Air Canada A330 Business Class Review - Montreal to London Heathrow

In this  review,  I'll be sharing my experience flying onboard Air Canada's Airbus A330 from Montreal to London Heathrow. I have previously flown this route before and sad to see the experience and service has declined.

Check-in and Lounge

Once you arrive at the airport, you can head straight to the priority line to check in or drop off any luggage you may have. Air Canada business class passengers are entitled to 2x suitcases up to 32kg each. The agent will then tag your luggage and issue you a printed boarding pass. The boarding pass will have a logo indicating that you have access to the Maple Leaf Lounge (or other lounge depending on where you are departing from). At the Montreal Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, domestic and international security lines are shared however you can fast track by using the priority security line. After clearing security, had left towards the Maple leaf lounge. I wrote a full review of this lounge if you are interested. 

Maple Leaf Lounge

Business class passengers receive complimentary access.

Read Review

I hung out at the lounge for about an hour and a half and had something to eat before heading to the gate for boarding.

Boarding

The cabin felt tight with narrow aisles

Boarding started  as scheduled and we boarded from the back of the business class cabin. Immediately upon entering the cabin, it felt significantly smaller than the Boeing 777 and a lot narrower. The aisle felt very tight and the overhead bins were so tiny that they could not fit my carry-on sideways and instead I had to put it flat which took up most of the bin above me. On newer planes with larger overhead bins, I can put my carry-on sideways which would leave enough space for another 2 carry-ons.

There was no space at all in the overhead bins in the first row as that was already taken up by the cabin crew. The passenger sitting there asked the flight attendant who said something like “it’s the configuration, it’s wrong”, “yeah it’s the engineering with the layout” and told the passenger to go put her carry-on back in row six. She seemed pretty upset about it, probably because she paid several thousand dollars for this flight. Her carry-on was a small and soft bag, not even the larger rolling carry-ons that are ubiquitous nowadays.

Seats

The A330 features Air Canada's classic pods, which are different from their more spacious and modern executive pods that have the ability to adjust the mattress and seat firmness and feature proper massage functions. These seats did not offer the ability to adjust the firmness and the massage function was more like a faint vibration that eventually turned off after a few minutes. The seats do convert into a completely lie-flat bed that are comfortable to sleep on though.

The overhead bins could only fit 1 rolling carry-on each

The seats felt narrower than on the Boeing 777

The footwells were long enough to fit my legs when fully extended

The seats can be controlled via this touch screen panel

The entertainment system was a touchscreen but could also be controlled via a remote

This convenient storage panel was perfect for the complimentary bottle of water

Amenities

At my seat was an amenity kit which included socks, a toothbrush, earplugs, lip balm and hand cream.  There was also a  mattress pad, blanket, pillow, and a bottle of water laid out for each passenger. Air Canada has downgraded their Amenity kits from the beautiful Acqua Di Parma Kits they used to provide in prior years.

The Air Canada complimentary amenity kit

Complimentary noise cancelling headphones

Complimentary mattress pad and blanket

The left side of my seat offered some counter space to store my belongings. I can’t comment on the quality of the complimentary headphones since I always travel with my own Sony Noise Cancelling Headphones that do an excellent job at turning the engine rumble and cabin noise into a quiet whisper. I was surprised to find a USB-C charging port as the plane seem quite old so that was unexpected.

The seatbelt was a little odd with an extra over shoulder strap

After boarding, we were offered a welcome drink and I chose a glass of champagne. The champagne was dry and bubbly, always a great start. Soon afterwards, we took off on schedule and headed towards the Atlantic.

Welcome drink

Food and Dining

Menus were handed out as soon as I had sat down at my seat. The menus were bilingual (Canada has two official languages) and opened from each side with one side in French and the other side in English.

The wine list and drinks menu

Air Canada business class menu

I started off with an Aperol Spritz which was accompanied by a bowl of mixed nuts consisting of warm cashews and almonds. The Mediterranean mezze platter was delicious and well seasoned. For the main course. I chose the braised lamb which was very fatty and disappointing. For dessert I opted for the cheesecake which was not bad.

