Sydney Bound On The Big Bird! EK A380 AKL-SYD

Background

The Southern Hemisphere summer was approaching & having unfortunately not been flying for a number of months, I decided that it was a perfect time to take another trip. Australia has been on my agenda for a while & after some thought I decided to take a week long trip to Sydney & Melbourne

For the flight between AKL & SYD, there are multiple carriers to choose from. These include the more traditional carriers that you would expect on this route (NZ, QF) as well as some LCC’s (JQ, DJ) However the most interesting carriers are the fifth freedom carriers that ply this route (AR, LA & EK). For me though, It was a pretty easy choice as I’ve yet to log the A380 & there’s no easier way for me to log it than on EK’s AKL-SYD route.

Booking on EK’s website was quick & easy as you would expect from a large global carrier like them. EK’s website also allows you to manage your booking, choose your seat, check what services you can expect for your flight & check in online. Overall EK definitely has one of the most comprehensive websites in the industry.

Tuesday 24 January

Emirates have a nice, leisurely 18.40 departure for their Sydney route so no need for any early wake up calls. Anyway I ended up leaving quite early arriving at the airport at 15.40.

Check-in was a quick & painless experience. I was met with an efficient agent who assigned me my preselected seat, 87A



After check-in was completed, I decided to go to the observation deck that is located on the top floor.

Corridor to the observation deck, (note the imagery)




2x NZ A320’s, 1x NZ B763 & 1x EK 77W




A shot of the landside area in AKL


Apart from the observation deck there isn’t too much to do landside at AKL, so what else could I do except go airside! Immigration was pretty quick as was security so I was soon airside.

Airside at AKL is filled with the usual duty free shops & what not. However AKL does have a central art piece known as ‘Pou Manawa’, which was built quite recently.



Here are a few spotting shots that I took while having a small snack.

LAN A343


EK 77W Taxiing






I still had a long time to wait before boarding so I decided to take a walk to our gate so I could take a few shots of the A380.

The A380 gates at AKL are located in a new pier however they are an awfully long way from the main pier so it was a pretty cumbersome walk to get there.

Long Long Corridors


EK 77W


A public art piece


First glimpse of the A380


A few more shots of the A380






The plane that would be ferrying me to SYD is A6-EDO. This is one of the planes equipped with a crew rest area in the lower deck, which is used on EK’s longer A380 flights.

At the new pier there isn’t really a whole lot to do so I decided to walk back to the main pier, browse at a few shops & have another snack then walk back to our gate.

The long walkway


Artwork


I ended up arriving about 10 minutes before boarding time when the seats were starting to fill up. One thing AKL airport needs to do is add seats to the A380 gates, as the scene gets pretty chaotic just before boarding starts. Also, it will get worse in October when EK introduces the A380 on the DXB-MEL-AKL which at the moment departs a mere 10 minutes after the SYD flight.

Boarding started on time & despite the fact that the flight was well loaded, the boarding process was quite orderly. No worse than any other long haul flight. Various Australian & New Zealand newspapers were also available on the jetway.

Date: January 24 2012
Routing: Auckland (AKL) to Sydney (SYD)
Flight No: EK 413
Timings (actual) : 1840-2005 (1845-1945)
Pushback: 1845
Rotate: 1857
Flying Time (actual) : 3hrs 25mins (3hrs 0mins)
Seat: 87A

Type: Airbus 380-800
Registration: A6-EDO

View Large View Medium Photo © Alexander Butuc

View Large View Medium Photo © Stelios Ioannou

View Large View Medium Photo © Dmitriy Pichugin

View Large View Medium Photo © Patrick De Coninck

Once on board I was welcomed by friendly flight attendants who directed me towards the back of the plane.

My Seat 87A, for an economy class seat it was pretty comfortable


Legroom was fine


IFE Welcome Screen


EK’s famous wood paneling is used as a window frame.


There were some coffee stains on the cupholder but apart from that the cabin was clean


Crews came around to hand out lemon-scented hot towels however there were none left when they reached my row. None the less they came back after takeoff so kudos to them.

