… On This special day, a celebration of what is now will mark a milestone in tomorrow’s history…

When only yesterday it was just a mere fantasy, today it is nothing but reality. A vision that was once the future has now become the present, as it is, right in front of you. So many feelings were sensed, so many emotions were felt, and so many words I will always want to say, but I am only left speechless.

My heart was pounding hard, my pulse was about blow my insides, and my hands were shaking like there’s no tomorrow. What on earth was going on I thought? The raging fire that was feeding off my flesh was suddenly put to rest as I approached the big beast himself and thought, yes indeed, the future has arrived, and it is now ready for boarding…..

Welcome to my 8th Trip Report.

This trip report will cover both Emirates A380 Inaugural flights DXB – JFK – DXB on the same day, in Business Class.

My previous Trip Reports can be found here:
CX: JFK-HKG-DXB In Y A346/772 (Lots Of Pics/Vids) (by Ronerone Aug 28 2006 in Trip Reports) Etihad: Pearl 2 AMM, Coral Right Back Pt 1 PixVids (by Ronerone Jul 4 2007 in Trip Reports) Etihad: Pearl 2 AMM, Coral Right Back Pt 2 PixVidz (by Ronerone Jul 5 2007 in Trip Reports) Cathay Delight: A Trip To Asia's World City (by Ronerone Oct 5 2007 in Trip Reports) Suvarnabhumi, The Etihad Way! (by Ronerone Jan 18 2008 in Trip Reports) Ultra-Competitive, Ultra-Long Haul: EY Vs EK (by Ronerone Mar 21 2008 in Trip Reports) This Is Royal Jordanian! (by Ronerone Apr 12 2008 in Trip Reports) Syrian Special Performance, Featuring Sam Chui (by Ronerone May 23 2008 in Trip Reports)

This trip was had been planned ever since Emirates announced that ‘daily scheduled A380 services to JFK are to start on 1st October 2008’. A lot has happened since that announcement, and many changes occurred that lead to an earlier inaugural flight. Nevertheless, my persistence got the best of me, and there was no way this plane was to leave without me. The series of events that lead to the inaugural flight are summarized in the timeline below.

December 2007

Emirates announced that its first A380 destination will be to JFK and that daily scheduled service will commence on 1st October 2008.


January 2008

I booked a one-way ticket on the inaugural flight on 1st October, in plans to take a week off, travel around, and return on a different itinerary.


June 9th, 2008

By this day, rumors had already spread all over a.net that the inaugural flight will be on 1st August instead of October. I was hoping that it wouldn’t be since I had already made arrangements to be off from work. Confirming this rumor, was a call I received from the Emirates Office informing me that the A380 inaugural flight will in fact be on 1st August. Since that day was a Friday, I decided to go and come back on the same day, and so I booked another one-way ticket to return on the A380.


July 14th, 2008

I received another call from the Emirates Office, informing me that there will be media filming on board and asked if it was alright with me. They also informed me that I had to sign a waiver at Check-In.


July 24th, 2008

I decided to call the Emirates Office and reconfirm my bookings, for the millionth time, only to learn that my DXB-JFK reservation had been cancelled. The reason being, was because I had two one-ways booked on the same day so EK thought it was a double-booking error, and decided to randomly cancel one of them without notifying me. After several angry calls and emails to their Office, my booking was re-instated within a few hours. I understand that it may be a procedure to cancel a booking when they see an irregularity like this, but I did not appreciate that they did not contact me prior. On what basis did they assume I was only traveling from JFK to DXB rather than the other way around? They have been quite consistent in calling me to notify me of updates on this flight, so why couldn’t they do the same for this particular case?


Wednesday July 30th, 2008

As Thursday was a public holiday, I decided to head over to Dubai and spend two nights chilling out in the ‘calm before the storm’. I met up with friends, went clubbing, got drunk, laid by the pool, and so on and so forth.

A stay at the fabulous Raffles Dubai was just the type of rest & relaxation I needed before the craziness that was coming my way. After only two previous stays at this hotel, it has become my absolute favorite hotel in Dubai. Forget Shangri-La, Dusit, or any other; the Raffles is like nothing I have experienced (except for The Peninsula of course!).

My Room At The Raffles Dubai







Friday August 1st, 2008

I woke up at 5AM to shower and get ready for my trip as I wanted to be at the airport as early as possible so I wouldn’t miss a thing. By 6:30AM I was all set to go, so I headed downstairs to check-out, get in my car, and drive to the airport.

After the usual traffic jam that was leading to the terminal, I arrived at 7:30AM, parked my car in the long-term parking garage, and headed towards the terminal. At the departures area, Emirates has allocated a special area for its premium USA-bound passengers.

Emirates First & Business Class USA Check-In Entrance


I tried looking for any signage relating to the inaugural flight, but unfortunately I found nothing. In fact, it was like any other day at the check-in area. How surprising I thought, as I had really thought that EK would do something spectacular, just like SQ did with its inaugural flight. After all, this was the first commercial A380 flight to the USA.

By 7:45AM I presented my passport and ticket to the check-in agent, who immediately took my documents and processed my way through the system.

“Mr. Hawi, today’s flight to JFK will be operated by the Airbus A380, and it is the first commercial flight to the USA”
“Yes, I am aware of that, and this is why I am traveling today”
“Then I can rest assured that you will have a good time today. I would like to ask you to sign this waiver form as there will be media filming on board”
“You can film me as much as you like”

Within approximately five minutes I was handed back my passport and ticket, and had received my boarding pass to JFK and my lounge invite. Interesting to note, is that the boarding passes are now plain white, and not red, blue, or green anymore.

Boarding Pass


Lounge Invite



I proceeded through immigration and security, and then the long trek to the main airside terminal building that this airport is renowned for. By 8AM I had arrived at the ever-so crowded terminal building. I realized that I had hit one of EK’s crazy morning banks.

I pushed and shoved my way through the cattle of people that were just roaming in every direction. It was then when I stumbled across a very subtle sign that celebrated the inaugural flight by itself, as it was evidently ignored by everyone else.



Before heading to the lounge for a quick breakfast, I went to Gate 25 to see what was going on, and to also get a view of the aircraft. At the gate, which was still closed at the time, I noticed a group of staff loading large amounts of boxes inside the holding area. It seemed like they were preparing for something, but it was obvious that it was going to be something simple. Finally however, I spot the big beast that was to be my ride for the next 25 hours or so.

The Emirates A380 (A6-EDA)


I then headed to the Emirates Business Class Lounge, which I am very well oriented with, and was only aiming for a quick bite to eat before heading back out. The lounge is always crowded, dirty, and no where will you find privacy, peace, or quiet inside.

Emirates Business Class Lounge








My Breakfast


After my tasty breakfast, I headed to the gate around 9AM. By that time, the gate had already opened, and Emirates Group Security Staff were standing in front of the gate, checking all passengers’ passport information. As I approached the security agent, he took one look at my boarding pass and advised me to peruse the lounge for a little more time as there still was a ways to go till boarding. I declined his offer and so after checking my passport, he ushered me to walk inside.

Approaching the gate agent, she smiled as she took my boarding card, tore off her major portion, and handed back my smaller stub. “Enjoy your flight on the A380 Mr. Hawi”

There was no security check at the gate this time around, which is unlike the usual on USA flights. As I walked inside the holding area, a table was set up at the entrance that had hundreds of EK A380 goodie bags, with two beautiful EK girls handing bags to all passengers.

“Good morning sir, welcome to the inaugural flight, this gift is for you”
“May I take a picture of you two please?”
“Sure, but wouldn’t you like to be in the picture?”

Me & The Emirates Girls


Goodie Bag


I sat around for a little while and played around on my laptop. After logging on to a.net, I learned that Mr. BA319-131 was in the vicinity of the EK Lounge and was heading towards the gate shortly.

Soon enough, someone wearing a BOAC T-shirt walked past me and took a seat by the corner behind me. For some strange reason, I felt a wave of Deja-Vu when I saw him; Deja-Vu that reminded me of one of the SQ inaugural flight Trip Reports. I spent a few moments to wonder why I am suddenly reminded of that report, when I realized that this was Mark, and that it was his picture in his trip report.

I gathered my stuff and hopped right over by his side and introduced myself. We spent the rest of the time obsessing over planes and over our expectations (or lack of them rather) of the inaugural flight.

By 10AM a pre-boarding announcement was made, advising us that boarding will commence shortly with premium passengers and those with children to board first. Then at 10:25AM a boarding announcement was made, when we gathered our belongings and headed towards the aerobridge.

The Aircraft






The Aerobridge Leading To The Upper Deck




Door 1L On The Upper Deck


As I arrived at the door of the aircraft, I was greeted by a German Male Cabin Crew, who took one look at my boarding pass and smiled.

“Welcome on board Mr. Hawi, Seat 14K is right this way, past the galley and to the right of the two pretty ladies over there”
“Thank You”
“Enjoy Your Flight”

By 10:30AM, I was on board the A380.

CONTINUED BELOW

Flight Information

Airline: Emirates
Flight No.: EK 3801
Routing: Dubai – New York (JFK)
Scheduled Departure Time: 11:00AM
Actual Departure Time 11:10AM (Pushback)
Scheduled Arrival Time: 4:45PM
Actual Arrival Time: 4:35PM (touchdown)
Equipment: Airbus A380-800
Registration: A6-EDA

As I walked past the two Emirates girls that were by the galley, they welcomed me on board with a smile. I asked to take their picture.

