Have you ever flown with Emirates airlines? The airline that have been awarded as world’s best airline, presented by Skytrax at the World Airline Award for 2013? The airline people want to travel with or be part of the crew? Why is this airline the best, while the other airlines have financial problems and going bankrupt at the same time?



Depending on the price of the ticket you purchase, you can travel in three travel classes – economy class, business class and first class. First class is the most expensive, but the most comfortable way how to travel.

Economy class: This class offers 79-81 cm wide seats and enough space for legs, what can be rarity on economy class in many other airlines. In economy you have free drinks and meals and one baggage of 30 kilos. Depending on the aircraft, you will get power supply, USB charging and can enjoy music with your own headphones with 3,5 mm jack. Traveling in economy in Emirates on long-haul flights is not that painful, as it can be on board of the other airlines.

Business class: In business class you have 150 cm wide space only for you. Seat takes 52 centimeters in Boeing 777. Your seat is fully adjustable and can be put into 200 cm long, lie – flat beds. Many of you will appreciate massage features of the seat (not crew) :D You will get power supply, USB charging, you can use your headphones. As business class passenger, you have free entrance to the aircraft bar in the rear of the aircraft and chauffeur service on purpose in more than 70 cities in the world. You have your own check in with blue carpet and entrance to the airport lounge, where you can eat and drink for free before your flight departure.

First class: Even in the first class, there are three types of seats. The full suite with doors, Sky-cruiser – flat bed without doors and Sleeper seats. The full suite comes with closing doors, coat rack, private mini bar, private storage space and 58 cm LCD screen. Full suite is available in selected planes, but most of them are equipped with it. Sky-cruiser is available only in Boeing 777-200 and 777-300. It is seat extended in flat – beds. Seats may include private minibar and 48 LCD screens. Sleeper seats are available in Airbus A 330 and A 340 aircraft. New delivered Airbuses A 380 are equipped with spa, shower lavatories and private suites. Using chauffeur is going without saying. Your check in carpet is red and you have free entrance to the airport lounge where you can eat and drink for free before your flight departure.

My first experience with Emirates airlines was on route from Vienna do Dubai, operated with Boeing 777-300 ER. This flight takes almost 6 hours, but on board Emirates, the time does not mean anything. If you are two, I hardly recommend you seats in row 49 by the window. There are two seats instead of three and even much more space for legs and storage. You may get rushed by lavatory, but seat is very comfortable. We were lucky and while we were waiting at the gate before boarding the plane, there were also crew boarding. It is unbelievable how many stewardess and stewards and necessary for one flight. Later we had little chat with them, because few of them were girls from Slovakia and they were very nice to us. The food we got was quiet normal. Before the food is served, you get hot towel to wash you hands (even in economy class) and menu card from which you can choose vegetarian or non vegetarian menu. When is whole plane washing their hands, you can smell it in the air. Everything around you smells so fresh, so you are even more hungry than you were before :) There is enough for you, so you will not stay hungry. As you can see on the picture, there is main dish, bread with butter, dessert and packet water. I do not get this small packet water (blue one at the bottom of picture). There is no more than 100 ml and you get it in almost every airline. What a waste producing. Imagine, there were almost 400 people on board this flight and if each of them got this small, packed water it is 400 plastic waste. And it is just this flight. When you have overnight flight as we had, after you finish your food, crew dim the cabin. In new aircraft, as Boeing 777-300 ER is, the interior of plane is decorated with LED diodes to enhance your comfort and make you think you look at starry sky. Nice :) There were many people from Japan connecting from Tokyo on our flight back, so they definitely appreciate it after 8 hours to Dubai and next 6 to Vienna. Even when the lights are dimmed and most of the people are sleeping, the stewardess are still up and watching over the whole situation in plane. Since we were sitting almost in the last row of aircraft very close to the lavatory and background area where is stored food and drinks, we heard a lot of laugh and chats there. I felt little bit sorry for them because some times they were bothered by drunk passengers that were curious about their job. A drunk passenger from Czech Republic traveling to Thailand asked a Slovak stewardess for a date when back home, she refused.

As whole Dubai and United Arab Emirates, also Emirates airlines want to be the best in many ways. Emirates is currently proud owner of 47 Airbus A 380 aircraft – the largest and most modern plane in the world. And they are still going strong – they have ordered 97 more Airbuses A 380. Currently, there is no other airline in the world that have more. The second one is Singapore Airlines with number of 19 aircraft and 5 more are going to be delivered soon. Airbus A 380 is big king of the skies and there is nothing bigger that ever took off to the skies before. Owning the most amount of world’s largest planes is the way how to present themselves as well. People want to fly Emirates, people want to fly A 380.

Flying Emirates can be more pleasure in business class or first class than in economy, of course, but you are treated much better than in other airlines in economy, as well. Food is quiet comparable to the others, but when you get hot towel to clean your hands or stretch your legs in extra leg space, charge your tablet with USB or enjoy music with your headphones, you will definitely know, you are flying Emirates. The fresh smell of new planes, high standard of services and smiling stewardess is definitely the reason, why Emirates was rated as world’s best airline in the year of 2013. And how they do it? I personally think it is because of low prices of oil in United Arab Emirates. The money saved for on the fuel they spend to enhance quality of their services and buying brand new, modern and safe planes. Flying Emirates totally worth it.

Milan Bardun 2014