An Unexpected Journey: Dubai and Kuwait on SQ J/Y and EK Y

[yflyer]

Emirates uses the Pearl Lounge in Kuwait Airport.



It is a fairly spacious lounge, with ample seating and work areas.



A reasonable selection of starters and salads, although some of the starter plates looked a little tired.







The selection of mains was quite good.

Soup...



Beef casserole...delicious...



Grilled fish...good as well...



Oriental chicken, which to me tasted more Arabic than Oriental...

[yflyer]

I headed to the departure gate...

A Syrian Airbus...



Unlike my outbound DXB-KWI which was operated by a Boeing 777-300ER, my return KWI-DXB was operated by an Airbus A330-200, registration A6-EAR, an 11 year old aircraft.



Like my outbound flight, my current flight was also completely full. My experience on this flight would be quite different from my previous sector, though.

F seats on this flight:



The J cabin, laid out 2-3-2:









Although the J seats were not very wide, they looked comfortable, and the overall cabin had a very nice ambience. The overall look was more understated than the bling on the 777.

[yflyer]

The biggest difference was in the Y cabin.

This was laid out in conventional 2-4-2 format. But after my nightmarish 10-abreast Y experience on the previous sector, this looked very inviting and very spacious, although this was just your regular A330 Y config.





Emergency row...



Window seats...

[yflyer]

Hot towels prior to take-off...



My only view of the iconic Kuwait Towers was through the window, after take-off...



IFE on this flight was non-AVOD, on smallish 4:3 screens.



Picture quality was fine...



This is one way to use headphones...





From my window seat on the left of the aircraft, I realize that I could see the Iranian coastline in the hazy distance. The Persian Gulf is only 340km at its broadest.



A full meal was served on my mid-afternoon flight.



It looked like many of the passengers onboard were keen on a drink as soon as we were airborne... a nice selection of wine, beer and liquor was available on the inflight menu.



Some pax were clearly very happy to be back in a place where it was possible to have a drink (or two).



Smoking was still not allowed onboard, though...

[yflyer]

The A330 Y seats onboard were very comfortable. Not only did I have decent elbow room (I never imagined I would be raving about the width of a normal economy seat...but in this age of 9-abreast 787's and 10-abreast 777's a normal 2-4-2 Airbus is something to cheer about), the cushioning was soft, and it actually had working lumbar support.

Lumbar support engaged / disengaged -- a very clearly defined mechanical action and superb lower back support when engaged. A chiropractor's dream.



Rather than airlines just painting aircraft with retro paint schemes, I think airlines should do retro cabin interiors with sturdy, well-cushioned Y seats the way they used to be. They can economise by ditching the IFE (We all have tablets and smartphones, don't we?). I would be willing to pay a premium to ride on these retro birds.

[yflyer]

Back over the Arabian Peninsula, while descending into DXB, we passed over a Siberian Airlines (S7) Airbus, in its distinctive lime green colour scheme.



It looked awfully close, but never appeared to be on a collision course...



Much of the land in the UAE is still desert...





A smooth landing in DXB...remember the picture below, because the length between the two concourses in the picture (Concourses B and C, with the control tower in-between) is the distance you need to travel to connect between Emirates and SQ...





Overall, a wonderful flight. I am now a big fan of the Emirates A330 and I would choose it without question over EK's 777's.

[yflyer]

Deplaning in Concourse B, a dedicated Emirates terminal, there was clear signage directing connecting Emirates passengers to the service desks, departure area and baggage claim.

Wait a minute, the signage only mentions Emirates connections. No signage exists directing pax to other airlines, or to Concourse C.

Perhaps if the PNRs on my SQ and EK reservations were linked, there would be someone waiting to help me, but the reservations were not linked. I was on my own.

I queued at the Emirates connections desk.

"No, not here. You need to go to the other transfer desk on the other side". The gentleman manning the counter said, gesturing towards the other end of the terminal.

"OK...thank you!"