EK Girls During Boarding


I walked across the aisle and was so impressed with the layout of the cabin. It was exactly the same layout as Etihad’s Pearl Business, only the passenger personal space was more efficiently used. Furthermore, there was less of that ugly woodwork that Emirates seems to like, and more blue/grey tones that added a much more calming effect to the ambience.

On My Way To My Seat


Moments later, I arrived at my seat, placed my belongings in the overhead compartment, and settled in, only to discover that everyone was freely taking pictures of everything, anywhere, and anytime! Who needs to settle in right now? I thought, so I got up and clicked away at my camera with total insanity.

My Seat


Another Seat


Cabin During Boarding










My Mini Bar


Mini Storage Compartment Next To Each Seat On The Upper Deck


IFE Screen


I went to the First Class Galley and asked the crew if I could take a peek inside the First Class Cabin, and they agreed without hesitation, but only as long as I did not get in the way of the passengers. With this in mind, I took a more conservative approach, and clicked pictures of the cabin itself, but not the shower area unfortunately (I did not even see them).

First Class Cabin






First Class Welcome Drinks And Arabic Coffee


After all that, I decided to head back to my seat, as I did not want to miss any part of the service. As soon as I arrived at my seat, an Asian ‘Pei’ approached me with a kind smile.

“Welcome on board the A380 sir, how do you like it so far?”
“It is absolutely beautiful”
“Thank You, would you like anything to drink before take off? Perhaps some champagne, orange Juice, or apple juice?”
“I’ll have the champagne please”

While Pei went to get my champagne, I decided to discover the wonders of my personal space. I found the seat to be very comfortable, and definitely an ideal solution for this ultra-long-haul flight. It was wider than Etihad’s seat however, both are equally comfortable.

Exclusively on A.net: The Knee-Shot


Blanket & Headset


Wireless Integrated Controller


Media Crew From CNBC Boarding




Pre-Takeoff Drink Service


Several minutes later, a Japanese ‘Risa’ had arrived at my seat, smiled and welcomed me on board. She also asked me what I wanted to drink. I had informed her that my order was already taken, but my drink hadn’t arrived yet. So she went to the back to check.

Moments later, my Champage arrived, delivered by Pei.

My Champagne


Pei Assisting A Passenger


I wanted to check the bar out before takeoff so I downed the glass of champagne, and as I was about to get up, Risa came by with another glass of champagne. I downed that as well, and got up and proceeded to the back of the cabin.

At the back of the cabin, by the bar area, there were several crew running back and forth between the galley, the bar, and the main cabin. They all seemed so rushed trying to prepare, stow, and pull out things. It was obvious that not only did they have to deal with all the passengers taking pictures and walking around, but also with a new aircraft, a new environment, and a totally new service. Was the training they got adequate for today’s flight? This is what we will find out in the report. However, one thing is for sure, and that is in spite of all this chaos, each and every single one of them kept smiling.

A male crew, Toby, caught me clicking pictures of him and the rest of the crew as they were setting up by the bar area. He looked at me, smiled, and said “Would you like us to pose for you? We will be more than happy to do so”

Toby To The Right, and Risa To The Left


Bar Area


Couch By The Bar


Shortly afterwards at 11:05AM, the fasten seatbelt sign was switched on, and Captain Abbas Shaaban made a departure announcement. He welcomed us on board the first commercial A380 flight to the United States, advised us of our routing, and that the flight time for today was 13 hours and 5 minutes.

Everyone got in their seats, fastened their seatbelts and prepared for takeoff, while the crew grew even more frazzled as they were still trying to figure out where things went. The safety demonstration was playing and by 11:10AM A6-EDA pushed back and commenced its historic journey. The plane was so quiet that you wouldn’t know it had engines unless you looked out the window, and even then, you can easily believe that they are purely ornamental. The entire taxi to the runway sounded like we were being towed instead because simply, there was no sound!

During our taxi and after the safety demonstration, Risa approached me, handed me the menu, and smiled.

“Mr. Hawi, may I offer you the menu for today’s flight? We will be serving a meal after takeoff, and another, 1 and a half hours before landing, where you may choose any of the items listed. Also in between and throughout the flight you may order any of our Light Bites meals, as you wish”
“Thank You”
“Would you care to see the wine list?”
“Yes please”
“I will give you time to look through the menu, and I will come back after takeoff to take your order”

Menu & Wine List






This is a new service offering by Emirates, where meals are served during pre-set times, however you have more freedom and choice in choosing what to eat. On option today were a continental breakfast, a hot breakfast, and a main course choice, and under each meal, you had several different options to choose from. For example, one passenger may opt for a continental breakfast after take-off, and a main meal (dinner perhaps) before landing, and so on and so forth. If you ask me, all of this sounds a little confusing, but then again, the cabin crew was just as confused.

After a short taxi to the runway, A6-EDA took to the skies, ever so quietly. As a first time A380 flier, the aircraft offered the epitome of silence, like I have never experienced before. However, Mark reported that the SQ A380 with its RR engines was much quieter.

CONTINUED BELOW

As we reached cruising altitude, and the seatbelt sign was switched off, the cabin crew got up to prepare for the service. Simultaneously, most of the passengers including Mark and myself flocked right to the back of the cabin to see the bar. At the bar, the crew was already setting it up with alcohol, snacks, and such, and within no time, the bar area turned into the main social event on the flight. All in all, everything about it was quite tasteful. Furthermore, being a bar, the darker woodwork seemed more appropriate for the ambience.

Bar












Food Offering At The Bar








The Crew Setting Up In The Galley


Lavatory






After some mingling at the bar, and after a few Bloody Mary’s, I went back to my seat buzzed from all the alcohol. As soon as I sat down, Risa approached me to hand me the amenity kit, and take my meal order.

Amenity Kit


View Outside




“Mr. Hawi, have you taken a chance to look at the menu?”
“Yes, but what items can I choose from right now?”
“You may choose anything you like sir”
“May I have the Indian Breakfast please?”
“Most certainly, would you care for some bread? And perhaps some yoghurt as well?”
“Yes I’ll have both please, and I’ll also have the detox drink with that”

She advised that my meal will be served in 30 minutes, in case I wanted to go to the bar until then, in which I so rightfully did.

In-Flight Service






When I arrived at the bar again, I ordered another drink, and looked around to see what was going on. To my ULTIMATE surprise, I spotted the big man himself, TIM CLARK socializing with a group of people. I could not believe my eyes! To me, this was THE celebrity sighting! I rushed right over to him, and introduced myself. We had a few discussions about how he was going to work with Airbus to make the A380 lighter, and I enquired more about the influencing power he possessed over both Airbus and Boeing. He also described the engineering behind the onboard shower. The only problem is that, I was so excited to be having a chat and a drink with him, that I couldn’t remember what the details of our conversation were. He is however, a very friendly guy, who is rightfully confident in what he’s done, but with no arrogance at all.

Me & Tim Clark!!!!!!!


By that time, Mark had joined me by the bar, and we socialized some more with everyone else. When my 30 minutes were up, I finished my last drink, and headed back to my seat to find that the crew was already setting up for the meal service. Interesting to note was that there is no trolley or tray service in the cabin whatsoever. This meant that each tray table was set up individually by the crew. This is another element that Etihad had adopted some time ago as well, in which they name it as the ‘Inspired Service’.

My Bloody Mary


Cabin Crew Setting Up For The Meal Service


When I got back to my seat, Risa approached me with a tray containing all items required to be placed on my tray table.

“Mr. Hawi, are you ready to have your breakfast?”
“Yes, Thank You”
“Here is your detox drink Mr. Hawi, I will be right back with your meal”

Table Set-Up: No Tray!


Detox Drink


Twenty minutes later, my yoghurt finally appeared. It was placed on my table with an apology for being late. After so, she disappeared again for another 30 minutes. This is where the flaws get noticed. The crew appeared with trays of items for the passengers, distributed them, and then disappeared back in the galley for an average of 30 minutes each time. The galley during this meal service was perhaps the place you wanted to avoid that time, as there were open trolleys everywhere, with some even going upstairs and downstairs between galleys. The issue obviously was not just from the crew, who only needed more training, but there also were catering issues, and the usual teething problems with new aircraft. The crew however kept their smiles and charm throughout the entire flight.

Yoghurt


Another 45 minutes had passed, when Risa finally appeared with the bread, which was placed on my table, as she cleared my yoghurt.

“I am so sorry for being late sir, please excuse me”
“It is no problem at all”

Bread


I ate the bread, which was fantastic, however, waited another 30+ minutes when my main meal had arrived. Once again, it was served with another apology.

Indian Breakfast


The meal was absolutely fantastic! Perhaps the best food I have had on an Emirates flight. EK really went all out with the food quality this time around. After I was done, I realized that the entire meal service took at least four hours. I do not blame the crew, or anyone for that matter, as it is understandable that this is a new environment for everyone.

A male cabin crew approached my seat, to hand out landing cards.

“Mr. Hawi, my name is James” as he shook my hand
“So nice to have you with us today”
“Thank you very much”
“On this 13 hour flight, please feel free to get up and stretch by the bar in the back at any time”
“Thanks, I already have many times, it is fabulous”
“That’s good to know, please do not hesitate to let us know if you need anything”
“Thank You”

No one came to clear my table for at least another hour, but I gave up, and placed everything by my side-table, and got up to explore.