We pushbacked pretty much on time. Here’s a photo of the very cool tail camera feature


Auckland Airport




After a 12-minute taxi, we started our takeoff run. This being my first time on the A380 it was very noticeable how quiet the takeoff was.

Anyway here a few photos during takeoff






Emirates In-flight magazine, are they still planning to get rid of it?


Emirates Duty-Free magazine


The ice guide

A380 safety card


In-Flight Entertainment
It’s pretty common consensus here on a.net that Emirates’ ice in-flight entertainment system is one of the best in the industry & after trying it out I can only reaffirm that point. The system has pretty much everything that you would want, movies, TV shows, games, camera’s etc. Here’s a basic overview of the system:

Over 200 Movies
Hundreds of TV programs
Thousands of Music features
Over 100 Games
3D Airshow
Nose, Tail & Downward Camera
News Headlines

IFE Handset


i – information homepage


c- communication homepage


e – entertainment homepage


A380 info, note the ice navigator at the bottom




About an hour into the flight dinner service began. Menus were handed out just after takeoff.

Menu card cover




Appetizer
- Smoked chicken with potato salad served on a bed of lettuce

Main Course
- Fragrant beef curry stew served with basmati rice, broccoli florets and carrots
- Chicken cacciatore with almond couscous, pieces of chicken in a tomato, mushroom and herb sauce, garnished with green peas and roast pumpkin

Dessert
- Raisin cheesecake served with butterscotch sauce.
- Cheese and biscuits

It took me quite a while to decide but in the end I opted for the beef.



In the end it was a good choice, the beef was delicious and the rice was plentiful and cooked well. The smoked chicken salad was all right but the raisin cheesecake dessert was fantastic. One small thing to note is that I didn’t receive any biscuits with my cheese though that’s not a big problem.

One thing I don’t like though is the length of time it took EK to serve beverages. I had finished my meal by the time the beverage cart arrived. Eventually I asked for ginger ale though that wasn’t available so I had to settle for lemonade.

This Emirates branded chocolate that was in the meal


Airshow




After the meals were collected I took a quick walk around the cabin.

Cabin shot


Lavatory, the wood panelling is quite nice.


Rear spiral staircase



Before the flight I had purposely chosen a seat on the left hand side of the aircraft as you typically get better views on that side & that turned out to be a good choice as we were able to see the CBD and all of Sydney’s famous sights. In fact we flew over the CBD twice though unfortunately the weather wasn’t at it’s greatest.

A photo from the first flyover of the CBD


The Chatswood CBD on Sydney’s North Shore.


The Sydney harbour/ Parramatta River

The Sydney Harbour Bridge, you can also see the famous Sydney Operahouse to the right of the bridge


The Anzac Bridge in the foreground & the Sydney CBD in the background


The Sydney CBD


One of Sydney suburbs


Touchdown


Looks like a nice place to go spotting!


Crossing the east-west runway


Tail Camera

Arrival

One disadvantage of sitting at the back of the A380 is that it takes an age to disembark. Despite this though lines at immigration & customs weren’t bad. However it took about 40 minutes for my bag to come out. Eventually though we were able to leave for our hotel.

Conclusion

Emirates’ economy class product on the A380 is definitely one of the best in the industry. The seating comfort & legroom are both pretty good & the ice IFE system is undoubtedly one of the best in the industry. EK’s catering was also great & you have to commend them for still offering a substantial hot meal on a relatively short hop like this. Product wise EK probably has the best offering across the Tasman though their schedules, especially ex Australia aren’t the best. Also some people may be put off by the 10 abreast 777’s which fly from AKL to BNE & MEL (though this will change to an A380 in October).

The A380 was also a pleasure to fly on. The noise difference is quite noticeable on board but there a couple of things that I personally don’t like, for instance the large distance between the inner & outer panels in the windows which can make it difficult to take pictures. Also the size of the Y cabin on the A380 really does make you feel like just another load of cattle. Overall I will probably neither seek out or avoid the A380, though as they typically have better products than other fleet types I will probably end up on board when I have the opportunity.