I started off with an aperol spritz

Served with some warm cashews and almonds

Appetizer: The Mediterranean Mezze platter was delicious

Main course: braised lamb

Cheesecake for dessert

After dinner, the cabin crew asked if I’d like to be woken up for breakfast. This flight is so short for a transatlantic flight (at around six hours) that I recommend just sleeping through breakfast if you want to feel a little more rested on arrival. However in my case, I had an upcoming layover of almost 9 hours so I decided to have breakfast even though I’d only sleep for 2.5 hours as I’d be too hungry after landing otherwise.

I turned my seat fully flat and tucked in for the night. The A330 seats felt a lot narrower than Air Canada’s Boeing 777 or 787 business class.

Breakfast

After a short nap, the lights turned on as the flight attendants made their way down the aisles for breakfast service. On the menu today was a parsley omelette served with chicken sausage, potatoes, fruits, yogurt and a bun. The omelette was alright but I preferred the fruits and yogurt. The meal was basic airplane food with nothing memorable.

After breakfast, the flight attendants cleared my tray table and it was soon time to land.

Takeaway

Out of all my business flights on Air Canada, this was my least favourite. The food was sub-par, the airplane was old and felt claustrophobic and the service lacked a smile. However, I did appreciate the fast priority boarding, the lie-flat seats and decent entertainment system. Air Canada doesn’t hold a candle to the likes of Emirates or Etihad though.

Now off to Gatwick Airport to board my next flight to Mauritius!

Have a question? Leave us a comment below.

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Emirates 777 Business Class Review (Dubai to Montreal Long Haul on the Boeing 777-200LR)

At the end of 2024, I had the chance to snap up 2 tickets on Emirates for my flight back home to Canada. In this post, I’ll be reviewing my experience on my second flight on the Boeing 777 from Dubai to Montreal. My first flight was from Mauritius to Dubai just 3 hours earlier. If you’re interested in my experience aboard that flight on the A380, you can find it here.

Emirates business class passengers are entitled to complimentary chauffeur service (more information here), priority check-in and travellers can bring up to 2 pieces of checked-in luggage at 32kg each. Since I was on a layover at DXB, I didn’t experience the services mentioned above but I hope that Emirates offers a quality experience to their premium passengers departing from their hub unlike the boarding experience that I had below.

Lounge

Emirates business class passengers also receive complimentary access to Emirate’s Business Class Lounges which are located throughout the DXB Airport. I suggest accessing the one closest to your Gate to avoid any potential delays. After a brief stay at the Emirates Business Class Lounge where I had just enough time to shower and grab a light snack, I headed to the boarding gate. I wrote a full review of this Lounge here (located in Terminal 3 Gates C).

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Boarding (and second security check)

I read that Emirates now offers boarding directly from the lounge but this was not the case here. The screens at the lounge indicated that boarding had started but I was quite surprised because it seemed super early. The gate was just across from the lounge and as I arrived, I realized that it wasn’t actually a boarding call but a “pre-boarding” of passengers by moving us from the main Terminal area into a separate waiting room behind the gate. There was no priority boarding for business class passengers as the line was blocked off. Boarding was done via a single line for all passengers. After the gate agent scanned my boarding pass, I found that we had to go through an additional security check. I don’t know what the rationale was but the agent was clearly splitting up all couples and families and picking one person from each group to get searched again. The security check was taking place in the small waiting area which had gotten increasingly crowded at this point and could clearly not accommodate 200+ passengers with its inadequate space or lack of seating.

The security check was extremely thorough as they opened all bags, checking everyone’s clothes, asking them to take off their shoes, patting them down and also testing their bags for chemical residues. There was apparently a separate men’s and women’s line, but they weren’t notifying passengers until they reached the front of the line where the agent would then gesture for them to go to the back of a different line. It was a minimum of 15 minutes extra waiting for the additional security procedure. Be careful about trusting the boarding screen in the lounge and as you might just be going through additional security screening and then sitting in a waiting area at the gate for a while. It’s much nicer to wait in the lounge and head over later.

