Emirates Business Class Review: We Flew S’pore To Dubai On The A380 & Dubai To Mexico City On The Boeing 777

The first part of my journey is a seven-hour flight from Singapore Changi Airport to Dubai International Airport on the A380 aircraft (Emirates prides itself in being the world’s largest operator of the A380).

The entire upper deck of the plane is dedicated to premium classes, and Business Class seats are configured in a 1-2-1 formation. I get a solo window seat, which is a win since I get fantastic views, plus the freedom of movement I’d normally only get with an aisle seat. As I’m settling in, cabin crew glide down the aisle to offer passengers champagne and juices (and the requisite hot towel, of course).

When it comes to perks on a plane, all the finest bubbly in the world can't match up to the luxury of extra space on a flight, especially on a long haul one. And especially when you're used to slumming it out in cattle class. The Biz Class seats on the A380 are spacious enough for me to stretch out or curl up into a ball (comfortably), and fully recline into flat beds (cabin crew lay a mattress over for a more restful sleep). There’s also a storage bin flushed against the wall under the window, which means I didn’t have to store my carry-on tote in the overhead compartment.

Each seat has its own personal mini bar, stocked with Perrier sparkling water, a couple of cans of soft drinks, Evian water and a glass. Drinks are constantly replenished throughout the flight, which is great because I'm that person who requests for constant water refills on flights. Above the drinks stash, there’s a rack with more storage space, which was ample space for my small handbag, a pouch and Kindle.

Awaiting for you at the seat is a large pillow, a blanket, and socks and eyeshades. Passengers in Biz Class are allso provided noise-cancelling headphones and an amenity kit from Bulgari. Now, I’d usually pack my Bose noise-cancelling headphones when I fly (especially in cattle class) for their amazing ability to block out noise and screaming babies, but I took a gamble and left them at home for this one. And I’m happy to report that Emirates’ noise-cancelling headphones do a fairly decent job. The elegant amenity kit from Bulgari comprises a toothbrush, toothpaste, a comb, tissues, a compact mirror, and travel-sized Bvlgari fragrance and skincare products, which meant that I really needn't have packed my own in the first place.

This is the first thing you should check out (once the seatbelt signs are off, of course). Emirates’ onboard lounge on their A380 Business Class cabins are legendary. Who doesn’t wanna feel like they’re hanging out at a bar… at 40,000 feet in the sky? When I sidle over for a peek, there is already a crew member at the bar ready to shake up cocktails or serve up a glass of vino, or offer you an array of elegant canapes (there was seared scallop, lobster and prawns with tomato salsa, roast beef sarnies, or chocolate truffle cake and passionfruit curd cake on this flight).

The lounge can accommodate up to 26 passengers comfortably, and it was fairly crowded on my flight which took off at 9pm. I guess folks were happy to hang around for a nightcap. On my return flight later that week, though, I was on a flight that left Dubai at 3am, and most people were snoozing rather than boozing. Tip: The lounge is situated at the back of the cabin, just before the washrooms, so if sleeping on the plane is your priority, pick a seat upfront instead.

Just after takeoff, cabin crew swing by to take meal orders. They also serve up more drinks and delish warm nuts before the actual meal service. I was impressed by the service standards of the crew — they were attentive without being intrusive, and genuinely warm but not overly chatty. Extra brownie points for remembering passengers’ drink orders and refilling at opportune intervals so that I never had to request for more, only when to stop.

Dinner is a three-course meal, and there are three choices for each course. I go with butternut squash and sweetcorn chowder, grilled grouper fillet (pictured above; yummy, albeit admittedly not the most photogenic dish) and a mango panna cotta for dessert.

The thought of having no communication with the world for 30 hours is daunting to me (yes, I’m one of those who mindlessly scrolls through Instagram and checks WhatsApp like it’s a reflex action). The good thing is that Emirates Skyward members enjoy free wi-fi throughout the flight, while non-members have it for the first two hours. Admittedly, it was tough to connect to the wi-fi during the first couple of hours (guess everyone was eager to hop on the free wi-fi bandwagon). Thankfully, I’d signed up as a member beforehand, and had no problems logging on after that.

Needless to say, in between the free wi-fi, countless movies watched (we’ll get to the inflight entertainment soon), and fancy meals served on fine bone china, I probably only slept about half an hour on the flight. And for once, it was not because my legs and back were cramping up.

After a two-and-a-half-hour layover at Dubai, where I hung out at the mindbowingly massive Emirates Business Class Lounge (more on that later), it was time to board the plane for the main event: the inaugural flight from Dubai to Mexico City. This part of the trip will take me seven-and-a-half hours from Dubai to Barcelona, with a one-and-a-half-hour stopover in Barcelona where we have to disembark the plane, and finally, 12 hours from Barcelona to Mexico City.

