The introduction of Emirates' flight from Newark, New Jersey, to Athens, Greece, and then Dubai, United Arab Emirates, was met with protests from United Airlines employees and members of Congress last year.

While memorable, the protests were a single chapter in the feud between US legacy airlines and their Middle Eastern rivals.

I had the chance to experience the flights on the way home from a trip to Dubai last month.



Last month, at the end of a trip to Dubai, I decided to fly Emirates to Newark, New Jersey, with a stopover in Athens, Greece, instead of a quicker nonstop flight to JFK Airport in New York.

In many respects, Emirates' Newark service by way of Athens is the most controversial flight in the world.

That's because Newark Liberty International isn't just any airport, but the New York-area hub for United Airlines, which is the only other airline to offer a nonstop flight between Newark and Athens.

The Newark-Athens flight is what people in the airline industry call a fifth-freedom flight. It involves an airline operating flights between its home country and a foreign country with a stopover in a second country, effectively allowing an airline to operate international flights between the two foreign nations.

It also tends to rub airlines in those countries the wrong way, because it feels as if Emirates is muscling in on their turf.

So when Emirates launched its nonstop daily service between Newark and Athens in March, the inaugural flight was greeted by hundreds of protestors organized by United Airlines. Several members of Congress were also there, advocating the job security of their constituents.

The protests were but a single chapter in the long-running feud between America's three major legacy carriers (American, Delta, and United) and the Middle East's trio of mega-airlines (Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar Airways).

So, without further ado, here was my experience in economy class aboard Emirates Flight EK209 from Dubai to Newark with a stopover in Athens — aka, the most controversial flight in the world.