When the actual boarding announcement was made, everyone crowded the gate trying to push forward. The announcement asked for business class passengers to start boarding and the gate agent asked the man in front of me to wait his turn, but he grabbed his kids and walked through anyway at the agent just stood there and did nothing. The whole boarding experience felt very sad and it was a free-for-all as everyone pushed to get on the jetway. It was a very disappointing experience and not premium at all. I don’t always fly in business class because I simply cannot afford to but when I do, I expect the airline to provide a minimum level of service like priority boarding. Considering this is Dubai which is Emirates’ hub, this was extremely disappointing. I would’ve understood if this was the case when boarding outside the UAE but I just don’t understand what they were trying to do here or if all the gate agents were just fed up. This was in stark contrast to boarding in Mauritius the evening before where everything was done in an organized manner and we even had a separate gate number just for business and first class. Thankfully, this was the only unpleasantly part of the journey and the experience only improved thereafter.

Cabin

Boarding was via 2 jetways that both led into the business class cabin. The first jetway, reserved for business class, connected to the front of the plane while the second one connected to the second door towards the back of the business class cabin and was used for premium economy and economy passengers.

Entering the aircraft felt like entering an elegant and spacious lounge with contemporary lighting and decor. The wide and expansive panoramic ceiling is the most beautiful I’ve ever seen on a Boeing 777. I pondered why until I noticed the lack of overhead bins above the middle seats that made the cabin feel much larger and taller. I quickly checked my AirTag to find my luggage location and it showed that it was near the Gate. I always leave an AirTag in my luggage in case I lose it but the Emirates App also notified me that my luggage had been loaded on the plane.

The cabin felt airy and spacious

We did not mind the lack of overhead bins in the centre as there was plenty of space. However, the business class cabin was less than half full so its possible that it could be an issue on fully booked flights. The seats were very comfortable and plush. We chose the windows seats.

Seats

The seats were wrapped in cream coloured leather and staggered in a 2-2-2 layout. They were not angled but straight and all facing the front of the aircraft. This made the aisle feel even more open and wide. For solo travellers, you will definitely want to choose one of the 2 centre seats that provide direct access to the aisles. For couples, you can choose either but you will need to walk over your partner to go to the bathroom if you opt for the window seat. During the flight, it would also prove difficult for the flight attendant to speak to the passenger sitting in the window seat so they will be leaning over you while they do so (more on that below). The window seat was the most private of all the seats and all seats featured a separator in the middle that was hard to move. This made it difficult to have conversations in flight as well as being unable to talk to each other during dinner.

The aisle seats lacked privacy

The aisles felt oddly spacious as well

The seat controls are accessible from the tablet or console

Compared to the business class seats on the A380, these seats were smaller and there was nowhere to store any of my belongings like a headphone case or phone charger. There was no storage compartment but the seats and the TV looked newer than the A380 and the screens were absolutely massive. The layout seemed impractical because I had to sit at the edge of my seat in order to talk to my partner. It would’ve been beneficial to have a retractable separator.

Mini Bar

At my seat was a mini bar with Perrier, Evian Water, a glass and some snacks that included mini packets of jelly beans and nuts.

ICE System

Emirates’ Boeing 777-200 cabins underwent a refurbishment a few years ago and it really shows. This is where it’s ICE entertainment system really shined with its massive 23” screens. The entertainment system offered a huge selection of TV shows and movies in mutiple languages.

The screens were the largest I've seen in any business class cabin

The seats were so spacious that I could't reach the screen, instead they provided us a tablet

Veuve Clicquot Champagne was served right after boarding with an alternative choice of water or juice. The business class cabin was eerily empty. I’m not sure if Emirates was running a loss on this flight or because it was Christmas, but it was quite surprising either way.

Amenity Kit and Pyjamas

Amenity kit and pyjamas were handed out to passengers while we were still on the ground. Emirates pays attention to the little details and that means different amenity kits that are customized for males and female passengers. The amenity kit included a razor and shaving cream, aftershave, earplugs, tissues, a dental kit, deodorant, lotion, lip balm and perfume.

