Business Travel: A First Class experience from Emirates
TAKING a shower has never been so exciting.
I’ve spared you any photos of the experience, but stepping under the torrent of warm water at 39,000 feet aboard the latest Emirates Airbus A380 is really something.
Of course, you do wonder what would happen if you hit turbulence – would the air hostesses have to rush in to swathe you in towels and hustle you back to your seat?
Fortunately for them, no turbulence was encountered and I showered, shaved, donned my suit and headed past my First Class “suite” to the cocktail bar at the back of the aeroplane.
A glass of champagne and some sparkling conversation with fellow passengers provided the perfect aperitif to the gourmet three-course lunch I had earlier ordered, which was delivered to my first class seat with all the elan and professionalism of a Michelin-starred restaurant.
Following lunch there was time to plug in the laptop to catch up on some work and make a call to the office from the telephone fitted in the cabin – which had a better reception than you get using your mobile phone on a train.
Then with a few adjustments to the electronic seat, I was comfortably reclined watching the latest Sherlock Holmes film on the digital widescreen which offers a choice of about 1,200 channels through the Emirates in-flight entertainment system.
Travelling First Class once sounded a self-indulgent past-time of the super-rich. But with a return from Manchester to Dubai aboard the A380 now costing around £3,500 it certainly provides a way for firms to get their senior executives to meetings across the globe feeling sharp, fresh and focused. That has to be an investment that can pay dividends.
Emirates boasts a bright, airy lounge for First and Business Class passengers at Manchester and the airline’s facilities at the bustling Dubai Airport are second to none.
At 6am on a Wednesday the airport was as busy as Oxford Street on the first day of the New Year sales. Fortunately the Emirates lounge provides a welcoming oasis of calm where a traveller can collect their thoughts, catch up on some work or reading, or plan a foray into one of the host of duty free shops that line the terminal at Dubai.
Emirates offers a completely separate check-in area for First and Business Class passengers at Dubai with the added ease of a complimentary chauffeur service for those travelling First.
When you board the Airbus A380 you climb a flight of sweeping stairs to the upper cabin and everything combines – from the relaxing lighting to the efficiency and charm of the air crew – to make the experience memorable.
It was certainly the first time I’ve been on a flight and not wanted it to end so soon.
Emirates Airline flies twice daily from Manchester to Dubai, with the A380 flight departing at 2.10pm.
First Class fares on the A380 start from £3,525 per person, Business Class fares start from £2,545 per person and Economy Class fares start from £489 per person.
For more information or to make a reservation visit www.emirates.com/uk or call 0844 800 2777