Another Cabin Shot



The ‘Dirty Kitchen’


CONTINUED BELOW

I caught up with Mark again, and he was telling me about his little visit to the Economy Class cabin downstairs. I was so distracted by the ‘private-jet’ feel of the upper deck that I had forgotten there was a lower one. So we went downstairs, where I had noticed a humungous cabin packed with economy class seats. It looked much larger than the 747, and the windows were massive!

Staircase


HUGE Economy Cabin














Back to my seat a few hours later, I took a look at the menu, and thought what the hell, let’s eat. I wasn’t hungry, but just wanted to try something on the menu. I requested the chicken burrito from Pei, who brought it to me 15 minutes later. It was another great meal, thanks to EK!

My Burrito


CNBC Crew Recording


More Cabin Shots








Several hours into the flight, I decided to give sleeping a try, if just to try the bed. So I turned my seat into a fully flat bed and tried to dose off. However, I was far too hyped up to get any shut-eye so instead, I just fooled around on my laptop for a bit. By that time, Mark had managed to catch some sleep, as his journey began with VS at a much earlier time, so he was dead beat!

My Very Comfortable Bed




The cabin lights were dimmed, and mood lighting went into action until all lights were off.

Mood Lighting


Lights Out


I pressed the call attendant button, and within moments Risa appeared.

“What can I do for you Mr. Hawi?”
“May I have an espresso please?”
“Certainly, would you like any biscuits with that?”
“Sure”
“It might take a little while though, please bear with us as this is a new aircraft, I hope that is ok”
“Take your time, do not worry”

After she was done with my request, she attempted to reach for the call attendant button to switch it off, however was unable to find it. So I switched it off for her. She giggled a little, thanked me, and left. In reality, I believe she did know where the button was, but perhaps she was just as stressed as the rest of the crew that she couldn’t find it at the time.

Espresso & Biscuits




Approximately four hours before landing, the cabin crew passed around to take everyone’s order for the last meal service. Due to the incident earlier in the flight, they decided to start early this time so as to have plenty of time to prepare for landing. I was also informed that the service will begin in an hour, when the last order can be taken.

In due time, my table was set up with all the necessities and my meal arrived starting with the green salad and the bread, then followed by the roasted chicken. Unfortunately, I just realized that I hadn’t taken any picture of the last service. I usually never skip a beat, however I do not know what happened. Perhaps I was just tired. In any case, the meal was good, although I was too full to enjoy it by then. Furthermore, this time around the service did not last as long as the earlier one.

At the end of the service, Godiva chocolates were handed out, in addition to bottles of water.

Godiva & Water


I spent the remainder of the flight chit-chatting with Mark, and comparing notes about the service. At the times he was served quickly, it was rather slow on my end and vice versa.

During the last moments of the flight, the mood-lighting was activated.

Mood Lighting




At approximately 3:50PM New York time, we had started our initial descent towards JFK. An announcement was made by the captain, who thanked us for flying with Emirates and hoped that we enjoyed the A380 flight. By then, the fasten seatbelt sign was switched on and everyone returned to their seats.

The crew rushed to stow away the madness that was in the galley and also collected the blankets as well as the headsets. Shortly after, the coats and jackets were returned as well.

During our Descent


The crew made their final preparations before the captain requested that they take their seats for landing. By 4:35PM local time, A6-EDA had touched down at JFK bringing the first ever commercial flight to the United States. Everyone clapped.
Some Spotting






As we taxied to the runway, we were given a grand welcome to JFK with the hosing down of our plane by two fire trucks on each side of the aircraft. The hosing down was poor and very brief to say the least. By 4:45PM we had arrived at Gate A6, the engines powered off, and the seatbelt sign was switched off. Everyone got up to gather their belongings in preparation to deplane. On our way out, I thanked all the crew for their effort, and proceeded out of door 1L on the upper deck.

I waited for Mark to come out, and we both headed out towards immigration. When we got there we split as he had to go through the visitor’s area and me through the U.S. Citizens area. In no time I was through with immigration so I went out for a much needed smoke and waited till Mark was through.

By then, our journey had come to an end except it was only half way done for me.

Many thanks go out to all the crew who operated this fabulous flight, especially Pei, Risa, Toby, and Troy. You were all just great!

CONTINUED BELOW

We stepped outside of the terminal building for a little while, so I could smoke a few more cigarettes, and so that we could get a breath of fresh air. We chatted till about 6:45PM, where we headed back inside, Mark towards the SWISS check-in counter, and me back to Emirates. I have noticed that all premium check-in counters at Terminal 4 are now located away from the regular check-in counters, on the sides of the building. These counters are not connected to the baggage conveyor belt and instead, checked baggage is taken on trolleys to the drop off areas. This is strange, but perhaps T4 is running at capacity right now.

At approximately 6:50PM I was at the check-in counter. The friendly Swissport agent checked me in with no hassle however, informed me that the Emirates Business Class Lounge was closed until 7PM due to a press conference that was going on there. I was free to either use the Oasis lounge, or wait till after 7PM.

Check-In


Boarding Pass


By 6:55PM I was done with check-in. I bid my goodbyes to Mark, and thanked him for a great time (Thanks Mark!). I decided to hang around the terminal for a few minutes before heading through security, to give time for the lounge to be open.

Terminal 4


I headed through security, which was crowded. On my way to the lounge, I spotted some planes, and also found my aircraft again, parked at A6.

Spotting




A6-EDA




By 7:15 I was inside the Emirates Premium Lounge. This particular lounge is fantastic, only this time around the furniture was moved around to make way for the press conference seats, which made it look uninviting a little.

Emirates Premium Lounge At JFK




As I was looking around the lounge, I noticed a closed door to the side that I have not seen before. I was confused at first, until I noticed two boarding card readers in front of the door, and a podium right next to it. HOLY COW I thought, it just hit me that this is the door to the upper deck aerobridge and that premium passers get to board the aircraft right from the lounge! This was the highlight of my return journey.

Our Gate, Right Inside The Lounge


I realized that I was in a desperate need of a shower, so I headed towards the shower area and found an empty shower room. The shower area itself was alright and did the job. I did not have any liquids of any sort on me, so I had to use the amenity kit that was given to me on the flight earlier. A shower without deodorant will do me no good!

Shower Room




After my refreshing shower, I decided to hit the buffet. The food was good, as is always the case in this lounge.



When I finished my meal and just kicked back, all my exhaustion that I had ignored for the past day had hit me all at once. The downside of that shower was that it completely relaxed and made me sleepy. I just could not wait to get on board and sleep.

I overheard the station manager speaking on the phone about the TSA needing more time to screen the baggage of our passengers. Furthermore, the gate readers have malfunctioned as well, so they decided to call a delay to the flight until 9:30PM.

At around 8:25PM an announcement was made, right from the lounge, that our flight will be delayed till 9:30PM for the reasons specified above. However, we were welcome to board the aircraft at our leisure from now, if we wanted to explore the interior. Following the announcement, the boarding gate doors had opened.

Boarding Gate


I gathered my belongings and proceeded to the gate. I handed my boarding card to the agent, who tore off the large portion and handed me back my smaller stub. “Enjoy Your Flight Sir”

The Aircraft, From The Aerobridge






I arrived at Door 1L of the upper deck and was greeted by Victor, a Puerto Rican crew.

“Good Evening Mr. Hawi, welcome on board. Seat 23A is a window seat, please proceed straight ahead and it will be to your right”
“Thanks”
“Enjoy your flight”

By 8:45PM I was on board.

CONTINUED BELOW

Flight Information

Airline: Emirates
Flight No.: EK 3802
Routing: New York (JFK) - Dubai
Scheduled Departure Time: 9:00PM
Actual Departure Time 10:15PM (Pushback)
Scheduled Arrival Time: 5:45PM +1
Actual Arrival Time: 6:15PM +1 (touchdown)
Equipment: Airbus A380-800
Registration: A6-EDA

I arrived at my seat, which is the same seat Mark was sitting in on the outbound flight from DXB. I was suddenly approached by a cute Indian ‘Yukti’ who immediately smiled as she approached me. She took my boarding pass and noted my name down immediately.

“Welcome on board Mr. Hawi, do you have a coat that you would like to hang?”
“No I do not, thanks.”
“Can I offer you something to drink before takeoff? Perhaps some champagne, orange or apple juice?”
“I’ll have the orange juice please”
“Most certainly, please make yourself comfortable while I get your drink sir.”

Yukti Noting Down Passenger Names


The Cabin At Night






The Seat


A Cabin Crew Explaining The New Features On This Aircraft To A Passenger


Leg Space


Blanket & Headset


My orange juice had arrived, however I was also told not to take any pictures until the refueling of the aircraft has been completed. This will be signaled by switching the seatbelt sign on. I guess this was to be a regular flight (picture-taking wise).

“Mr. Hawi, may I explain the new features of your seat?”
“There is no need as I was on the incoming flight”

I also asked her if they were briefed by the previous crew. She laughed and said yes and that if there is anything else that she needed to know from me, that I should advise them. This time around they seemed to be at least prepared, however they were still worried a little.

Menus were then handed out, and this time around, I also received a separate ‘Light Bites’ menu.