The complimentary BVLGARI amenity kits (for men)

By my seat was a blanket as well as a pyjama kit. Emirates provides pyjamas on long-haul flights and as this flight was close to 13 hours, I received some complementary loungewear to sleep in. The pyjamas were thin, silky, soft, and quite comfortable. However, they were single use as some of the threads had already starting to come apart during the flight and it clearly looked like it would not hold up against regular usage or maybe even a wash.

Cozy slippers

The pyjamas seemed to be a hit with most passengers having changed into them early on in the flight. The lack of storage space became very apparent during the flight when there was no room to store the amenity kit, a glass of water or a headphone case. I got a small box of chocolates from dinner, but I wasn’t able to find room to store it for later.

Wi-Fi

The Wi-Fi was difficult to connect to. The Wi-Fi was technically not free, but if you have an Emirates Skyward Member account then you would be able to use it for free for messaging. I wasn’t able to login using my existing Skyward account so I ended up having to create a new one which logged me in right away and allowed me to connect. For more information, you can check out my review here on how to log into the Wi-Fi.

Bathrooms

The bathrooms were located at the front and rear of the cabin. They were decorated with some fresh flowers and stocked with small linen towels for passengers.

Fresh flowers on the walls

Food and Dining

Menus were handed out while we were on the ground so we had time to peruse it. There was Champagne, a wine list, juices, cocktails, and mocktails as well as beers and spirits. The meals were based on Dubai time which was very odd as usually they try to time meals so you are less jetlagged on arrival. In our case, we were departing at 2 AM Dubai time and we would be arriving at Montreal early in the morning so the meals offered were light bites and breakfast followed by lunch served at Dubai time. We were offered hot towels to freshen up before the meal.

Light snack

I had the tuna Poké bowl after takeoff and it was delicious

After my light meal, I decided to get some sleep The food section continues further below if you want to skip the next section.

In-Flight experience (Lie-flat seats)

As the cabin lights dimmed, the ceiling mimicked the look of the night sky with twinkling stars. The overhead bins above the centre seat seats have been removed to create a wide open space above.

I turned my seat into a bed with the press of a button. The seat can be controlled either via the buttons on the tablet or the console. We received mattress pads and a wrapped blanket for the night. I found the seats very comfortable but then again I am grateful anytime I can fly in business class.

Emirates 777 Business Class lie-fat seats

One thing to note is that you cannot fully extend both feet as the footwell only spans half the width of the seat and is offset to one side. This could be a problem if you are tall as you might need to sleep diagonally to fully extend your legs.

The storage panel prevented me from fully extending my left leg when lying flat

I woke up around five hours later and stopped by the “bar” for a quick snack. The bar was very disappointing compared to the A380. It was a snack stand that featured some soggy sandwiches, water and chips. If we don’t compare to the A380 then the bar was a nice little touch just like the Air France snack stands. Some more options would be appreciated.

Breakfast

It was the middle of the night at the destination when the flight attendant came by to mention that breakfast service was starting soon and asked if I’d like to join. I had previously said no before going to sleep but very much appreciated that they noticed I was up already and checked in again. I still don’t understand matching the meals to Dubai (Origin) time but oh well.

For the first breakfast, I had the chebab which are Emirati style pancakes. They were indulgent and served with a fruit bowl.

I had the chocolate mouse for dessert and it was heavenly.

We still had a few hours to go as it was around 2 am in Montreal. I killed the time by watching a movie and listening to some music. I couldn’t help but notice that so much of the cabin was empty with barely half the seats occupied.

Second Breakfast (5 AM “Lunch”)

For the second breakfast referred in the menu as lunch, I started with a Kir Royale and cappuccino. The cappuccino was decent and with served with a biscotti followed by a choice of nuts or olives. I chose the lobster tail for the appetizer and the tandoor lobster for the main. Both were light, fresh and flavourful. The lobster was tender enough to eat without a knife and had a mild seafood flavour. We were also served hot garlic rolls for lunch.

