Peaceful night in Emirates Business Class

The Emirates miles loyalty program is good enough to allow you a free upgrade from Economy to Business after only one Economy return from Europe to Dubai, that’s why we took the occasion during our 2013 Middle-East Tour to flight from Dubai to Malé (Maldives) in Business with the few miles we had.
First when you arrive at the airport you find a specific building for First and Business Class passenger where you can check-in, avoid queue for immigration and take a direct path to gate shuttle. Then you have to follow signs to go to Business Class lounge located at the last airport floor, just above First Class lounge and close to the Timeless SPA (charge applies for Business passengers). The lounge itself is super large, several restaurants, cigar lounges, relaxation areas and direct lift access to all different gates with separated boarding staff.
Concerning the cabin I would say I was expecting more regarding all the awards won by the company, and I found it a bit old and used. Well, the overall is still good and at the level of Asian competitors, even much better than european ones. Please note : no toiletries bag for short flights, even in Business Class…

Seat Experience

Emirates Business Class – Seat

I booked a front row seat upon reservation, thinking it was a good option but finally no : front row seats have video screens very close to each other so when you display a movie you have one eye on your screen and one eye on the neighbor…
Globally seat is not bad, offering a full flat bed with a nice pitch even if it looked a bit used. In Emirates premium classes you can find nutwood everywhere (on the seat, the screen, the window…)
In-flight ICE entertainement system is really good and allow to display a very large movie selection in several languages, managed by a large and efficient touchpad.

Catering

Emirates Business Class – Catering

We experimented a night flight taking off at 03.45am so I guess catering would be better on early departure… Because we enjoyed only a breakfast for that 4 hours and half flight and quality was not exceptional at all. A glass of – horrible – orange juice and a crushed french croissant served in a economy-style meal tray.