“Mr. Hawi this is your menu for tonight. I am sure you have been briefed with our new service”
“Thank you, yes I am aware of it”
“Would you care to see the wine list?”
“Yes please”
“I will come back after takeoff to take your order”

At 9:25AM Captain Hamid Fayez made an announcement to welcome us on board. He also advised us of our routing to Dubai and that our flight time tonight would be 11 hours and 57 minutes. He also apologized for the delay and that we will be on our way as soon as the TSA is through with the baggage screening. I guess not only do the problems occur on board, but also at the airport. Everyone is still learning!

Shortly after the amenity kits were handed out.

Amenity Kit


The fasten seatbelt sign was switched on and at 9:35PM a departure announcement was made by the crew. Everyone got to their seats and fastened their seatbelts. I fell asleep by then, only to wake up during takeoff, which was at 10:30PM. So I will just assume that pushback was at around 10:15PM.

I fell asleep some more, and woke up when we were already in cruising altitude, and some passengers were already being served their meals. Yukti saw that I had awoken and she immediately approached me with a smile.

“Mr. Hawi would you care for something to eat?”
“Yes please, ill have the Caesar salad, and the Chicken Bhatti”
“Certainly, would like any bread with that?”
“Yes please”
“And what can I get you to drink?”
“Just water please”

Soon enough, she came back to set my table up for dinner and minutes later my salad and bread had arrived.

Salad


Bread


The Caesar salad was outstanding! I should have ordered that on my previous flight instead. It was very crisp and the dressing was great.

As I finished my salad, it was immediately replaced with my main course.

“Here is your main course Mr. Hawi”
“Thanks, you seem to be more up-to-speed on this flight”
“Yes indeed, however we are still finding some difficulty as this is also our first time on this aircraft, so it is a bit overwhelming”
“Well you have all done a great job, keep it up”

Main Course


My chicken tasted great, it was nice and spicy however just a tad bit greasy. Once I was finished, my plate was promptly cleared away.

“Would you care for some dessert?”
“I’ll have the Chocolate Soufle please”

Dessert


My dessert was too dry, and wasn’t all that special. My table was cleared immediately after I was done.

The service this time around seemed more up-to speed however I could tell from the looks on their faces that the crew was still confused and stressed a little. Nevertheless when they addressed passengers, they maintained a high quality of professionalism. In fact, I am really impressed with crew on the past two flights.

After my dinner, I went over to the bar to see what it looked like at night. The mood lighting was activated and it looked very ambient. Much quieter this time around, I could only remember the madness that was happening on the previous flight.

Bar










The Main Business Cabin In-Flight




What A Drastic Difference Between This And The Previous Flight


I crashed for the remainder of the flight as feeling tired at that time was an understatement. I turned my bed into its fully flat position and dosed off.

CONTINUED BELOW

I woke up 3 hours before landing. Within minutes I was approached Yukti who wanted to take my breakfast order.

“Mr. Hawi, would you care for some breakfast?”
“Which breakfast? The hot or cold breakfast?”
“Anything you like, you may also mix and match as you please”
“I’ll have the cheese omelet please”

Within minutes she returned to set my table up.

Table Set-Up


Yoghurt


About 20 minutes later, yukti came back to me with my main course and a plate of pastries.

Main Course


Pastries


The breakfast tasted rather bland, however the pastries were fantastic. As I finished, I was approached by the in-flight service manager (or her equivalent, not sure what they are called at EK).

“How was the service today Mr. Hawi?”
“Fantastic, thank you very much. I was also on the previous flight as well”
“Which service did you prefer?”
“The previous flight was a little messy although the crew were fantastic, this one was more up to speed”
“It’s because I am in charge” she said, as she giggled.
“Well thank you for flying with us today, and I hope you enjoyed your flight on our A380”
“I very much did, thanks to you”

Hot towels were given out to conclude the service.

View Outside


At approximately 5:45PM Dubai time, the captain switched on the seatbelt sign and made an announcement that we had started our initial descent towards Dubai International Airport. He thanked us for flying Emirates and hoped that we enjoyed our A380 flight.

Blankets and headsets were collected by the crew as they made their final preparations before landing. Furthermore, coats and jackets were returned to the passengers. To conclude the entire experience, roses were given to each passenger, which I thought was a cute touch.

Rose


At 6:15PM, A6-EDA touched down back home at Dubai International Airport, bringing the inaugural flights to an end. A short taxi to the gate and within no time we were up and ready to leave. I gathered my belongings, and walked down the aisle, and as I passed the crew I thanked them for their effort and headed out to the airport.

As we entered the terminal, Emirates Staff were there handing out the same goodie bag I received prior to my previous flight. Why now I thought? The flight is over! Oh well, two goodie bags for me!

By this time, my entire journey had come to an end. Many thanks go out to all the crew on this flight, especially Yukti, Ruwaidah, and Victor.

Overall I was impressed with the turnout. The service was sketchy for the most part, but that is due to the new aircraft, and the new service. The airline itself was testing a new service concept that wasn’t clearly defined in the first place. They plan to tweak the service eventually depending on the response by the passengers and by the crew. Should Emirates decide to carry on with the new service and implement it on other flights, then that will most definitely be a positive thing. However, should this new service add more inconsistency across their product, then we all know what that would be like.

The A380 on the other hand is a marvelous joy to fly on as it is extremely comfortable, perhaps the quietest airplane I have flown on. It is the perfect aircraft for long-haul flights!

This concludes my trip report; I hope you have enjoyed it. Thanks for reading, and your comments are always appreciated.

Regards,
Roni

THE END

Hi Roni

Wow!! Thanks for taking the effort to compile such a thorough report, greatly appreciate it. A question if i may:

Did you notice any difference sitting in the main J cabin to JFK or the second smaller cabin returning to DXB ? Would you have any preference ?

Thanks again, was worth the wait.

Wow, Roni, that is one of, if not the best tr on A.net.

I read every single word and really felt like I was flying with you on the trip. Thank you so much for taking the time to write this up.

Brian

Quoting PlateMan (Reply 8): Wow, Roni, that is one of, if not the best tr on A.net. I read every single word and really felt like I was flying with you on the trip. Thank you so much for taking the time to write this up.

What he said! Between you and BA319-131 you almost made it superfluous to fly it myself. Great pictures. What camera('s) are you using?

Hey Roni,
Excellent report. Even though you and Mark were both on the same flight you both managed to get different pics which were all amazing to see.

It was nice to fly with another Anetter on such a long trip. Lucky guy getting a pic with two EK girls. Makes a nice photo. Tell me one thing , I see that they serve sausages in the EK lounge?? Are they chicken or Pork? I just wondered as I didnt think they would serve Pork in a Muslim country.

Anyway onto other things.... Your meal choices would have been mine also, it was mouthwatering looking at the pics. The Indian breakfast is very nice looking.

The Godiva chocolates really were a nice little touch.

Thanks for a fantastic report , I cant wait until its my turn now LOL....

Philip

Hola Roni!

Thanks a lot for your detailed TR.

Truly, having the opportunity to fly this beauty twice on the same day and exploring day and night flights must have turned you into an expert on A380.

Maybe AirBus would now hire you as A380 'connaisseur'.

Obviously food, drinks and serice met the expectations!

What happened to you with the tickets brings it down to reality. No matter you fly A380 or just an ordinary A319 there is always someone, somewhere, who messes things up.

Salut!

Roger

Is the seat very narrow in J?

Roni,

An excellent , superb TR and fabulous pics. I felt I did a virtual trip to JFK and returned. Just too good.

Too bad there was a chaos among the crew as well, was it the same on the SQ inaugural flight? Any inputs?

The food looks pretty delicious and overall the product is amazing.BTW did you guys get any certificates or something signed by the Captain?

Too bad could not join you guys, alas some other time!   

Ojas

Wow ! A high quality TR.

Food looks delicious and crew very careful.

I hope you enjoy the A380 experience !

Florian

Absolutely marvelous report. Congratulations!

What an enjoyable read, it felt like I was along for the ride with you. One of the best A380 trip reports that have been posted so far. Well done.

Hi Roni, been waiting for this, one word, FANTASTIC!!

It was just like being there all over again, just excellent work and you remember such amazing details which I forgot, well done!

Quoting Ronerone (Thread starter): On what basis did they assume I was only traveling from JFK to DXB rather than the other way around? They have been quite consistent in calling me to notify me of updates on this flight, so why couldn’t they do the same for this particular case?

- You pose a good question, I'd be pressing for a proper answer.

Quoting Ronerone (Thread starter): My Room At The Raffles Dubai

- Nice!

Quoting Ronerone (Thread starter): Emirates First & Business Class USA Check-In Entrance

- Well done, think I was too tired and distracted by the immense heat to even think of taking picttures at this point.

Quoting Ronerone (Thread starter): The lounge is always crowded, dirty, and no where will you find privacy, peace, or quiet inside.

- Agreed, not a great place and the showers have mould all over the ceiling due to lack of ventilation, pretty poor.

Quoting Ronerone (Thread starter): After my tasty breakfast

- Looks better than my Virgin Upper Class breakfast!

Quoting Ronerone (Thread starter): Me & The Emirates Girls

- Well done!

Quoting Ronerone (Thread starter): EK Girls During Boarding

- How many pictures of girls did you get??!  