Appetizer - Lobster tail with caviar

Appetizer - Arabic Mezze Platter

Main - Lobster Tail with charred cherry tomatoes

Veuve Clicquot Champagne was also served at breakfast time either straight up or in a mimosa. The flight attendants carried a handheld drink cart with bottles of champagne that allowed them to walk up and down the aisles and quickly top up my flute.

Cappucino and Chocolates after the meal

As we approached Montreal, a flight attendant stopped by with a Polaroid camera and offered to take our photo. He then inserted the photo into a customized greeting card for us to keep as a souvenir. This was a fun little extra that really showed how Emirates goes above and beyond for their passenger experience.

We were offered some hot towels to freshen as we prepared for landing in Montreal on this Christmas Day. I had a wonderful experience on this fight (minus the boarding fiasco) and I really look forward to flying on Emirates again. It far exceeds the business class experience compared to my recent experience on Air Canada and I hope that Emirates maintains their current standards and passenger service.

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Emirates Business Class Lounge Review - DXB Terminal 3 Concourse C

Emirates Business Class passengers departing from Dubai International Airport receive complimentary access to any of Emirates’ Business Class lounge. These lounges are a quiet place to sit and relax, maybe grab a snack or meal or even take a shower. In thi post, I’ll be reviewing my experience of the Emirates Business Class Lounge located in Concourse C. After landing at Dubai International Airport from Mauritius, I cleared security and took the shuttle bus to Concourse C where my flight to Montreal was departing. The lounge is located upstairs and across from the Gates. It is a medium sized lounge that did not offer direct boarding to the airport. Having read that Emirates offers boarding directly from the Lounge, I was pretty disappointed that this option was not available. It seems that Concourse B features the best services like direct lounge boarding, biometric entry and the Moët and Champagne Bar (more on that below).

The main area

The lounge had a decent amount of seats with large windows, but since it was nighttime, I'm not sure if there was much of a view but I could see Air Canada’s parking spot from the lounge seats. I could imagine the lounge becoming very crowded if there were several flights departing back to back, however since it was around midnight on Christmas Eve it was very calm when I visited. Screens throughout the lounge showed the departure time as well as some soccer games highlights Match scores.

If you are travelling internationally, you can purchase your esim ahead of time on the Airalo App and install it so you're connected as soon as you land and can call an Uber and use Google Maps without searching for WiFi. If you sign up with my referral code C0887, you’ll get $3 USD off your first esim purchase!

Food

There was a decent selection of food and drinks. Some main courses included beef stew, roasted potatoes and seafood pie as well as salads and desserts. There was an unattended ice cream cart which looked enticing, but I was pretty full already so can't comment on the quality.

The main buffet

Ice cream for dessert

Drinks

To the left of the main buffet was a self serve bar with spirits, wines, and beers as well as some Moët champagne. Having read about the Emirates Moët & Chandon Champagne Lounge and anticipating a unique new experience, I was sorely disappointed to find just a couple of opened bottles in a bucket of ice at the bar with no canapés to pair it with as per the press release by Emirates. As I mentioned above, it seems Concourse B is the one that receives the finest services and amenities while Concourse C is just an afterthought so your Emirates experience will highly vary depending on which terminal your flight is departing from.

The Moët & Chandon Champagne “Lounge”

Showers

To the left of the main entrance were the bathrooms. The lounge had several showers and there wasn't just one but two attendants for the showers. We simply had to notify them if we wanted to take a shower and they provided us with fresh towels and an amenity kit that included a toothbrush and toothpaste. The bathrooms were sparkling clean and just perfect to freshen up in between flights.

The Emirates lounge main bathroom

The shower was sparkling clean

After a quick shower, I noticed that my flight had already started boarding very early (which was actually not the case) so I left the lounge and headed to the boarding gate. This lounge was a decent place to kill some time on a layover and provided decent food, drinks and a hot shower to freshen up. However, it's worth keeping in mind that the best of what Emirates has to offer is not here, but rather in Concourse B.

