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  • Back into long haul at last!

    It's been a dry few years with various short haul trips with budget carriers since I got married and the horror/farce that was MAN-DOH-JNB with EY 3 years ago.

    However, the largesse of an elderly relative means we have the funds to trek back to SWMBO's homeland.
    We're limited by funds a little, so have sadly had to opt for EK, running A380 from MAN-DXB and 773's from DXB-JNB.
    Hopefully made the right seat choices - A380 upper deck, row 33, A/B or J/K in Y for two together, with no third body and right near the back on the 773's for the same. We ended up on EK when EY messed up our connection last time, and got stuffed at the back and the two seats, with the extra elbow room was actually really good for us - we didn't mind the galley traffic (light).

    we've got new lounge access cards from DragonPass, as opposed to the previously issued PriorityPass scheme, but can't see significant difference in offering, so we'll see how that goes - only using in JNB and DXB on return leg - no point in MAN due to being on EK20 9:15pm departure.

    Three questions have arisen though, so maybe the SQ collective can help....
    1. Is fast track through security a good idea at MAN, seeing as we'll be hitting the airport run in peak traffic times and we'll only have bags to drop having checked in online?

    2. Transit at DXB - my understanding is once off the plane we need to go through security again before boarding the connection - is that right? Can we fast track that as well? don't want to miss out connection this time!

    3. On the A380, the onboard lounge is only for Business & first? Well, business only as it appears to be a two-class bird....

    and fourth, what is the average economy seat/space/experience on EK a380s? I'd rather hear from a trusted sources than dubious online press snippets.

    And it's good to be back on here too!
    If God had really intended men to fly, he'd make it easier to get to the airport.

  • #2
    Hi Javaman!

    I've not flown on the 2-class Emirates A380, but it is laid out 2-4-2 on the upper deck, which is fairly standard.

    If connecting in DXB, you clear security immediately after arrival, and your experience there really depends on luck...some days it is crowded and chaotic. Other days, it has been fairly quiet and quick. But the whole setup is geared to processing large numbers of passengers. No fast-track security queue that I noticed, at least not for FF priority pax travelling in economy. [UPDATE: There is an Emirates security fast track lane for First and Business class pax only.]

    One thing to note is that for female pax, if the metal detector goes off, you usually need to head to a private room for a secondary check by a female member of security staff. This can be a very quick check, but it is still an additional step. So make sure all metallic items are off.

    Here are some pics of Emirates A380 Main Deck Y ambience (Good), and just for comparison, some pics of their 10-abreast Y as well (Not Good)...

    Emirates A380 Y - Main Deck



    Emirates 77W Y



    Emirates A380 Y - Main Deck (Rear View)



    Emirates 77W Y (Rear View)



    Overall, the Emirates A380 in Y is noticeably more spacious and comfortable than their 77W.

    I have been very happy with my Y experience on EK's A380's. Economy seat pitch and recline on the EK A380's are fine, and so is the catering. The only caveat is that I have never been on a 2-class EK A380 -- all my flights have been on their 3-class with Y on the main deck.

    On the other hand, the only time I have been happy on an Emirates 77W is when I have had a row of 3 or 4 empty Y seats to myself...
    Last edited by yflyer; 6 March 2016, 11:14 AM.

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    • #3
      Originally posted by Javaman View Post
      3. On the A380, the onboard lounge is only for Business & first? Well, business only as it appears to be a two-class bird....
      Well, on the EK A380's I have been on, the lounge upstairs in for J only...



      ...but that didn't stop some Y pax on a recent daytime A380 flight from establishing a pop-up lounge in the rear of the A380...

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      • #4
        Originally posted by yflyer View Post

        ...but that didn't stop some Y pax on a recent daytime A380 flight from establishing a pop-up lounge in the rear of the A380...

        Must have been Mancs/Scousers.....
        If God had really intended men to fly, he'd make it easier to get to the airport.

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        • #5
          Just transited DXB yesterday on the way back to SIN.

          My A380 from MUC landed in one of the non-A380 concourses in DXB. There were only two aerobridges on the main deck, so the whole Y cabin had to wait a few minutes for the F/J pax on the upper deck to deplane down the forward stairs. A fairly long wait to deplane as I was in Y in the rear of the main deck.

          In DXB itself, at 6am in the morning, the transit area was quite busy, but as I mentioned in my earlier post, the whole setup is geared for large numbers of pax, and although multiple widebodies had arrived at around the same time, and there were lines at least 10-15 deep at each of the many security lanes, processing was fairly quick, and I was through in 10-15 min.

          For Emirates connections, there is a security fast track lane for First / Business Only (The sign did not specify premium tier FF's).



          From there, it was a people-mover ride to the dedicated A380 concourse, Concourse A, for my DXB-SIN flight.

          Overall a fairly smooth process connecting through DXB, even though it was quite busy in the terminal.
          Last edited by yflyer; 6 March 2016, 11:39 AM.

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