Quoting Ronerone (Thread starter): not the shower area unfortunately (I did not even see them).

- Mate, how did you miss those, I thought you went there already, I visited both.

Quoting Ronerone (Thread starter): Toby To The Right, and Risa To The Left

- Toby was a top chap, buy him a beer anyday!

Quoting Ronerone (Thread starter): This is a new service offering by Emirates, where meals are served during pre-set times, however you have more freedom and choice in choosing what to eat. On option today were a continental breakfast, a hot breakfast, and a main course choice, and under each meal, you had several different options to choose from. For example, one passenger may opt for a continental breakfast after take-off, and a main meal (dinner perhaps) before landing, and so on and so forth. If you ask me, all of this sounds a little confusing, but then again, the cabin crew was just as confused.

- I too found this confusing, that's why I chose the lamb as my first meal, it seemed breakfast was long gone by the time I chose my first meal.

Quoting Ronerone (Thread starter): I went back to my seat buzzed from all the alcohol

- Well, they were plying us with it like no tomorrow! That red I was drinking costs £27 a bottle here in the UK, I must ahve drunk 2 bottles, let alone the champagne!

Quoting Ronerone (Thread starter): Me & Tim Clark!!!!!!!

- Way cool!!

Quoting Ronerone (Thread starter): My Bloody Mary

- Th first of many as I recall  

Quoting Ronerone (Thread starter): I was so distracted by the ‘private-jet’ feel of the upper deck

- You have hit it on the head, that's what it was like.

Quoting Ronerone (Thread starter): Mark had managed to catch some sleep, as his journey began with VS at a much earlier time, so he was dead beat!

- Yes, and the booze  

Quoting Ronerone (Thread starter): Unfortunately, I just realized that I hadn’t taken any picture of the last service. I usually never skip a beat, however I do not know what happened. Perhaps I was just tired

- Tired and perhaps a little too much alcafrol?  

Quoting Ronerone (Thread starter): At the end of the service, Godiva chocolates were handed out, in addition to bottles of water.

- We never got these!! - Another inconsistent service point.

Quoting Ronerone (Thread starter): I bid my goodbyes to Mark, and thanked him for a great time (Thanks Mark!).

- Pleasure was mine, had a fab time, thanks for your company, we must do this again, perhaps the EY & QR inagurals?

Quoting Ronerone (Reply 4): I noticed a closed door to the side that I have not seen before. I was confused at first, until I noticed two boarding card readers in front of the door, and a podium right next to it. HOLY COW I thought, it just hit me that this is the door to the upper deck aerobridge and that premium passers get to board the aircraft right from the lounge! This was the highlight of my return journey.

- That is neat, like that idea.

Quoting Ronerone (Thread starter): The shower area itself was alright and did the job. I did not have any liquids of any sort on me, so I had to use the amenity kit that was given to me on the flight earlier. A shower without deodorant will do me no good!

- The Swiss lounge had stuff, I took a shower there too, woke me up a little!

Quoting Ronerone (Reply 5): I arrived at my seat, which is the same seat Mark was sitting in on the outbound flight from DXB

- Could not believe it when you told me, what are the odds??!!

Quoting Ronerone (Reply 5): was suddenly approached by a cute Indian ‘Yukti’ who immediately smiled

- Looks good from the pic, get her number?  

Quoting Ronerone (Thread starter): What A Drastic Difference Between This And The Previous Flight

- Oh yes, those galleys were a real mess!

Quoting Ronerone (Thread starter): As we entered the terminal, Emirates Staff were there handing out the same goodie bag I received prior to my previous flight. Why now I thought? The flight is over! Oh well, two goodie bags for me!

- Interesting. I did note a massive number of bags when we left to board and did think they had produced too many, guess that answers that.

How full was J on the way back?

Once again, fab stuff and it was great to meet up, don't forget end of the month in NYC, meet for a quick beer.

Kind Regards always

Mark

simply an amazing report

Thanks for a great report and showing the rest of us what EK's A380 experience is like  I really enjoyed your report   

Very ambitious of EK to launch a new meal service concept on inaugural flight on a brand new aircraft, but from your pictures and comments it seems that the food was worth the wait   

Nice to read that the service was "on time" on the way back and I must say that the bar area looks absolutely fantastic   

Quoting Ronerone (Reply 1): Furthermore, there was less of that ugly woodwork that Emirates seems to like, and more blue/grey tones that added a much more calming effect to the ambience.

Could not agree with you more on that one  


Thanks again for a great T/R!!

Cheers
Stein

Hi Roni,

Thanks for the wonderful TR! Really nice to see the EK A380 inaugurals!

Best regards,

Tim

Awesome Trip report Roni, probably one of the best on A.Net !

Excellent TR !!!!!!!! This is virtual reality .. I feel i was actually on the flight... Great Job   

Hi, Roni

what can I say about this!! Such a great story you put on the web here. It was like being on board this first EK A380 flight myself.Supurb detailed report, great pics and well writed. It took a while to finish the whole story, to be honest, but it was worth it  
I don't like the A380 from the outside, but it's a winner for me inside, for sure! A perfect cabin setting, at least on EK.
Thanks for your experiences  

Cheers,
Eric

btw, well, about Mark, I'll have to fly with him as well, in a few months, but on a much smaller plane with for sure, a much lower service level. So keep in tuned for the reports  

Great TR!!

Amazing pictures!

KrisYYZ

Wow, you do have energy to fly this route so fast. Lovely pictures.

Very enjoyable report with excellent pics! Thanks for sharing your experience.

WOW. Great trip report. I am supremely jealous.

From the pictures, it seems that they have flight attendants from just about every other part of the world but their own.

Very well done. One of the best TR's I've read!

excellent work, a few mates of mine were also on 3801 & returned a few hours later on 3802, thanks for the report!

Hi Roni

Excellent, excellent! Thanks for this fantastic report and the pics sure are gorgeous. Even though there wasn't the fanfare associated with the SQ inaugural flights, the pics give a good feel of the excitement and atmosphere aboard.

Being grounded at the moment, I am of course exceedingly jealous  

Thanks again, my friend ~ living vicariously through you, haha

Nice trip report - very detailed.....jsut one thing...you must be loaded.....top hotel suite and top seat on plane   NIce work if you can get it  

Quoting Ronerone (Thread starter): it was just a mere fantasy, today it is nothing but reality. A vision that was once the future has now become the present, as it is, right in front of you. So many feelings were sensed, so many emotions were felt, and so many words I will always want to say, but I am only left speechless. My heart was pounding hard, my pulse was about blow my insides, and my hands were shaking like there’s no tomorrow. What on earth was going on I thought? The raging fire that was feeding off my flesh was suddenly put to rest as I approached the big beast himself

OMG I need a cold shower after reading all that!! I wasn't sure WHERE it was heading !

WOW!!! That TR was truly amazing. That's awesome that you can board directly from the lounge.

This is the long awaited trip report   I love it - excellent job! I love the minibar onboard the A380 as well as the bar area and the mood lighting. Even in business class it looks amazing... glad you had the energy to take the round trip and to write up such a detailed trip report.

Quoting EK773 (Reply 7): Did you notice any difference sitting in the main J cabin to JFK or the second smaller cabin returning to DXB ? Would you have any preference ?

Hi EK773,

Thanks for reading!

You asked a good question actually. While the second smaller cabin offers more privacy for the passenger, that could be offset by the noise from bar behind it. As for the larger cabin, it may not feel private, but i think it could be quieter than the back cabin.

Personally, i preferred the larger main cabin, only because i wanted to see all the action.

Quoting Henkybaby (Reply 9): Between you and BA319-131 you almost made it superfluous to fly it myself.

Hi Henkybaby,

You must fly it indeed! We had a blast  

Quoting OA260 (Reply 10): It was nice to fly with another Anetter on such a long trip.

Hey Philip,

Thanks for reading!

It was great flying with another a.netter!

Quoting OA260 (Reply 10): I see that they serve sausages in the EK lounge?? Are they chicken or Pork? I just wondered as I didnt think they would serve Pork in a Muslim country.

The sausages are either veal or chicken for sure. They wouldnt serve pork sausages in the lounge. However, some restaurants here do serve pork.

Personally, when it comes to breakfast sausage (or bacon), i prefer the real deal, i.e. the pork  

Quoting Rogerbcn (Reply 11): Maybe AirBus would now hire you as A380 'connaisseur'.

Hola Rogerbcn! Thanks for your comments!

Being an A380 Connoisseur would be ideal   haha

Quoting Rogerbcn (Reply 11): What happened to you with the tickets brings it down to reality. No matter you fly A380 or just an ordinary A319 there is always someone, somewhere, who messes things up.

Totally agree!

Quoting MaverickM11 (Reply 12): Is the seat very narrow in J?

Hi MaverickM11,

The seat wasn't narrow at all. Was great!

Quoting Ojas (Reply 13): BTW did you guys get any certificates or something signed by the Captain?

Mr. Ojas!

Thanks for your comments mate. Real pity you couldn't make it with us!

I think there were certificates in the goodie bag, however i havent opened the envelope yet. Trying to preserve the souvenir   Chances are though, if there was a certificate, it will be very generic.

Quoting Luv2fly (Reply 16): One of the best A380 trip reports that have been posted so far. Well done.

Hi Luv2fly,

Thanks so much   Glad you enjoyed it!