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Emirates A380 Business Class Review - Still the best? (Mauritius to Dubai)

At the end of 2024, I visited Mauritius for my sister’s wedding and booked my return flight to Canada in Emirates Business Class. I’ve always seen raving reviews about Emirates and having only flown them once 20 years ago in Economy, I had high hopes and was buzzing with excitement.

Emirates offers a chauffeur service for Business Class passengers that includes pick you up at your accommodation and a drive to the airport. Unfortunately, this perk is not offered when departing from Mauritius.

Check-in

The Emirates check-in counters are located near Hall A located on the left side of the terminal at Mauritius SSR Airport. The counters are separated into 2 lines with one for economy passengers and a shorter line for Priority/Premium/First/Business passengers. Check-in was quick and smooth. Business class passengers are allowed 2 suitcases weighing up to 32 kgs each. I always travel with my mini luggage scale to make sure I’m always under the weight limit. In my experience, the weight limit for carryons is not enforced.

Emirates check-in counters are located in Hall A

The security line at SSR Airport is located to the right of Hall A. There is a separate entrance for premium passengers located to the right of the main security line clearly marked by a vertical red sign. Enter via the automatic gates by simply scanning your boarding pass. You will then pass through immigration on your way towards the security check. Just after security, make your way straight through the Duty Free shops then turn right and walk to the end of the terminal to the Air Mauritius Amédée Mainguard Lounge.

Lounge

The lobby of the Air Mauritius Amédée Mainguard Lounge

Access to the Amédée Mainguard Lounge is complimentary including all meals and alcohol/non-alcoholic drinks. I've already written a full review of this lounge which you can read here. To summarize, this is one of the nicest lounges I've been to and includes a shower, full service cocktail bar, and several varied dining options. The decor is fresh and tasteful, the lounge is not usually too crowded and the small size of the Airport means that it is close to all Gates.

New for 2024, they've added a Nespresso machines which I very much appreciated! As is common in airport lounges, they do not make announcements so keep an eye on the screen to find out when your flight starts boarding. In my experience, Gate changes are rare at the Mauritius Airport and you will often spot the plane already parked at the gate after security. Once the screens in the lounge indicated that boarding had started, we made our way to the Gate.

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Boarding

Stairs? on a Plane?

There were far fewer passengers waiting at the Gate than I expected. Even the Gate for a typical Boeing 777 flight gets more crowded than this. I figured it's maybe because I was flying on Christmas Eve. Boarding was a breeze and Emirates opted to board the A380 with not only 2 jetways but 2 separate Gates as well. The Gate to the left was for premium passengers only and led us to the front of the aircraft where the flight attendants welcomed us and directed us straight upstairs. Immediately upon entering the Emirates A380, it felt like it was a class above the twin engine widebodies with it expansive open areas and high ceilings. The plane was huge and the grand stairway in the front had me feeling like I was walking into a swanky lounge instead of on a plane. On the lobby walls were carefully placed bouquets of fresh roses that added a subtle touch of luxury and invoked a sense that Emirates pays attention to the little details, a feeling that would continue throughout this flight.

We walked past the first class cabin (which had full privacy doors) to the business class cabin in the back. The business class cabin on the Emirates A380 is expansive and runs the entire length of the aircraft all the way to the bar at the tail. The massive cabin made it feel a bit less exclusive and had me seriously wondering how Emirates could fill all those seats on every single flight.

Upstairs on Emirates’ A380. It’s unbelievable that there’s another floor with hundreds of passengers seated under us.

Seats

The seats adjacent to the aisles offer less privacy

The seats are arranged in a 1-2-1 layout with every seat providing direct aisle access. Couples will enjoy the middle seats while solo travellers would be better off at the window seats. Not all the window seats are the same as they alternate between being directly next to the window or open to the aisle. The seats directly next to the window offer more privacy and a better view. As for the middle seats, the rows alternate between being located in the center together then further apart and more exposed to the aisle. In the photo above, you can see the aisle seats are open and less private.

Upstairs on the Airbus A380.