I walked in the direction indicated. A couple of hundred metres on, I came upon an empty transfer desk, with a passage way leading beyond...way beyond. More distressingly, the travellerators were all going the opposite direction, and so was all signage. I was going against the flow.

There was a buggy with two airport staff, who had just dropped off some other pax at their gate. From my recent experience at Frankfurt, I was now very comfortable thumbing a ride from any passing buggy, and these courteous gentlemen were very happy to give me a ride.

"Singapore Airlines? Yes, this is in Concourse C, just continue in that direction, then go up the escalalator..."

"Can you give me a ride?"

The driver nodded, and gestured for me to sit in the back...



They sped me as far as they could go, till the escalator, which I assume was the connecting link between concourses.

"Go in this direction and you will reach the transfer counter."

I thanked them profusely and began walking...

And walking...

This was a huge concourse.

Here is the picture again. Each concourse is close to 800m long. I must have travelled from the left of this picture all the way to the right -- with more half the journey on foot...and for much of that distance there wasn't another soul in sight.



I knew I was on the right track, as on the level below the connecting passage, I could see the airside departure area....but why wasn't anyone around? Why were all transfer counters and escalators closed?



After an eternity of walking along this deserted walkway, some semblance of proper signage could be found.



I passed another closed transfer counter / security check area before finally hitting the SQ transfer desk in concourse C. Finally! I breathed a sigh of relief.



I wish I had turned on my Runkeeper GPS tracking application on my phone. It would have been interesting to note how far I had walked, and how many calories I had burned.

So FRA isn't the only airport which is a gym in disguise. DXB is another contender!

They really need to do something about the signage, though.

[yflyer]

Back to hustle and bustle of the airside departure area of DXB Concourse C, I made my way to the designated SQ lounge.





Surprisingly, the designated lounge turned out to be the Air France Lounge.



After that long walk, I was ready for a drink.

I stepped inside.

To Be Continued...

[eminere™]

Hello yflyer, another very enjoyable trip report to read, as usual. You have a naturally engaging writing style that draws in the reader.

A few of my observations:

• I travelled on the same SQ494 service to DXB (and return on SQ495) in April and the flight was operated then by a B77W in both directions. Has the equipment now changed permanently?

• SQ demonstrates once more its superior catering in the premium cabins, both in terms of presentation and taste.

• The food selection in the EK J lounge at DXB is impressive for breakfast.

• The 3-4-3 Y configuration on their B77W, not so much. I have vowed never to fly Y on any airline operating this configuration and your review has reaffirmed that. It's a shame EK's fifth freedom flights between Singapore and Australia are exclusively operated by the B77W - even the J product is a significant step down from their A380.

• Living so far away from the Middle East one would never see an EK A332 in these parts. It's obviously an aircraft they use for shorter or less commercially important routes but it seems their F cabin is F in name only.

• Catering at the Pearl Lounge in KWI seems very decent for a contract/third party (?) lounge.

• DXB is an IMMENSE airport.

Looking forward to reading the rest of your trip report.

[Global Nomad]

yflyer, glad to hear that you found time to try out Mid-East food despite your schedule and sharing the photos of those food.

Totally agree that the way finding in DXB is rubbish. In fact, come Nov 2014, all foreign airlines will move to new Concourse D requiring a light rail ride from Terminal 1 check in area. Not sure how the airside transfer arrangements will be but it will definitely require more walking time since it means taking the famous long tunnel from Concourse C to Terminal 1 and then catch the light rail from there to Concourse D.

Was also surprised that you had gone with SQ/EK ticket instead of EK city pairing which would be way cheaper I assume.

[yflyer]

Hello yflyer, another very enjoyable trip report to read, as usual. You have a naturally engaging writing style that draws in the reader.

[...snip...]


Looking forward to reading the rest of your trip report.

Thanks, eminere™! Always nice to get feedback on TR's...appreciated!

• I travelled on the same SQ494 service to DXB (and return on SQ495) in April and the flight was operated then by a B77W in both directions. Has the equipment now changed permanently?