Quoting BA319-131 (Reply 17): you remember such amazing details which I forgot

Mr. Mark!

That's why i use a TR notebook for my notes haha

Quoting BA319-131 (Reply 17): the showers have mould all over the ceiling due to lack of ventilation, pretty poor.

Ick! Honestly, the showers at the JFK lounge looked clean, but felt a little dirty. But by that time, i didnt care, i just wanted to get clean! haha

Quoting BA319-131 (Reply 17): How many pictures of girls did you get??!

All the pretty ones mate  

Quoting BA319-131 (Reply 17): Mate, how did you miss those, I thought you went there already, I visited both.

I missed my only chance to go see them, and that was when we were on the ground. Too bad i know!

Quoting BA319-131 (Reply 17): That red I was drinking costs £27 a bottle here in the UK, I must ahve drunk 2 bottles, let alone the champagne!

It was very popular amongst the passengers. Many were requesting glasses of it!

Quoting BA319-131 (Reply 17): Another inconsistent service point.

And from my end, we didnt get the 'Light Bites' menu on EK3801, but you guys did..funny!

Quoting BA319-131 (Reply 17): we must do this again, perhaps the EY & QR inagurals?

Im in!  

Quoting BA319-131 (Reply 17): Looks good from the pic, get her number?

No  

I thought about it, but i was too tired to put my act on LOL

Quoting BA319-131 (Reply 17): How full was J on the way back?

packed to the gills! 100% load!

And from the way check-in was at T4, Y looked packed aswell! not sure about F though.

Quoting BA319-131 (Reply 17): don't forget end of the month in NYC, meet for a quick beer.

Definitely! Looking forward to it!

Quoting SASDC8 (Reply 19): Very ambitious of EK to launch a new meal service concept on inaugural flight on a brand new aircraft, but from your pictures and comments it seems that the food was worth the wait

Hi SASDC8,

Thanks for reading.

This was exactly what i was thinking. Perhaps EK should have tested this service on other flight before implementing it on the A380.

Quoting WannabeFlyboy (Reply 21): Awesome Trip report Roni, probably one of the best on A.Net !

Hi WannabeFlyboy,

Thanks a lot for reading and for your comments!

Quoting HairYbus (Reply 22): This is virtual reality .. I feel i was actually on the flight... Great Job

Hi HairYbus,

That's the whole point   I wanted everyone to be there with us!

Quoting Airbuseric (Reply 23): btw, well, about Mark, I'll have to fly with him as well, in a few months, but on a much smaller plane with for sure, a much lower service level. So keep in tuned for the reports

Hi Airbuseric,

Thanks for reading! ...

You will have a good time for sure! He is as crazy as the rest of us  

Looking forward to your TR!

Quoting AT (Reply 27): From the pictures, it seems that they have flight attendants from just about every other part of the world but their own.

Hi AT,

That is precisely what it is. A very few percentage, if any, are UAE Nationals.

Quoting QANTAS077 (Reply 29): a few mates of mine were also on 3801 & returned a few hours later on 3802

Hi QANTAS077,

Thanks for reading!

What did your friends think of the flights? Would be interesting to know more opinions.

Quoting Airpearl (Reply 30): Hi Roni Excellent, excellent! Thanks for this fantastic report and the pics sure are gorgeous. Even though there wasn't the fanfare associated with the SQ inaugural flights, the pics give a good feel of the excitement and atmosphere aboard. Being grounded at the moment, I am of course exceedingly jealous Thanks again, my friend ~ living vicariously through you, haha

Mr. Airpearl!

Thanks for reading mate!

Why are you grounded at the moment? You can't be! We need more Airpearl-Style TR's!  

Quoting TDubJFK (Reply 32): OMG I need a cold shower after reading all that!! I wasn't sure WHERE it was heading !

Hi TDubJFK,

LOOL!

Believe it or not, that's what i felt   haha ... i was so nervous up until i boarded the aircraft.

Quoting MHTripple7 (Reply 33): That's awesome that you can board directly from the lounge.

Hi MHTripple7,

Thanks for reading!

Apart from meeting Tim Clark, this was the second highlight of my journey!


Thanks you all for your comments! They are very much appreciated!

Regards,
Roni

Quoting Elite (Reply 34): This is the long awaited trip report I love it - excellent job! I love the minibar onboard the A380 as well as the bar area and the mood lighting. Even in business class it looks amazing... glad you had the energy to take the round trip and to write up such a detailed trip report.

Hi Elite,

Glad you enjoyed it!

The roundtrip was great, and i would do it again! haha

Thanks for reading

Regards,
Roni

Nothing short a superb trip report! Glad to see even with the new aircraft the Emirates crew preformed well - something of a rarity I seem to find now. Glad you had a good time!

Just one question though - what happened to the stars that were on the ceiling? Did they get rid of them for the mood lighting?

Cheers,
Max

Hey Roni,
Thank you and Mark for these wonderful trip reports. I have been eagerly waiting for them since last Friday. I'll be flying on the EK A380 to / from DXB (on my way to Cochin) in J in a few weeks. I currently have 23K booked on both legs and was hoping for your opinion. I have the option to move up to 20K (larger cabin?) on the return leg - however, I noticed that row 21 is a bassinet seat. Being a parent of a 8.5 month old myself, I was hoping to avoid any screaming babies on these flights - wanted your opinion of 23K (since I'm assuming it's a mirror image of 23A) as well as potentially moving forward to 20A / K. I guess the only thing I am a bit worried about is how close 23K is to the bar and the accompanying noise (which I myself would generate at any bar).
On another note, I'll be spending a day and a half in Dubai on my way back from Cochin. I'm considering staying at one of the Jumeirah Beach hotels (e.g., Hilton) but am worried about some of the postings regarding traffic to / from the airport. This is my first trip to Dubai (other than transiting through the airport several times) and would love some recommendations. Any thoughts you can share would be great. Thanks again for the wonderful TR!

Regards,

Vinod

Quoting Ronerone (Reply 35): The sausages are either veal or chicken for sure. They wouldnt serve pork sausages in the lounge. However, some restaurants here do serve pork. Personally, when it comes to breakfast sausage (or bacon), i prefer the real deal, i.e. the pork

Thanks for that . I certainly thought that must be the case. I prefer the real deal also but had to give up eating Pork and Bacon. My partner is Muslim and the deal was that they would give up smoking if I gave up Pork and Bacon so I guess it was a fair deal. I actually dont miss it until I see the BA breakfasts LOL.... Still chicken and turkey sausages do fine. You can even get Turkey bacon now!!

Very interesting TR about the EK A380 inagural.

From all the pomp and splendour, it doesn't seem like oil is pricey anymore.

EK's business class bar, the showers in first class seem a very interesting concept. I like the bar concept, i think its a good way to interact with fellow pax.

Roni, you took great pictures especially of the cabin crew   the girls in the uniform look amazing.

The food looked really scrumptious, seems like you are a fan of Indian food. Too bad the service was not upto the mark but not the crew's fault, they didn't have much time to familiarize themselves with the new product, i am sure the crew will be more organized in subsequent trips.

Well hopefully, EK will put IAD on their route network, so i can avail their services albeit in Y, though an upgrade to business wouldn't hurt  

Keep your wonderful TR's coming.

What an excellent read Roneone!

Quoting Ronerone (Thread starter): et up with friends, went clubbing, got drunk, laid by the pool,

For a brief moment I thought you meant you 'got laid' by the pool! Now that would have been an interesting start to an amazing TR!

I like the new EK uniforms, they look so much more classy than the old ones. The guys' pin-striped suits and matching ties also make them look so much smarter. Who designed them? Do they wear their vest under their suit? Or do they put them on only during the flight?

Noticed that the female crew wore different shoes on the ground (high heels) and in the air (flat soled). Do they actually have to bring along 2 pairs of shoes for each flight like what the Singapore Girls do?

I like the new mix-and-match service in business class, very First Class like. But I certainly do not envy the crew. It must have been a marketplace in the galley preparing for each order! I'm sure the crew would be totally exhausted after each flight.

A dedicated A380 gate that is linked to EK's lounge?! Now EK must have paid a bomb to get that arranged! Or perhaps it's a service that the airport authorities accorded to the first A380 operator in JFK!?

What was inside the gift bag??

Once again, beautiful photos (what camera do you use?), excellent details... wish I was there!

[Edited 2008-08-05 08:58:44]

Roni,

one question: At your departure at DXB Gate 25, it is a regular departure gate IMO where on certain days you might find even an A320 or a B777 parked. How did they manage to make it A380 compatible? did they use 2 departure gates like 24 & 25 or 23 & 24? Or they manged to build a 3rd arm to every departure gate?

Quoting Maxisno1 (Reply 37): what happened to the stars that were on the ceiling? Did they get rid of them for the mood lighting?

Hi Maxisno1,

Thanks a lot for reading.

The stars are still there, but they were only activated for a short period, or so at least i noticed. Also, when they were activated, they reminded me of the stars in Y class on the A345, which isn't anything special.

Perhaps in F they have a better view of the stars.