The seats were very spacious and had a huge TVs as part of Emirates’ renowned ICE system. Although the TV quality and cabin were starting to show their age, the accented wood theme with blue lighting separated it from the usual dull shades of grey you find on basic airlines like Air Canada. The TVs offered a live camera view from the tail of the aircraft in front, but the video quality was very pixelated and blurry so I ended up just leaving the TV back to the welcome screen.

The center seats are great for couples travelling together and features a privacy separator that can be lowered

The footwells are deep but offset to one side so you may have to sleep slightly diagonally.

Waiting for me at my seat was a small mini bar with two bottles of Evian water, some snacks, noise cancelling headphones, a kit containing an eye mask and slippers but oddly no amenity kit (more on that below).

The seats and in-flight entertainment system could be controlled by both the detachable console to the left or the tablet on the right of the mini-bar.

The personal mini bar was stocked with Evian water, Perrier (sparkling water), chocolate covered dates, nuts and jelly beans.

I rarely use the included noise cancelling headphones but decided to test them out in-flight for this review and they were honestly very disappointing. I always travel with my own Sony Noise Cancelling Headphones as they do an excellent job at turning the engine rumble and cabin noise into a quiet whisper so I used them throughout the flight instead.

Noise cancelling headphones

Moët & Chandon Champagne - Welcome Drink

As boarding had just begun, I walked around and visited the bar at this time and it hadn’t opened yet. The flight attendants were utilizing the space to set up the welcome drinks and amenity kits. The bar/lounge opened later on after take-off.

A quick visit to the bar before take-off

As I settled back in my seat, the flight attendant came back to offer me a welcome drink with the choice of apple juice, orange juice or champagne. Emirates serves Moët & Chandon Champagne on-board flights throughout Africa, something which sets them a level above other Airlines in my opinion. For flights to North America, you’ll be served Veuve Clicquot. The flight attendant them came right back with some hot towels. Another flight attendant followed up right away with amenity kits but oddly enough, she walked right past me. I started to wonder if she was ignoring me when she came back again with different amenity kits. Turns out Emirates provides different amenity kits customised for male and female passengers and here I thought that they were ignoring me. Silly me.

The complimentary BVLGARI amenity kits (for men)

The amenity kit included a razor and shaving cream, aftershave, earplugs, tissues, a dental kit, deodorant, lotion, lip balm and perfume. As this flight was around 7 hours long, it was not considered long haul and no pajamas were handed out (I did receive them on my other 14 hour Emirates flight from Dubai to Montreal though)

Soon afterwards, the flight attendants handed out the menus and we started taxiing towards the runway with a view of the distant mountains out the window. As the plane started moving, we were able to keep drinking out of the glassware, but once we were close to takeoff, the flight attendants came by to pick up all of our drinks. We were chatting quietly and perusing the menus when we realized that we didn’t even feel the A380 pick up speed and take off. I could barely hear the engines and it’s without a doubt the quietest and most comfortable plane I’ve ever been on. I wish Airbus and Emirates could’ve struck a deal for Airbus to keep producing them.

Dining

The menu was extensive and included several wines, a long list of cocktails and mocktails, beers, whisky and other spirits. There were 3 choices for the appetizer, main and dessert course.

A little reminder from Emirates that their Muslim passengers will definitely appreciate

The flight attendants took our orders and dinner service began soon after. For the round of aperitifs, I chose an Aperol Spritz which was sweet and premixed. It was served with a decadent side of warm nuts.

The flight attendants set up the tray table with white linens and silverware, followed by the appetizers.

I opted to start with the lobster medallions which tasted fresh and bright.

For the main, I opted for the seared beef fillet with roast potatoes. It was also excellent but I was already so full by this time that it was hard to finish the plate.

I decided to skip the dessert but did opt for the luxury chocolate which were smooth and delicious. These were bite size pieces of chocolate that hit the spot.

