Sheikh Dubai’s Chariot: First Class on Emirates Airlines A380

It has been claimed by many in the points game that the greatest redemption is aboard an Emirates Airlines A380 with first class service to anywhere. What’s better than anywhere is anywhere that takes a long, long time. The cost of somewhere far away on Emirates is approximately $15,000 give or take a few hundred.

It should come as no surprise that my adventure aboard Emirates from JFK to DXB continuing onto PVG (New York to Dubai to Shanghai) cost me $15 out of pocket at the time of booking. Obtaining those points was as straightforward as it gets:

Teach Me How To Churn

Apply for an Alaskan Airlines card via Bank of America when the offer is 30k. Wait 90 days. Apply for an Alaskan Airlines business card via Bank of America when the offer is 30k. Wait 90 days. And then, you guessed it, apply for an Alaskan Airlines card again when the offer is 30k. That puts you at 90k. Some spending, some purchasing of miles if needed, and you easily, quickly, and cheaply reach the 100k threshold needed to book this flight. (There are even some offers that come and go of 40k.) Booking the flight on alaskaair.com was simple and the availability was pretty open. The hardest part is anxiously waiting for your date of travel, letting your imagination run wild as to how you will spend your time in the air.

Pre Flight

One service that I did know about but stupidly forgot to take advantage of is the chauffeur service to the airport. I neglected to book my transport in advance and was forced to take the subway then the bus to the airport. So, make sure you don’t make that mistake. Once at JFK, I proceeded to the lounge which I quickly reviewed while I was there but will post a more thorough review at a later date. The best feature of the lounge is that it allows first class passengers to board directly without leaving the lounge.

Now boarding: All ballers to Dubai

Boarding my first A380, I was kindly greeted by the cabin service director and showed my suite. It is not as spacious as the Singapore Airlines A380 Suite Class but had many more bells and whistles. The tell tale sign that you are on board on Emirates flight or in Dubai for that matter, is the abundance of gold.

Drink

“What would you like for your pre departure drink?”

As has become the custom, I always have a glass of an airline’s finest bubbly. It does not matter the time or my state of mind (admittedly it was aching after a night out in NYC) but I have to play the part of first class and sip on, what becomes, a bottomless mimosa. Aboard Emirates, it’s not just orange juice and brut but freshly squeezed and Dom.

The Digs 

I remember my first business class flight from Detroit to Frankfurt aboard a Lufthansa A330 in 2012. The seats reclined back and I sat there in disbelief. Fast forward dozens of business class flights later, angle flat has become taboo. Not only is lie flat the way to fly but a personal cocoon is imperative for any overseas journey. Aboard Emirates, the cabin crew takes time like an upscale hotel to share all the features of my new home.

After a tour of my private fort, we are ready for take-off.

More of anything? More of Everything!

The food on Emirates is exquisite. What other word is there to describe caviar followed up by Arabic mezze and and a side of Grand Budapest Hotel on an entertainment system that rivals illegal movie steam websites.

Bath

This is how you end a flight with a hot Emirates shower that lasts for an out of this world 5 minutes.

The End

All dreams must come to an end and my Emirates’ one was short lived. At least the trip did provide for an inspirational post for the press section.

The press in the air is heavenly..