Quoting Veeman5 (Reply 38): I currently have 23K booked on both legs and was hoping for your opinion. I have the option to move up to 20K (larger cabin?) on the return leg - however, I noticed that row 21 is a bassinet seat. Being a parent of a 8.5 month old myself, I was hoping to avoid any screaming babies on these flights - wanted your opinion of 23K (since I'm assuming it's a mirror image of 23A) as well as potentially moving forward to 20A / K. I guess the only thing I am a bit worried about is how close 23K is to the bar and the accompanying noise (which I myself would generate at any bar).

Hi Veeman5,

Thank you for reading.

If you will be traveling alone, then you will obviously not require a bassinet seat. But your selection for a seat will depend on what you prefer. In this case, it can be a little tricky.

The smaller cabin in the back is secluded and more private, however will be noisier due to its proximity to the bar and galley. The bar has proven to be a huge success on the flights, and i expect it to remain that way.

On the other hand, the larger main cabin will offer less of that intimate ambience, but perhaps less noisy as it is farther away from the bar and galley.

I personally preferred sitting in the main business cabin, and perhaps my ideal seat would be the last seat in that cabin. But that is only to be around all the happenings.

I hope you enjoy your A380 flight! It is simply amazing!

Quoting Veeman5 (Reply 38): am worried about some of the postings regarding traffic to / from the airport.

Will you be renting a car while in Dubai?
If not, then i would strongly suggest you excersize EK's chauffeur service, and request them for a pickup slightly earlier. Your flight will depart at 8:00AM i believe, and so perhaps request for the pickup to be at your hotel at 5:00AM. That should give you plenty of time.

Quoting OA260 (Reply 39): Thanks for that . I certainly thought that must be the case. I prefer the real deal also but had to give up eating Pork and Bacon. My partner is Muslim and the deal was that they would give up smoking if I gave up Pork and Bacon so I guess it was a fair deal. I actually dont miss it until I see the BA breakfasts LOL.... Still chicken and turkey sausages do fine. You can even get Turkey bacon now!!

That is a very nice compromise from both sides Philip  

What about liquor?

All the best to you and your partner!

Quoting Mk777 (Reply 40): Roni, you took great pictures especially of the cabin crew the girls in the uniform look amazing.

Hi Mk777,

Thanks for your comments! Greatly appreciated!

Quoting Mk777 (Reply 40): The food looked really scrumptious, seems like you are a fan of Indian food.

This is one major thing that impressed me. The food was of high quality and much better than any other EK flight i have taken.

And yes, i am a HUGE fan of Indian food   Especially the vegetarian dishes, and the breakfast.

Quoting SQ772 (Reply 41): For a brief moment I thought you meant you 'got laid' by the pool!

Hi SQ772,

Thanks for reading!

It would have been the best form of rest & relaxation had i gotten laid by the pool LOL!

Quoting SQ772 (Reply 41): I like the new EK uniforms, they look so much more classy than the old ones. The guys' pin-striped suits and matching ties also make them look so much smarter. Who designed them? Do they wear their vest under their suit? Or do they put them on only during the flight?

I agree with you 100%. The new uniforms are more elegant than the older version, especially the male uniforms!

For the guys, i believe the vest is worn during the flight.

Quoting SQ772 (Reply 41): Noticed that the female crew wore different shoes on the ground (high heels) and in the air (flat soled). Do they actually have to bring along 2 pairs of shoes for each flight like what the Singapore Girls do?

I am not sure to be honest, but it does make sense to use flat soled shoes in-flight.

Quoting SQ772 (Reply 41): A dedicated A380 gate that is linked to EK's lounge?! Now EK must have paid a bomb to get that arranged! Or perhaps it's a service that the airport authorities accorded to the first A380 operator in JFK!?

Emirates has invested so much money and effort in suporting their JFK market. Part of that, is their obvious selection of the location of their lounge.

EK 201/202/203/204 almost always use Gate A6 at JFK, and their lounge is located right above the holding area of the gate, making it ideal to board premium passengers on the A380, right from the lounge!

I am sure they have paid lots of money for this arrangement!

Quoting SQ772 (Reply 41): What was inside the gift bag??

A box containing a Cross pen and an EK A380 model, and i think an A380 booklet, and maybe a certificate. I have not opened the items (apart from the EK model). I am trying to preserve them LOL.

Quoting SQ772 (Reply 41): (what camera do you use?

A normal digital camera, and also a DSLR.

Quoting Ojas (Reply 42): one question: At your departure at DXB Gate 25, it is a regular departure gate IMO where on certain days you might find even an A320 or a B777 parked. How did they manage to make it A380 compatible? did they use 2 departure gates like 24 & 25 or 23 & 24? Or they manged to build a 3rd arm to every departure gate?

Hi Ojas,

I believe other aircraft can use that aerobridge, only the upper arm will not be used. They used only one departure gate, which was desgined for the A380 by making a larger holding area and adding a third upper aerobridge.

Once you head towards the aerobridge, the lower deck passengers will proceed to board on the same level, while upper deck passengers have to go up an escalator to get to the third arm.


Thanks all for your comments!

Regards,
Roni

Some videos for anyone who is interested:

EK 3801

Announcements:









Safety Videos (Arabic & English):





Takeoff Video:



Water Cannon Salute At JFK:




EK 3802

Landing Video:



Announcement:

Thank you very much for posting this excellent and detailed trip report.

We now have two trip reports from the EK launch flights 3801/3802. Both by A.netters who wre travelling in Business Class.

I wonder if we will have a trip report from a flyer who did the two flights on the lower deck in Economy. It would be extremely interesting to have the point of view of those who could not be upstairs.

I had one friend sitting in Suite 1K on 3801 and one friend sitting at 85 C downstairs on both flights. I will not post the comments from either of these flyers which I received by email or I might get shot dead by some of the a.netters on this thread.

Instead I will post what I collected on FlightAware, while the aircraft was up in the air. The off time was during my sleep time (taking the time difference into account).

Here we go, I hope the layout will stay the same.
FlightAware > Live Flight Tracker > Emirates #3801

UAE3801 (all flights) Emirates "Emirates"

Aircraft Airbus A380-800 (quad-jet) (A388/Q)
Origin Dubai Int'l (OMDB)
Destination John F Kennedy Intl (KJFK)
Other flights between these airports
Route n/a
Date Friday, Aug 01, 2008
Duration 13 hours 9 minutes
Progress
1 hour 9 minutes left
11 hours 59 minutes

Status En Route (6347 miles down; 506 miles to go)
Scheduled Actual/Estimated
Departure 11:21AM UAEST 11:21AM UAEST
Arrival 04:32PM EDT 04:30PM EDT
Speed
445 kts
Altitude Unspecified 40000 feet


Want a full history search for UAE3801 dating back to June 2005? Buy now. Get it within one hour. Date Type Origin Destination Departure Arrival Duration 01-Aug-2008 A388/Q Dubai Int'l (OMDB) John F Kennedy Intl (KJFK) 11:21AM UAEST 04:30PM EDT En Route


Aircraft Airbus A380-800 (quad-jet) (A388/Q)
Origin Dubai Int'l (OMDB)
Destination John F Kennedy Intl (KJFK)
Other flights between these airports
Route n/a
Date Friday, Aug 01, 2008
Duration 13 hours 9 minutes
Progress
31 minutes left
12 hours 37 minutes


Status En Route (No recent position)
Scheduled Actual/Estimated
Departure 11:21AM UAEST 11:21AM UAEST
Arrival 04:32PM EDT 04:30PM EDT
Speed
443 kts
Altitude Unspecified 40000 feet


UAE3801 (all flights)
Emirates "Emirates"
Aircraft Airbus A380-800 (quad-jet) (A388/Q)
Origin Dubai Int'l (OMDB)
Destination John F Kennedy Intl (KJFK)
Other flights between these airports
Route n/a
Date Friday, Aug 01, 2008
Duration 13 hours 9 minutes
Progress
2 minutes left
13 hours 7 minutes

Status En Route (6823 miles down; 28 miles to go)
Scheduled Actual/Estimated
Departure 11:21AM UAEST 11:21AM UAEST
Arrival 04:32PM EDT 04:30PM EDT
Speed 239 kts
Altitude Unspecified descending 5500 feet



UAE3801 (all flights)
Emirates "Emirates"
Aircraft Airbus A380-800 (quad-jet) (A388/Q)
Origin Dubai Int'l (OMDB)
Destination John F Kennedy Intl (KJFK)
Other flights between these airports
Route n/a
Date Friday, Aug 01, 2008
Duration 13 hours 9 minutes
Status Arrived 10 minutes ago! (track log)
Scheduled Actual/Estimated
Departure 11:21AM UAEST 11:21AM UAEST
Arrival 04:32PM EDT 04:30PM EDT
Speed

Altitude Unspecified


http://flightaware.com/live/flight/UAE3801

UAE3802 (all flights)
Emirates "Emirates"
Aircraft Airbus A380-800 (quad-jet) (H/A388/Q)
Origin John F Kennedy Intl (KJFK)
Destination Dubai Int'l (OMDB)
Other flights between these airports
Route BETTE3 BETTE ACK KANNI N43A COLOR NATW
5000N 02000W NATW GIPER UN514 LESLU
Date Friday, Aug 01, 2008
Duration 12 hours 21 minutes
Progress
8 hours 11 minutes left
4 hours 9 minutes


Status En Route (No recent position)
Scheduled Actual/Estimated
Departure 09:20PM EDT 09:45PM EDT
Arrival 05:05PM UAEST 06:06PM UAEST
Speed 492 kts 553 kts
Altitude 35000 feet 35000 feet