This time on a Boeing 777, Business Class seats were in a 2-2-2- configuration. I get an aisle seat, with a passenger next to me at the window seat. There’s not as much privacy as you’d get in the A380’s 1-2-1 layout, considering my neighbour would have to climb over me if my seat was laid fully flat. At least she had top-notch ninja skills and managed to do it without much disturbance. These seats are better for folks travelling in pairs, while solo travellers should opt for one of the two seats in the middle.

When it comes to comfort, though, the Boeing 777 seats are a touch wider than the A380’s. Bonus! In terms of storage space, while I didn’t have the luxury of a side stow like I did earlier, there is a shoe stowage area just below the leg rest.

The personal mini bar is a nifty little cabinet in between both seats, and similarly, there was a choice of Perrier sparkling water, Evian mineral water, and two cans of sodas, which are constantly replenished by eagle-eyed crew members throughout the flights. You also get a brand-new Bulgari amenity kit, and noise-cancelling headsets are provided.

It’s easy to binge on movies when you have a 23-inch LCD screen at your disposal. Operate it either by touchscreen, or via a personal tablet that can be removed (aside from takeoff and landing) or a small controller. The folks at Emirates are proud of their inflight entertainment and it’s not hard to see why. You’re spoilt for choice with 600 movies and over 200 hours of TV for you to pick from, and thousands of music tracks and podcasts, including a sleep podcast with soothing ambient sounds that came in super useful when I forced myself to wind down, after watching countless films since I took off from Singapore (I stopped counting after five).

There’s also a social area in the Business Class cabin (above, right) where snacks, sandwiches, fruits and drinks are laid out. This mini bar, while not as extravagant as the A380’s fancy schmancy onboard lounge, serves its purpose: for people to pick their own snacks at their own leisure.

No such thing as hunger pangs on these flights. By this point, I've probably had more meals than I did hours of sleep. A quick meal round up on the Dubai-Mexico City leg: I had veggie samosas for light bites (crisp and yummy), scrambled eggs and beef for brekkie (tastes better than it looks), cod with rice pilaf for lunch (a tad salty), and a pollo pibil (chicken with spicy annatto sauce) for dinner (not bad). And that’s not counting appetisers, desserts and the chocolate truffles that come with every meal.

Ambient lighting and a star-filled cabin ceiling to lull you into slumber. This, plus the cosy mattress and warm duvet, contributed to the best sleep on a plane I’ve had in my life.

In a nutshell: Not gonna lie, the sheer amount of space and perks of Business Class made the super long journey a very pleasant one. Besides the bells and whistles that comes with travelling in a premium class, the attentive and intuitive service of the cabin crew also left a lasting impression.

Suffice to say, if you're planning for that epic Mexico sojourn from Singapore, flying for 30 hours and two layovers is not for the faint-hearted. I reckon it's much more manageable if you level up your holiday and break up the journey with a short stopover in Dubai or a vacay in Barcelona.

If you’re flying Business on Emirates, regardless of destination, you’ll probably find yourself here at the Emirates Business Class Lounge in the Dubai airport. Forget duty free shopping — you’re better off exploring the lounges (there are three in three separate buildings in the Dubai airport), not least for the sheer size of it all.

During my two-and-a-half layover at the Dubai airport, I was all ready to find the comfiest seat in the lounge and wait it out by scrolling on social media. But that's the last thing you'd want to do when you lay eyes on the lounge. Let's just say two hours isn’t enough time to fully explore the Emirates Business Class Lounge. This might be one of the biggest Business Class lounges in the world — it spans across one entire floor of the terminal and it takes me 25 minutes to walk the entire space without stopping. Facilities here include showers, a spa, a quiet lounge for folks who need some sleep, a children’s playroom, and even a shoe shine stand.

Shower rooms come replete with everything you’ll need, including towels, hairdryer and shampoo and body wash.

You’ll never go hungry at the Business Class lounge, what with a myriad of cuisines for your picking — Asian, Western, and even something called the Health Hub (above). No, it’s not the name of the spa. The Health Hub is a buffet spread of wholesome food for the health-conscious.

There’s also an entire lounge stocked with Moet & Chandon champagne if you’re in the mood for some bubbly.

But only if you’re in the right concourse. Terminal 3, which is wholly occupied by Emirates international flights, is actually made up of three separate buildings, and not all have direct boarding. So, while I was wasn’t able to board the plane directly from the lounge at Concourse B, on the way to Mexico City, I could do so at Concourse A, on the way back to Singapore.

Emirates flies from Dubai to Mexico City daily, and four times a day from Singapore to Dubai. More info at https://www.emirates.com/. Special thanks to Emirates for making this trip possible.

Photos: Jasmine Teo. Select pictures: Emirates