Lobster Medallion Appetizer

The Seared Beef Fillet was delicious

Felix chose the Turkey Roulade which was also good

For dessert, I had the mini box of chocolates which hit the spot

After a heavy dinner, I reclined my seat and immersed myself in a movie. The in-flight entertainment system had an extensive list of TV shows and movies to choose from. The screens were large and clear. However, the plane was starting to show its age as the audio quality was truly awful. It felt like listening to a radio station with lots of highs and no bass. I watched Alien Romulus and the soundstage was lacking. By comparison, the audio was significantly better on my next flight on Emirates’ Boeing 777. The ICE system also allows you to view the live feed of the cameras mounted at the nose and tail but the video feed was blurry and filled with static lines, similar to the old TVs from the 90s.

Emirates’ ICE system

It was easy to control both the seat and the TV using the console on the right. You can also use the tablet (pictured left) to watch TV or just as a remote.

After dinner, the flight attendants came by with some hot chocolate and marshmallows. It was served with a plate of white chocolates, strawberries and additional boxes of chocolates. At this time, the cabin lights had dimmed and the ceiling transitioned into a blue hue with sparkling lights that looks like shining stars. Marshmallows and hot chocolate under the stars? YES PLEASE! I felt like a little kid again and thank you so much Emirates for this wonderful experience!

Hot chocolate and marshmallows under the stars? Yes please!

The ceiling lighting mimicked the night sky full of stars.

Feeling giddy like a little child with my hot chocolate and marshmallows under the stars.

The Bar

The cocktail menu at the bar

After indulging in my second dessert, we headed towards the tail end to visit the lounge. The lounge was mostly empty with just a passenger or couple occasionally dropping by. The lounge had its own menu of snacks and drinks (see above for the food menu).

The elegant A380 bar was fully stocked. The fresh flowers was a nice touch.

Felix enjoying a drink in the lounge. Notice the fresh roses on the wall.

The bar lounge was very spacious and a nice place to chill during the flight.

After savouring our drinks, we headed back to our seats. I grabbed a snack from the bar that consisted of macadamia nuts and dried cranberries. Later on during the flight, the flight attendants stopped by again to wish us Merry Christmas and offered us baked gingerbread cookies in the shape of a Christmas tree. At this point, Emirates had already exceeded my expectations of what a flight should be. The cookie was delicious and I ate all of it before landing. No regrets.

To-go snacks from the bar

Wrapped gingerbread cookies were gifted to all passengers in the spirit of Christmas

After a few minutes, another flight attendant walked by with ice cream to see if we wanted any. I couldn’t possibly eat anymore at that point and unfortunately had to turn it down.

Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi on this flight was not free unless you had a Emirates Skyward Member account along with your password in order to login. However, since we were not notified before take-off, I didn’t have my password on hand to log in. The packages were not visible for non-skyward members and the flight attendants mentioned that we had to pay for the plan which started at $3.99 USD. They recommended that we don’t purchase the plan because they couldn’t guarantee that the Wi-Fi would actually work and the Wi-Fi seems to be spotty when we fly over the ocean.

It wasn’t until my next flight on Emirates that I found out you can register for the Skyward member account in flight. Even though I tried to log in with my password on that flight, the Wi-Fi still wouldn’t work. I ended up creating a new account in flight (check out the screenshot to see how) and that allowed me to connect right away. Now I have 2 Emirates Skyward Member accounts.

As we approached Dubai, the flight attendants stopped by with Polaroid cameras to snap our photos. What a cool idea! They inserted the polaroid in a holiday card and gave to us to keep as souvenirs.

Our polaroid photo taken by the crew as a souvenir

Arrival

This 7 hour flight included a single meal (Dinner) but due to the myriad snacks served throughout the flight, I didn’t feel hungry at all. We were offered hot towels again before landing to freshen up as we began our descent towards Dubai. The amazing food, fancy drinks, great service and attention to detail made this flight the best business class I have every experienced and I can’t wait to fly on Emirates again (which I didn’t have to wait too long for as I had a 3 hour layover before boarding my next flight to Montreal). Having just flown on Air Canada’s A330 on the way to Mauritius, my experience on the two Airlines couldn’t have been more different with Air Canada being overall “meh” and Emirates going above and beyond at every turn (I did smell those roses on the cabin walls to check if they were real).