caviar fan so I opted for the Arabian mezze wich was nicely spiced and tastefull. For dinner there was the classical choice between beef, fish, chicken or pasta. Having dinner was an experience on its own, the huge table, white napkins, little pepper and salt set, some hot garlic bread... The best part however was desert, a hot coconut and pinaple cake with ice cream.

The sleeping experience was wonderfull, no cramped economy stile sleep but a big comfy bed, with matras and duvet, all made up for you when you change into the pyjamas. (Unfortunatly the toilets are standard size, which makes it a bit cramped for changing clothes!). Once installed a press on the button turns your bed into a private bedroom with closed doors. Since I wasn't tired yet, I browsed through the inflight entertainment and watched a couple of Friends episodes with one more glass of champagne (my fourth by that time). Somehow I did manage to get some sleep and still wake up ontime for breakfast. As it was only 3am for my body I wasn't really hungry for eggs so I opted for the delicious muesli with yoghurt and a cup of green tea.

In contrast to Dusseldorf, we had a separate deboarding gate for First class, which adds to the special experience. However, what I did find annoying was the lack of a fast lane security, we ended up queing for more then 20 minutes (lots of flights arriving in Dubai at the same time). Most airports have them, so why not the Emirates terminal in Dubai??

Dubai Lounge:

I was expecting a lot here, and the experience was rather dissapointing. The lounge is huge, but right on top of all the shops and all the noise passes on into the lounge. It has been written before and I must agree that Emirates could have done so much better here! The food bar was nice and the waitresses helpfull. To my enjoy there was also a smokers section, not a glass box but open aired, and with drinks being served aswell.

Flight to Cape Town:

No private suites on this flight but the more classical seating in the sky cruiser seats. The "wow-effect" is not as big, but if your flying as a couple you are seated more closely together (2-2-2 seating). This time we were the only people flying first and we got a real threat by the staff, especially by a really nice purser. She spoiled us through the whole flight. As there was plenty of food, and choosing on the menu is sometimes hard, she prepared us a mix of starters and hot meals, so we could have a bit of each. The lack of suites was definatly made up by the quality of the staff! The sleeping experience was quite similiar to the suites. A big comfy 180 degree flat bed, with matras, duvet and pyjamas. We each installed ourselfs at one end of the cabin and this gives you a bit of a suite experience if you have the divider up. After a 6h sleep we were presented again by a lovely champagne breakfast, with scrambled eggs, bacon and sausages.

Main conclusion of these flights: Flying first in Emirates is a wonderfull experience which everybody should enjoy at least once in his lifetime. Only things to improve are in Dubai, the lack of fast lane security and the chaotic, noisy lounge.

theavidtraveller flew Emirates Business class, on a B777-300ER (three-class) (08/10/2009 19:40)

Reviews - London to Dubai - B777-300ER

Flight logistics We flew on flight EK004 - one of Emirate's seven daily flights from London Heathrow to Dubai. The flight is scheduled for departure at 20:40 arriving 0630+1 and we arrived 2 hours prior to departure.

Check-in The business-class check-in process was smooth and there was no queue in front of us. We quickly proceeded through the fast-track lane of security and headed straight to the Emirates Lounge which is located just by the gate.

Lounge facilities As a regular traveller, I have been fortunate to visit my airport lounges in my time, I'd happily say that the Emirates Lounge as Heathrow is truely exceptional and one of the best I've visited. The main seating area is upstairs and on arrival you are greeted with vast airside views. We watched the Singapore Airline's A380 pull in the the gate next door while waiting for our flight.

The lounge is fully stocked with a good selection of hot and cold food to suit all tastes, drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic), a business centre with free internet access, showers, toilets, magazines, etc. The lounge was fairly busy but not crowded and everyone was able to enjoy their own private space.

One of the best features of the lounge is that you are able to board directly onto the aircraft from the lounge. A first for me and I can see how this may save a lot of time when trying to board the A380 which also serves the LHR-DXB (EK002 at 14:15)

Boarding and seat choice On the 3-class B777-300ER, business class is situated in a separate cabin behind the 12 first class suites (see seatplans.com) on board. We were located in the front of the two business class cabins on board (rows 6 and 7 in the forward cabin and rows 8 - 11 in the rear cabin). Seats are in a 2 - 3- 2 format and we had the two seats together in the window and aisle. Only the middle middle seat (E) does not have a window or an aisle access. Sitting in 7J and K in the front cabin was a very private experience and I would recommend this forward cabin if you get a choice (you can pre-book seats on the Emirates.com website). While the toilets are located behind row 7, this is behind a wall and we were not disturbed at all.

