Flight review: London Heathrow to Dubai on the A380
Posted on 08 December 2011 with 1 comment from readers
Where the model of the Concorde once stood on an island in the road approaching London Heathrow now stands a downsized replica of an Emirates A380. It’s a reminder that this aircraft is now the king of the skies.
Concorde passengers used to have their own check-in but at least Emirates has an efficient desk and fast-track security for business is good. The Emirates lounge for business and first class gives you a ringside view for watching the A380 land. And you can enter the aircraft directly from the lounge.
Serious player
The A380 is definitely a masculine and not feminine aircraft. It’s like a muscle-bound rugby player on the ground and only becomes elegant as you head for the sky.
Then you begin to appreciate why this is such a popular aircraft with passengers. Even those in steerage on the lower deck have more space than usual for economy. Above them the real fun starts in the club atmosphere of the upper deck.
First class passengers have their own private pod with a television large enough to use at home and a door that closes for true privacy. They can also saunter to the back of the plane to enjoy the bar area with the rest of the passengers.
Imagine a bar with cru bourgeois claret and VSOP cognac free-of-charge and you can picture the scene, along with finger food to die for. The urge to stretch your legs has seldom been more appealing on a flight.
If you are in the front of the plane you can also book to take a shower in-flight – great if you are straight from the plane to meet a serious business client or did not get a chance in the morning.
Great food
All passengers on the upper-deck have the finest in-flight dining experience and award-winning service. It is the sort of flight that leaves you reluctant to get off.
From the Veuve Clicquot champagne in the Heathrow departure lounge to the person to ensure that you get your baggage in Dubai this is a flawless service that now sets the standards for other airlines to match.
Could it be that having the Concorde premium service of the 2010s proves to be a winner for Emirates? Well you have to hope so with 18 more of these giant planes joining the fleet in 2012.
1 Comment posted by readers:
It should be a nice plane, since it was developed using an $18,000,000,000 illegal EU subsidy to Airbus to develop it, and most other Airbus aircraft. Source: WTO ruling.
And they are doing another illegal subsidy to develop the competitor to the revolutionary Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Want to bet the French are stealing a lot of the Dreamliner plans using their notorious government – sponsored industrial espionage program?
That is what we get as payback for the Marshall Plan and protecting them for 40 years from the raping Russian Army. (Ask any old East German woman what happened in the part of Germany overrun by the Russian army in 1945. They don’t like to talk about it.)