Thanks everyone for reading, my next report will be about 2 domestic hops with DJ & QF!

Regards,
Aflyingkiwi

A Wet Day In Wellington & NZ’s New A320 (by aflyingkiwi Jul 28 2011 in Trip Reports)
Surprise Trip To Japan Pt 2, NRT-KIX-AKL On NZ 77E (by aflyingkiwi Jun 28 2011 in Trip Reports)
Surprise Trip To Japan Pt 1, AKL-NRT On NZ 767 (by Aflyingkiwi May 24 2011 in Trip Reports)
The Return Leg From Europe, FCO-ICN-AKL On KE (by aflyingkiwi Mar 14 2011 in Trip Reports)
Logging The 717! BCN-VCE On Spanair (by aflyingkiwi Jan 15 2011 in Trip Reports)
A Trip Of A Lifetime To Europe, ICN-LHR On KE (by aflyingkiwi Dec 21 2010 in Trip Reports)
A Trip Of A Lifetime To Europe, AKL-ICN On KE (by aflyingkiwi Dec 2 2010 in Trip Reports)

[Edited 2012-02-12 23:26:18]

Hi aflyingkiwi,

great report about your Emirates A380 experience! EK's Y Class product is definitely among the best ones in the industry.

Quoting aflyingkiwi (Thread starter): The noise difference is quite noticeable on board but there a couple of things that I personally don’t like, for instance the large distance between the inner & outer panels in the windows which can make it difficult to take pictures.

  

Quoting aflyingkiwi (Thread starter): Also the size of the Y cabin on the A380 really does make you feel like just another load of cattle.

You get much more space in EK's A380 than in many other widebody cabins. Just think of all the 777s with 3-4-3 configuration.


PH

Hi aflyingkiwi,

Great TR! As Aucklanders we are really lucky to have the A380 reach our airport.

Quoting aflyingkiwi (Thread starter): or the flight between AKL & SYD, there are multiple carriers to choose from. These include the more traditional carriers that you would expect on this route (NZ, QF) as well as some LCC’s (JQ, DJ) However the most interesting carriers are the fifth freedom carriers that ply this route (AR, LA & EK).

I have done AKL-SYD-AKL with NZ and TG (back in 2004), but will be trying the route on LA in June which I am looking forward to.
EK really seems to be the carrier of choice when travelling to Australia, albeit often more expensive. Your flight looked really comfortable

HKGfan

Nice TR .. one of the main reasons I did Auckland was to fly this EK A380 ... had a great experience, including a personal tour of the whole aircraft when landing!

Hi,

nice report!
EK seems nice, impressive for such a short hop (even If that's often the case on 5th freedom flights with longhaul equipment).
The A380 seems like a nice aircraft, can't wait to fly one for the first time, I will fly a LH example in a few weeks.

Martin

Hi, aflyingkiwi,

good to follow you´re EK A380 story.
I should go on that machine once again soon, but not EK for me.
Also nice to see the pictures form AKL, never been there myself and SYD, the same again.

Greetings,
Markus(FLIEGER67)

Hi PlaneHunter,

Quoting PlaneHunter (Reply 2): great report about your Emirates A380 experience! EK's Y Class product is definitely among the best ones in the industry.

Thanks PH, Yes EK's A380 definitely has one of the best products in the industry.

Quoting PlaneHunter (Reply 2): You get much more space in EK's A380 than in many other widebody cabins. Just think of all the 777s with 3-4-3 configuration.

Good point, though sooner or later we may see 11 abreast on an A380...

Quoting HKGfan (Reply 3): Great TR! As Aucklanders we are really lucky to have the A380 reach our airport.

Thanks HKGfan, Yes we definitely are lucky to receive the A380 here in AKL. In fact will get 2 per day by the end of the year!

Quoting HKGfan (Reply 3): I have done AKL-SYD-AKL with NZ and TG (back in 2004), but will be trying the route on LA in June which I am looking forward to.