Boarding was efficient and quick (perhaps because boarding for the front of the plane was left to the last minute). On locating our seat our coats were taken, we were offered drinks (champagne, juice or water) and were on our way shortly after.

The seat While at first we were slightly disappointed that we weren't able to fly on the A380, our flight experience on the B777-300ER was actually exceptional (and departs in the evening which means you get a full day in London). The aircraft benefited from Emirates' lie-flat seats and the latest entertainment system (ICE), which featured a touch screen tv (17 inch), front and back cameras, flight map, selected internet news (which did not work on our flight) and hours and hours of on demand entertainment. My only 'complaint' would be that there were so many features it took a while to get a hang of it, especially the separate remote control device which was attached to the chair which controlled the entertainment as well as the seat functions. Very effective noise-cancelling headphones were also provided.

One quite unique feature that existed on the aircraft was the presence of electronic blinds on the window which allowed you to open and close the shades at a touch of a button. I found this an excellent if not gimmicky feature and played with it until I started annoying my fellow passenger! :)

Emirates' flat-bed suite differs slightly from the newer suite on the A380 but extremely comfortable. Adopting a 'shell' like style, it can be converted at a touch of a button - just make sure you make use of the personal storage space for your shoes otherwise they may get crushed. Due to the fixed shell seat type, watching the tv is slightly more difficult to watch than on other business class designs like Virgin or Air New Zealand where you are able to tilt to viewing monitor.

The seats are 78" long and more than adequate for all but the tallest of travellers. They also feature room for personal storage, a power supply and USB stick interface - if you need to work or look at your holiday snaps.

I was also pleased to receive an overnight amenity bag which contained designer eau de toilette, toothbrush and the rest of the usual amenities. There was a male and female version and having seen amenity bags being phased out on many airlines I was pleased to receive such a comprehensive one.

The food A good choice of food was available on board which catered for most tastes. Note that Emirates allows you to pre-order 'special' meals and I noticed that their menu of special tastes seemed more vast than normal catering for tastes such as 'oriental', seafood, etc.

The most notable course was the starter which featured lobster on top of a fresh crisp salad and warm bread. The main course was also perfectly in-line with my high expectations and my dessert choice was chocolate brownie with ice cream followed by fresh fruit. Needless to say, by this stage of the flight I was somewhat ready to snooze and enjoy the flat-bed.

The flight This was an overnight flight and the only difficulty with the flight is that 6hr 50min flight to Dubai isn't long enough to enjoy the food, watch the entertainment and get a proper sleep. I managed to get a couple of hours of sleep before waking up for a light breakfast about 45 minutes out of Dubai. This was served efficiently and we landed on time at 0630, where we were greeted with the vastness of DXB airport (although most people were connecting rather than staying) and our driver to the hotel.

Service The flight attendant to passenger ratio seemed good (especially compared to other flights) and service was attentive yet not overbearing. The food services were conducted with efficiency and a smile. I felt that the service was particularly exclusive which may have been helped by sitting in the forward business cabin.

Conclusion This was an excellent flight and is highly recommended. Top quality service was shown throughout the flight from pre-boarding in the lounge, the flight and arrival. Food was tasty and well prepared. The seat comfortable and more than adequate for anyone wanting to catch some sleep on the short flight.

The key highlight would be the Emirates lounge in Heathrow and the entertainment system on board.

The only downside for this particular flight is that you land at 0630 Dubai time which is in the early hours of the London time (if you haven't changed your body clock) which makes navigating around the airport and Dubai slightly more challenging. Also, the flight length makes is a little difficult to get a proper sleep during the flight. Fortunately, business class tickets (as well many hotels) offer a free chauffer service so you can just step out of the airport and get some extra sleep in the car.

Recommendations

1) Pre-book your seats in the forward cabin 2) Make sure you leave yourself an opportunity to catch some sleep before or after the flight if possible 3) Remember that Emirates offer a free car and even hotel stop-over in Dubai on most business flights.