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/UAE3802


UAE3802 (all flights)
Emirates "Emirates"
Aircraft Airbus A380-800 (quad-jet) (H/A388/Q)
Origin John F Kennedy Intl (KJFK)
Destination Dubai Int'l (OMDB)
Other flights between these airports
Route BETTE3 BETTE ACK KANNI N43A COLOR NATW
5000N 02000W NATW GIPER UN514 LESLU
Date Friday, Aug 01, 2008
Duration 12 hours 21 minutes
Progress
6 hours 43 minutes left
5 hours 37 minutes


Status En Route (No recent position)
Scheduled Actual/Estimated
Departure 09:20PM EDT 09:45PM EDT
Arrival 05:05PM UAEST 06:06PM UAEST
Speed 492 kts 553 kts
Altitude 35000 feet 35000 feet


UAE3802 (all flights)
Emirates "Emirates"
Aircraft Airbus A380-800 (quad-jet) (H/A388/Q)
Origin John F Kennedy Intl (KJFK)
Destination Dubai Int'l (OMDB)
Other flights between these airports
Route BETTE3 BETTE ACK KANNI N43A COLOR NATW
5000N 02000W NATW GIPER UN514 LESLU
Date Friday, Aug 01, 2008
Duration 12 hours 21 minutes
Progress
5 hours 30 minutes left
6 hours 50 minutes


Status En Route
Scheduled Actual/Estimated
Departure 09:20PM EDT 09:45PM EDT
Arrival 05:05PM UAEST 06:06PM UAEST
Speed 492 kts n/a
Altitude 35000 feet n/a


UAE3802 (all flights)
Emirates "Emirates"
Aircraft Airbus A380-800 (quad-jet) (H/A388/Q)
Origin John F Kennedy Intl (KJFK)
Destination Dubai Int'l (OMDB)
Other flights between these airports
Route BETTE3 BETTE ACK KANNI N43A COLOR NATW
5000N 02000W NATW GIPER UN514 LESLU
Date Friday, Aug 01, 2008
Duration 12 hours 21 minutes
Progress
3 hours 50 minutes left
8 hours 30 minutes


Status En Route
Scheduled Actual/Estimated
Departure 09:20PM EDT 09:45PM EDT
Arrival 05:05PM UAEST 06:06PM UAEST
Speed 492 kts n/a
Altitude 35000 feet n/a


UAE3802 (all flights)
Emirates "Emirates"
Aircraft Airbus A380-800 (quad-jet) (H/A388/Q)
Origin John F Kennedy Intl (KJFK)
Destination Dubai Int'l (OMDB)
Other flights between these airports
Route BETTE3 BETTE ACK KANNI N43A COLOR NATW
5000N 02000W NATW GIPER UN514 LESLU
Date Friday, Aug 01, 2008
Duration 12 hours 21 minutes
Progress
36 minutes left
11 hours 44 minutes


Status En Route
Scheduled Actual/Estimated
Departure 09:20PM EDT 09:45PM EDT
Arrival 05:05PM UAEST 06:06PM UAEST
Speed 492 kts n/a
Altitude 35000 feet n/a


UAE3802 (all flights)
Emirates "Emirates"
Aircraft Airbus A380-800 (quad-jet) (H/A388/Q)
Origin John F Kennedy Intl (KJFK)
Destination Dubai Int'l (OMDB)
Other flights between these airports
Route BETTE3 BETTE ACK KANNI N43A COLOR NATW
5000N 02000W NATW GIPER UN514 LESLU
Date Friday, Aug 01, 2008
Duration 12 hours 21 minutes
Progress
19 minutes left
12 hours 1 minute


Status En Route
Scheduled Actual/Estimated
Departure 09:20PM EDT 09:45PM EDT
Arrival 05:05PM UAEST 06:06PM UAEST
Speed 492 kts n/a
Altitude 35000 feet n/a


UAE3802 (all flights)
Emirates "Emirates"
Aircraft Airbus A380-800 (quad-jet) (H/A388/Q)
Origin John F Kennedy Intl (KJFK)
Destination Dubai Int'l (OMDB)
Other flights between these airports
Route BETTE3 BETTE ACK KANNI N43A COLOR NATW
5000N 02000W NATW GIPER UN514 LESLU
Date Friday, Aug 01, 2008
Duration 12 hours 21 minutes
Progress
9 minutes left
12 hours 11 minutes


Status En Route
Scheduled Actual/Estimated
Departure 09:20PM EDT 09:45PM EDT
Arrival 05:05PM UAEST 06:06PM UAEST
Speed 492 kts n/a
Altitude 35000 feet n/a


UAE3802 (all flights)
Emirates "Emirates"
Aircraft Airbus A380-800 (quad-jet) (H/A388/Q)
Origin John F Kennedy Intl (KJFK)
Destination Dubai Int'l (OMDB)
Other flights between these airports
Route BETTE3 BETTE ACK KANNI N43A COLOR NATW
5000N 02000W NATW GIPER UN514 LESLU
Date Friday, Aug 01, 2008
Duration 12 hours 21 minutes
Progress
4 minutes left
12 hours 16 minutes


Status En Route
Scheduled Actual/Estimated
Departure 09:20PM EDT 09:45PM EDT
Arrival 05:05PM UAEST 06:06PM UAEST
Speed 492 kts n/a
Altitude 35000 feet n/a



UAE3802 (all flights)
Emirates "Emirates"
Aircraft Airbus A380-800 (quad-jet) (H/A388/Q)
Origin John F Kennedy Intl (KJFK)
Destination Dubai Int'l (OMDB)
Other flights between these airports
Route BETTE3 BETTE ACK KANNI N43A COLOR NATW
5000N 02000W NATW GIPER UN514 LESLU
Date Friday, Aug 01, 2008
Duration 12 hours 21 minutes
Progress
1 minute left
12 hours 19 minutes

Status En Route
Scheduled Actual/Estimated
Departure 09:20PM EDT 09:45PM EDT
Arrival 05:05PM UAEST 06:06PM UAEST
Speed 492 kts n/a
Altitude 35000 feet n/a


UAE3802 (all flights)
Emirates "Emirates"
Aircraft Airbus A380-800 (quad-jet) (H/A388/Q)
Origin John F Kennedy Intl (KJFK)
Destination Dubai Int'l (OMDB)
Other flights between these airports
Route BETTE3 BETTE ACK KANNI N43A COLOR NATW
5000N 02000W NATW GIPER UN514 LESLU
Date Friday, Aug 01, 2008
Duration 12 hours 21 minutes
Progress
0 minutes left
12 hours 20 minutes

Status En Route
Scheduled Actual/Estimated
Departure 09:20PM EDT 09:45PM EDT
Arrival 05:05PM UAEST 06:06PM UAEST
Speed 492 kts n/a
Altitude 35000 feet n/a


Want a full history search for UAE3802 dating back to June 2005? Buy now. Get it within one hour.
Date Type Origin Destination Departure Arrival Duration
01-Aug-2008 A388/Q John F Kennedy Intl (KJFK) Dubai Int'l (OMDB) 09:45PM EDT 06:06PM UAEST (+1) En Route

Quoting Ronerone (Reply 43): That is a very nice compromise from both sides Philip Smile What about liquor? All the best to you and your partner!

Thanks 5 months yesterday and still perfect. ( except the distance ) lol....Still nice to have an excuse to fly . Would be nicer if it was an A380 route !!

I dont drink that much anyway but I would never give up the odd glass of Moet or a Baileys on ice... but I find that alot of Muslims drink anyway so the Pork issue was more important.

One more question for you and sorry if I missed it but what is your personal opinion on the new EK uniforms??

Quoting OA260 (Reply 46): One more question for you and sorry if I missed it but what is your personal opinion on the new EK uniforms??

Oh, i loved the new uniform.

It's a million times better than the old one. Especially the male uniform, which was very ugly before, but now much better.

Still doesn't beat Etihad's uniform though  


Regards,
Roni

Great trip report and interesting photos! Thanks so much for the wonderful insight.

In fact I was at JFK (same terminal- just came off VS 45 from LHR) when you arrived! I was in the queue with all the arriving passengers from the A380 on 1 August! I didn’t know it was the first flight until I saw everyone with the goody bags!

So I was probably standing in that god damn awfully long customs queue with you (which took an hour!). It’s a shame you arrived early as all 500 passengers were 10 minutes ahead of schedule (and us!) which caused me to miss my connecting flight and wait 5 hours for my next one! Damn you all! Hehe only kidding.

It was nice to see it on the tarmac though.

Thanks for the interesting report!

By the way, the J class section seems to go on and on… a bit impersonal I believe. I always love the privacy of small J class sections like the way they get split up on 744’s (the small upper deck, the nose section, and the small 2nd section on Virgin)

WOW Simply amazing, every aspect of the trip report was impeccable, and the videos really perfected it!!! The A380 is an amazing aircraft to say the least, nothing compares to it!!! Being able to board the aircraft directly form the lounge at JFK is a very convenient and smart idea, I wonder if any other airport has that... 5 Star Report and looks like a 5 Star Flight too!!! I hope to fly the 380 - eventually... ...if only LAN could get their hands on one...  

BTW I was wondering, what exactly would one do if you're in the shower and the seat belt sign comes on... it could happen