Good question! From the SQ schedule, it seems to be a refitted 773 on a daily basis, although several times a week there is an A330. I would have much preferred a 77W...

• SQ demonstrates once more its superior catering in the premium cabins, both in terms of presentation and taste.

Agreed...I've had very good luck with J catering on SQ so far! The BTC lobster thermidor exceeded expectations...a really outstanding dish.

• The food selection in the EK J lounge at DXB is impressive for breakfast.

Yes, a nice breakfast selection. The lounge ambience was nothing special, but I was quite happy with the catering there.

• The 3-4-3 Y configuration on their B77W, not so much. I have vowed never to fly Y on any airline operating this configuration and your review has reaffirmed that.

I really dislike the Emirates 10-abreast 77W as well, and would avoid it if at all possible. I keep saying that, but somehow end up on that equipment more often than I would like to, usually as the lesser of two evils...

• DXB is an IMMENSE airport.

One thing I like about Changi is that, for a major airport, it doesn't FEEL big. When the stars are in alignment and the plane lands at the right gate, you can step off the plane and find yourself meters away from the escalators down to immigration. No tunnels, trains, passageways or aerial walkways. Whereas arriving DXB concourse C, you are guaranteed a long tunnel walk no matter which gate you arrive at.

[yflyer]

yflyer, glad to hear that you found time to try out Mid-East food despite your schedule and sharing the photos of those food.

Totally agree that the way finding in DXB is rubbish. In fact, come Nov 2014, all foreign airlines will move to new Concourse D requiring a light rail ride from Terminal 1 check in area. Not sure how the airside transfer arrangements will be but it will definitely require more walking time since it means taking the famous long tunnel from Concourse C to Terminal 1 and then catch the light rail from there to Concourse D.

Thanks, Global Nomad!

The food was really good...I really enjoyed the Middle Eastern food I had there. If I ever head back to Kuwait, I would definitely want to head back to both the Lebanese and Iranian restaurants in the Sheraton to try more of their specialities.

When I am in Dubai next, I would also want to try Al Fanar, which you recommended previously...

Was also surprised that you had gone with SQ/EK ticket instead of EK city pairing which would be way cheaper I assume.

Yes, it would have been easier, and probably cheaper, to go for an Emirates ticket for the whole trip. What happened was that the SQ ticket was booked and issued long before I knew I would be heading to Kuwait, so I had to book the Kuwait sectors separately. Thankfully the Kuwait sector was fairly inexpensive (About SGD400 round trip...cheaper than some full service flexible air tickets to KL these days ), as there are many DXB-KWI-DXB flights available, including those on LCC FlyDubai.

[eminere™]

Good question! From the SQ schedule, it seems to be a refitted 773 on a daily basis, although several times a week there is an A330. I would have much preferred a 77W...

That would be the thrice-weekly SQ492 with onward service to CAI. When the B77W operated the SQ494 service in April I made sure to book that particular flight as I too prefer the B77W, not to mention the arrival time in DXB of SQ492 is horrendous.

Agreed...I've had very good luck with J catering on SQ so far! The BTC lobster thermidor exceeded expectations...a really outstanding dish.

Judging from your photo it would appear you really lucked in with the lobster thermidor as I seem to recall reading increasingly negative reviews of the dish in the BTC thread.

[yflyer]

The AF Lounge was quite a contrast from the Emirates Lounge. It was far smaller, of course, but the decor was sophisticated and stylish.

While nowhere approaching the size and scale of the Emirates lounge, it was quite an inviting space for a traveller wishing to get away from the hustle and bustle of the terminal.

I suspect at peak periods the lounge would fill up very quickly, so I would recommend visiting this lounge fairly early before scheduled flight time, rather than going there just before departure.







There was a separate dining area...



With a decent selection of food available...



One red wine...a 2008 St Estephe...



And a single white wine selection, also from Bordeaux.



A decent liquor selection...

[yflyer]

Starters & dessert...



A variety of meat, seafood and vegetarian skewers...



And delectable looking hot selections...