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Qantas A380 Business Class DXB-LHR, Shorthaul in Europe, Dubai and Riyadh (Part II)

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  • #16
    It was soon time to head back to the airport for my flight back to Dubai.

    The departure area was crowded and busy when we arrived.



    There was a queue for luggage X-rays, prior to check-in, which we assumed was only for checked baggage (We only had hand-carry).



    However, when we headed past the X-rays directly to the counters, we were directed by airport security staff to get in line to have our baggage screened.

    They were fairly strict about hand luggage – we had to show our hand luggage before being issued bag tags which signified that the hand luggage was approved.

    Then we headed airside for more queues for security and immigration.



    There are some F&B outlets and shops in the airside area where we could pause for a breather before heading to the gate.

    The flight from RUH to DXB was full (again), and this time I chose a seat in the rear of the 77W.



    I distracted myself with inflight wifi, available on this flight for a token USD 1 for 500MB. A great deal!



    For some reason, the return flight took a very indirect route from Riyadh to Dubai, heading North towards the coast before turning towards Dubai.



    As a QF Gold member, a cabin crew member came round to my seat to welcome me onboard, and also to pass me a fast track card for Dubai arrivals.



    This was a 1 hr 35 min flight, but Emirates still provided a full meal service. With a full 77W, the cabin crew worked with near superhuman speed to serve meals to everyone onboard, with the last meals only being served almost at point of descent into Dubai!

    Dinner that day was quite inspired. There was no choice of meal. On the menu was vegetables stuffed with lamb and rice, in a tomato-based sauce. This was delicious.



    The starter was a cold chicken and pasta salad. Dessert was a cake in caramel sauce.



    I would have been happy eating the main course of vegetable stuffed with lamb and rice in a restaurant on the ground. It was that good.



    I did not see any alcoholic beverages served on this flight either.
    Last edited by yflyer; 11 July 2020, 10:27 PM.

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    • #17
      As predicted by my more experienced colleagues on the flight, there was congestion in Dubai, and we circled a few times before landing after a 30 minute delay, for an arrival close to 1am.



      Crosswinds must have been very strong because on the nose mounted camera, the runway was far to the right of the screen for the entire descent, before the pilot kicked in the rudder to straighten the plane upon touchdown.



      And also as my colleagues predicted, the aircraft taxiied a long way through the airport “halfway to Sharjah” my colleagues claimed, before parking at a bus gate.

      At least, with a bus gate, they deplaned from the rear exit as well. “The last have now become first”, my seatmate, a businessman from Africa, exclaimed, as we were one of the first off the 777 onto the buses to the terminal…



      I was in transit for one night before my EK flight from DXB to SIN, and once again I headed to the JW Marriott Marquis to stay the night.

      I had called ahead to let them know that I would only be there at 1am, and to hold the room for me, which they did.

      This time, after dropping my bags in my hotel room, I headed straight up to the 68th floor again, to head to “The Vault”, the bar/lounge atop Tower A.



      As it was now 2.15am, and fast approaching their closing time of 2.30am, I scanned the menu and ordered a couple of cocktails: A Caesar Sour, and a Vault Member, whose ingredients are listed below…



      Caesar Sour…



      The Vault Member came in a wooden box, which when opened, revealed an intense smoky aroma…





      After two dry days in Riyadh, these drinks really hit the spot…
      Last edited by yflyer; 11 July 2020, 10:28 PM.

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      • #18
        Finally, I headed to the airport the next day for my 4th EK 77W of my trip, this time back home.

        Nothing new to report here except that this was a newer 77W with updated IFE, similar to the 1st gen A380 IFE, with the widescreen edition of Emirates’ ICE system. The high-res widescreen definitely made a difference as far as enjoyment of the AVOD content was concerned, however I am not sure if it is just the luck of the draw whether you get the newer planes with newer IFE, or whether certain routes are assigned the newer equipment.



        One thing I noticed about Emirates IFE: Because of cultural sensitivities certain programmes inflight are modified from their original rating to eliminate adult content etc. I had not noticed this before. For example, Ex Machina, a brilliant movie which is on SQ and EK this month, has brief scenes of an adult nature. On Emirates, the scenes were still there but with crucial elements blurred out onscreen. Whereas SQ in general screens movies and programmes like Game of Thrones completely uncut.

        While still 3-4-3, there were no IFE boxes under the seats on this model of aircraft.



        I chose a seat near the rear of the plane, and it was not very full in that section of the cabin. I managed to snag a row of four seats for myself, which was perfect for a red-eye flight. This was one of the few times I managed to get a decent night’s sleep on an EK 777.

        A full hot meal was served for dinner just after take-off...



        …and a continental breakfast prior to landing.



        An on-time arrival into Singapore early in the morning…





        Last edited by yflyer; 11 July 2020, 10:28 PM.

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        • #19
          Final thoughts?

          This was an eye opening trip for me. Among the cities in the region, I have now been to Dubai, Riyadh as well as Kuwait (On a previous trip). Each place very different, with their own pluses and minuses. These days, you hear a lot about the Middle East in the media, but there is no substitute for actually going there to see what it is like for yourself. What struck me about this trip was the energy and enthusiasm for all things new in Dubai, and the warmth and hospitality I received in Saudi Arabia.

          I will probably be heading to other countries in the region in the near future. Hopefully a trip to Qatar is in the works.

          While I no longer consider myself to be a complete newbie to the Middle East, I am far from being a seasoned traveller to the region, and will continue to rely on advice from friends and colleagues on do’s and don’ts. This could have turned out to be a very different TR if I had gone outdoors for my run in shorts and PT kit in Riyadh, for example!

          Thanks for reading!
          Last edited by yflyer; 31 May 2015, 10:01 AM.

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          • #20
            Thank you for the very nice write-up.

            One of the places I am curious about and may not have the opportunity to visit and this is as good as it gets.

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            • #21
              Originally posted by sabian View Post
              Thank you for the very nice write-up.

              One of the places I am curious about and may not have the opportunity to visit and this is as good as it gets.

              Thanks, sabian!

              Dubai is very cosmopolitan, but how people go about day-to-day life in places like Saudi Arabia or Kuwait is very different from, say, life in Asia. All eye-opening experiences!

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