I flew on LA on the return leg & had quite a nice flight. More details to come in the TR

Quoting plateman (Reply 4): Nice TR

Thanks Plateman.

Quoting plateman (Reply 4): had a great experience, including a personal tour of the whole aircraft when landing!

Wow, sounds like fun.

Hi Martin,

Quoting deltamartin (Reply 5): nice report!

Thanks

Quoting deltamartin (Reply 5): EK seems nice, impressive for such a short hop (even If that's often the case on 5th freedom flights with longhaul equipment).

Their product is great for such a short flight.

Quoting deltamartin (Reply 5): I will fly a LH example in a few weeks.

Can we expect a report?

Hi Markus,

Quoting FLIEGER67 (Reply 6): good to follow you´re EK A380 story.

Thanks

Quoting FLIEGER67 (Reply 6): I should go on that machine once again soon, but not EK for me. Also nice to see the pictures form AKL, never been there myself and SYD, the same again.

Looking forward to your A380 report! You really should come down to NZ & Australia sometime!

Regards,
aflyingkiwi

Hi again!

Quoting aflyingkiwi (Reply 7): Can we expect a report?

Of course!

Martin

Hi,

Nice report and pictures, thanks for posting.

Food looks good, EK seem to have this pretty much spot on, though like you I would like to have a drink with my meal.

Re your comment about the inflight magazines etc, I do recall EK saying they were getting rid of pretty much all on board paper based materials and have them all on the IFE, that was back in 2008!

Rgds

Mark

Hi aflyingkiwi,

Great report and congratulation with your first A380 ride. You remind me of the joy of flying EK last year.  

Quoting aflyingkiwi (Thread starter): Booking on EK’s website was quick & easy as you would expect from a large global carrier like them. EK’s website also allows you to manage your booking, choose your seat, check what services you can expect for your flight & check in online. Overall EK definitely has one of the most comprehensive websites in the industry.

I can only agree with you. EK website excels in navigation and caters all online experiences you can imagine.

Quoting aflyingkiwi (Reply 1): None the less they came back after takeoff so kudos to them.

  

Quoting aflyingkiwi (Reply 1): I can only reaffirm that point.

I believe you. Too bad I only got to experience the light version of ice.

Quoting aflyingkiwi (Reply 1): Menus were handed out just after takeoff.

EK is one of the few airlines distributing menu in Economy. What about the beverage list?

Quoting aflyingkiwi (Reply 1): but in the end I opted for the beef.

Good choice.

Quoting aflyingkiwi (Reply 1): Lavatory, the wood panelling is quite nice.

I just love EK’s wood paneling.

Quoting aflyingkiwi (Reply 1): Looks like a nice place to go spotting!

I assume you went out there to discover yourself?   


Thank you for sharing.

Best wishes,
Suryo

Hi deltamartin,

Quoting deltamartin (Reply 8): Of course!

Looking forward to it!

Hi Mark,

Quoting ba319-131 (Reply 9): Nice report and pictures, thanks for posting.

Thanks

Quoting ba319-131 (Reply 9): Food looks good, EK seem to have this pretty much spot on, though like you I would like to have a drink with my meal.

Yes, the food was great though it was unfortunate that it took such a long time for the drinks to come around.

Quoting ba319-131 (Reply 9): Re your comment about the inflight magazines etc, I do recall EK saying they were getting rid of pretty much all on board paper based materials and have them all on the IFE, that was back in 2008!

Well it looks like that IFE hasn't killed off the in flight magazine!

Hi Suryo,

Quoting akhmad (Reply 10): Great report and congratulation with your first A380 ride. You remind me of the joy of flying EK last year.

Thanks for that, Yes I remember your great EK reports quite well.

Quoting akhmad (Reply 10): I can only agree with you. EK website excels in navigation and caters all online experiences you can imagine.

Definitely a leader of it's class!

Quoting akhmad (Reply 10): What about the beverage list?

Unfortunately, it seems like they haven't got one & I've got the menu in my hands FYI.

