Emirates 77W. Photo / Flickr Creative Commons, user markyharky
Ewan McDonald flies from Dublin to Dubai on Emirates EK162.
The plane: Boeing 77W.
Class: Business.
Price: Don't ask. I didn't, because the nice people at VisitScotland paid, and the just-as-nice people at Emirates upgraded me.
On time: Forty-two minutes late leaving, 48 minutes late arriving in Dubai. Stuck in air traffic at both ends.
My seat: 6D. This plane has the old-style business configuration of three seats in the middle aisle, two at the sides, rather than the A380's herringbone flying capsules.
Fellow passengers: It's business, so ...
How full: Business, full. Economy, not.
Entertainment: Emirates' ICE system - live news, onboard cameras and information; communications including phone, text and email; 1600 entertainment channels. Movies aren't always the latest releases, however.
The service: Gets off to a great start on the Irish tarmac when the pilot announces himself as "Captain O'Toole". True. And it doesn't let up all the way to Dubai: refined, personal, stylish. You get what someone else pays for.
Food and drink: Full lunch service - four courses from appetiser to cheeseboard - somewhere above central Europe. Sauteed beef fillet, green and black peppercorn sauce, baby vege and potato gratin with a more-than-acceptable Bordeaux.
Luggage: Hand it over at check-in, forget about it until it comes off the carousel within minutes of disembarking. Up front, the carry-on space is big enough to take a 30kg case. Sorry to rub it in.
The toilets: Pristine. All the goodies available. What else would you expect?
The airport experience: Dublin can fairly be described as functional rather than flash. Shopping trades heavily on leprechaun keyrings and local whiskies. The airport-operated lounge is small, entry appears indiscriminate and facilities well below Emirates' usual lavish standard.
Would I fly this again?: To be sure.
Ewan McDonald toured Scotland and Ireland with VisitScotland, the Northern Ireland Tourist Board, Tourism Ireland and Emirates.
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