It was a total dream of mine to fly on the biggest commercial jet ever to take to the skies – the airbus A380 – and that too in business class. Originally this dream was to be realised by flying Singapore airlines business class from Delhi to Sydney, but due to the events late last year we had to change that plan.
It was therefore with something of a heavy heart that we then rebooked our journey and embarked on the longest series of flights you can make from the UK, all the way to the South Island in New Zealand.
Our flights would take us on Emirates Business class from London – Dubai – Sydney and finally Christchurch. Total flying time is 24hrs and total journey time over 37hours!!!! Although its pushing it to say that this would have been totally unmanageable but for the luxury and comfort of Business class, I am really happy that we opted to go for comfort class. This is our story of the trip thus far (I am relaxing in my business class suite on the Dubai Sydney leg as I write!!)
We left from home on the 6th Jan early early in the morning (6am), due to England being caught in the grip of the coldest winter for 15yrs, the roads were horrendous and there was snow and ice everywhere. It was really tough to leave home, and despite my excitement of the flight, the luxury of the travel and all that was to look forward to I felt so bad about leaving mum and the kids and family, however this blog post isn’t about my emotions on the topic so I want to try to focus on the journey and our experiences.
Jijaji (Brother in Law) dropped us off about half way to Heathrow and we were collected from near his office by an Emirates chauffeur. Reynold (our driver) sped us through the snow and ice the airport where we were met with a strangely quiet Heathrow airport. After checking in we whizzed through security in about 3 minutes (I guess this was due to being in business class and also not flying to the US!!) and were relaxing with coffee in the emirates lounge in about 10min!!!
The lounge in Heathrow is practical and nicely appointed, but no where near as funky as the virgin Atlantic lounge, where you can get a haircut and play on video games. However the view is totally stunning. As with many major airports, A380 jets all come to the same group of gates. So I was greeted with the view of the Singapore airlines and Quantas super jumbos arriving and leaving. I can honestly say I was totally like a child on Christmas day – I was full with excitement at seeing these beautiful machines. Urvi is probably like most people reading this blog, in that she thinks that a plane is a plane, and who cares how big or quite it is. But I am a plane geek, and to me this trip is like winning the lottery.
We grabbed some food from the plentiful buffet, and sat down to relax, call family etc and for me to stare out of the window in awe!!
On the Emirates A380, business and first class cabins are both on the top deck of the plane, and you can board the plane directly from the lounge. It was a slightly strange but fun experience, trotting onto the plane while you see the huge line of people struggling to board economy. I truly felt that the moment we checked in we were in a different and parallel world; security staff were seemingly more friendly, and you just whiz through passed queues that would normally take ages. I felt a bit uncomfortable but it is also a bit shocking as to how quickly you get into the swing of things and expect premium treatment all the time.
The flight in from Dubai was late, and so we also got to see our plane arrive. Seeing the plane parking at the gate right in front of me I realised just how large this aircraft is – it is HUGE!! Other planes which generally have never felt small, felt tiny next to the super jumbo.
The moment the boarding announcement was made, as we started the short walk to the plane, my excitement really kicked in. I could not stop smiling and totally felt like a little kid.
It is safe to say that the business class product on this plane is just awesome. I won’t bore people with all the intricate details but here’s a summary of the best bits!!
17inch TV, with total on demand programmes (1000 channels)
Mini suite seating, really private and loads of great space
Fully automatic seat with full massage and a totally flat bed – the best sleep I have had on any any moving vehicle!
Mini bar for each seat, with endless food options
AMAZING 5 course meals and loads of other food as you go
The most comfortable plane ever – with better air quality, much much quieter, and loads of natural light
Windows in the Toilets!!
Three separate tables for you to work on your laptop, eat you dinner and read you paper at the same time!!!
A lounge bar, to walk around, sit and meet people, share stories etc
The flight to Dubai was 7 hours, but the time literally flew by, we were sitting in the best seats for a couple, private and together. It was great having a full dinner, just like a fine dine restaurant, together, and intimate.
Urvi slept well and I watched a few movies and generally tried to relax and collect my thoughts about the event of the last months.
We arrived into Dubai and had 10hrs before our next flight, this would have been totally horrible if we weren’t flying business class, and even then I was daunted by trying to spend 10hrs in the lounge – they’re not designed for that length of layover. Thankfully I asked for an upgrade at the lounge, and got Emirates to book us a hotel room at the Le Meridien they have next to the airport. So 15minutes later, and with a transit visa sorted we were kicking back in a 5 star hotel room, and looking forward to a nice nights sleep.
This was perfect for us, and when we emerged from our room at 7am, we were refreshed, bathed and ready to face the 14hr flight to Sydney. We had a hearty breakfast in the Emirates lounge, including Urvi eating idli and sambhar!! I thought this was really funny, as after having all this luxury available to us, we trumped to have a dish we can have at home!! Its kind of cute really.
The second A380 flight was a mega 14hr jaunt to Sydney, for this I had picked the really comfortable and private window seats. The only problem was that we weren’t sitting directly together. However Urvi had said she wanted to sleep as much as poss, and succeeded to do this for about half the flight.
This flight is an example of where the lounge at the back of the plane for first and business class passengers really comes into its own. After freshening up we sat there for some time and got chatting with a whole range of people, including the coach of the Australian Soccer team. The team had being playing some games in Kuwait and were returning from there. It was really nice how people can socialise, mill about and just stretch their legs. It totally doesn’t feel that you are on a plane at all, and everyone is really friendly and chatty.
All in all the experience was absolutely 100% fantastic. I have fulfilled a childhood dream and totally loved it. I understand how lucky we are when we do these types of things, and feel that I need to understand about how to be humble in life. Our trip has restarted in an amazing way and I just hope that we can continue to do all the things we wanted to, and achieve the goals we have set.
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