Quoting akhmad (Reply 10): I just love EK’s wood paneling.

  

Quoting akhmad (Reply 10): I assume you went out there to discover yourself?

Unfortunately not... though I do plan on visiting the next time I go to SYD.

Thanks everyone

Regards,
aflyingkiwi

Looks nice. Although I still find the wood trim tacky.

Did you watch DRIVE?

Hi kiwiman!

Nice report on this 5th freedom route! I’m glad you got to sample one of the more impressive aircrafts these days, the A380. Love them or hate them, I feel you at least have to have 1 flight with them, no? EK’s Y class is definitely very OK, although I don’t find the cabin colors very appealing. But hey, that’s a matter of taste  

Quoting aflyingkiwi (Thread starter): Booking on EK’s website was quick & easy as you would expect from a large global carrier like them. EK’s website also allows you to manage your booking, choose your seat, check what services you can expect for your flight & check in online.

How was the pricing, compared to the competition? I believe it wasn’t the cheapest option...

Quoting aflyingkiwi (Thread starter): It took me quite a while to decide but in the end I opted for the beef.

Looks good but that much in quantity at first sight. Love the forms of the trays!

Quoting aflyingkiwi (Thread starter): Lavatory, the wood panelling is quite nice.

That’s one stylish place to retreat once in a while  

Quoting aflyingkiwi (Thread starter): The noise difference is quite noticeable

You’re right, it’s dead quiet. And even more so on the upper deck section.

Quoting aflyingkiwi (Thread starter): for instance the large distance between the inner & outer panels in the windows which can make it difficult to take pictures.

Yeah - but bear in mind that aircraft are not designed for us aviation enthusiast alone  

Sultanils

Great report and photos! I thoroughly enjoyed it!
I was also at AKL on the 24th, but arriving off an NZ 763 flight, from SYD

The observation deck is good! I always head up there after check-in

I agree with EK having the best soft and hard product trans-Tasman, I flew EK SYD-AKL in Decmber 2011
Catering looks good and the entertainment is fantastic! Just love the cameras and map. Best I have come across of any airline

And I thought the BRU walkway to terminal A was long..

Quoting aflyingkiwi (Reply 7): Good point, though sooner or later we may see 11 abreast on an A380...

I hope we will never see that! But who knows...


PH

A great little account of this run.

Has been quite a few photos of this run on here, always good except when the cabin is too full.

Meal and service look great, and what a pleasure to fly in this aircraft. I cannot wait untill they are the mainstream ...

Rgds


Luke

Quoting sultanils (Reply 13): Nice report on this 5th freedom route!

Hi Nils! Thanks for that

Quoting sultanils (Reply 13): I’m glad you got to sample one of the more impressive aircrafts these days, the A380. Love them or hate them, I feel you at least have to have 1 flight with them, no?

Yes, It was definitely overdue for me

Quoting sultanils (Reply 13): EK’s Y class is definitely very OK, although I don’t find the cabin colors very appealing. But hey, that’s a matter of taste

Personally I don't mind the cabin colours though as you it's down to personal taste

Quoting sultanils (Reply 13): How was the pricing, compared to the competition? I believe it wasn’t the cheapest option...

The pricing isn't that bad. I got the ticket for 250 NZD (160 EUR). The cheapest you can get on this route is about 150 NZD (100 EUR) on an LCC like JQ.

Quoting sultanils (Reply 13): Looks good but that much in quantity at first sight. Love the forms of the trays!

Yes it was a great meal, the Burj Al Arab shaped trays are also quite stylish.

Quoting sultanils (Reply 13): You’re right, it’s dead quiet. And even more so on the upper deck section.

I would love to go on the upper deck sometime.   

Quoting sultanils (Reply 13): Yeah - but bear in mind that aircraft are not designed for us aviation enthusiast alone

Oh, how I wish they were.  

Quoting byronicle6 (Reply 14): Great report and photos! I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Thanks byronicle6

Quoting byronicle6 (Reply 14): The observation deck is good! I always head up there after check-in

Same, I always head up there whenever I'm at AKL

Quoting byronicle6 (Reply 14): I agree with EK having the best soft and hard product trans-Tasman, I flew EK SYD-AKL in Decmber 2011 Catering looks good and the entertainment is fantastic! Just love the cameras and map. Best I have come across of any airline

Fully agree, EK does have the best product across the Tasman.

Quoting PlaneHunter (Reply 16): I hope we will never see that! But who knows..

  

Hi Luke,

Quoting lukeyboy95 (Reply 17): A great little account of this run.

Thanks

Quoting lukeyboy95 (Reply 17): Meal and service look great, and what a pleasure to fly in this aircraft. I cannot wait untill they are the mainstream ...

Yes, I can't wait as well.  

Thanks everyone

Regards,
aflyingkiwi

Great report on this short sector. Thanks for sharing.

Saludos,
A.

Hi Alex

Quoting abrelosojos (Reply 19): Great report on this short sector. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for that

Regards,
aflyingkiwi

Hi

Great and wonderfull trip report, glad you liked it.
It seems like EK gave you a great Tasman adventure! Would love to try them out one day. However longhaul travels will be a bit limited the next few years

Greetings
Marc

Hi aflyingkiwi,

Really enjoyed your report, especially as I will be flying CHC-SYD in May. We initially were going to go with EK on the route, but then I decided on NZ and the boring A320, simply because I figured the chances of me being able to fly EK at some time in the future were greater than NZ.

The A380 is so quiet isn't it? It reminds me of a vacuum cleaner when it takes off!

The meal looks excellent for a 3 hr flight and the IFE must have kept you busy.

Good tip about sitting on the left on approach into SYD, will remember this!

Loooking forward to exploring your beautiful country....

Happy flying
Infodesk   

Hi Marc,

Quoting MSS658 (Reply 21): Great and wonderfull trip report,

Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Quoting MSS658 (Reply 21): It seems like EK gave you a great Tasman adventure! Would love to try them out one day.

Yes I did have a great flight with them, you should give them a go sometime.

Hi Hannah,

Quoting infodesk (Reply 22): Really enjoyed your report

Thanks.  

Quoting infodesk (Reply 22): We initially were going to go with EK on the route, but then I decided on NZ and the boring A320, simply because I figured the chances of me being able to fly EK at some time in the future were greater than NZ.

First of all, it's great that you're coming to NZ!

I'm sure it was quite a tough decision. EK probably have better service though they do fly that route with one of their 10-abreast 777's which might've put you off.

Quoting infodesk (Reply 22): The A380 is so quiet isn't it? It reminds me of a vacuum cleaner when it takes off!

  

Quoting infodesk (Reply 22): Good tip about sitting on the left on approach into SYD, will remember this!

Hopefully the weather's better on your flight.

Quoting infodesk (Reply 22): Loooking forward to exploring your beautiful country....

I'm sure you'll have a great time!

Regards,
aflyingkiwi

Hi there Flying Kiwi,

nice report! 5th freedoms on exotic carriers are always interesting, and you have a small selection available from your local airport   Service appears top notch (I would have probably gone for the chicken) but very good for the short / medium haul flight. Did you sample the EK777 on the return, or perhaps another 5th freedom carrier? My half sister is moving to NZ this week, so it is possible that we'll make a trip down there in a few years  

Thanks again

signol

Hello signol,

Quoting signol (Reply 24): nice report! 5th freedoms on exotic carriers are always interesting,

Thanks for that, yes fifth freedom reports are always very fun to read!

Quoting signol (Reply 24): and you have a small selection available from your local airport

Yes we are very lucky in AKL to have a great selection of fifth freedom carriers!

Quoting signol (Reply 24): Did you sample the EK777 on the return, or perhaps another 5th freedom carrier?

I flew LA (another 5th freedom route) on the way back. More details to come once I get around to doing that report.

Quoting signol (Reply 24): so it is possible that we'll make a trip down there in a few years

Hope you do.  

Regards,
aflyingkiwi