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

[yflyer]

I did not expect Dubai to be so hot in early September.



During the day, the temperature hit 40 degrees.



A simple 3 minute walk from the one office building to another in the mid-day heat turned into an ordeal.



Even in the evenings, the temperature never got below 34-35 degrees.

Thankfully most of my time was spent indoors.

[yflyer]

After a couple of days in Dubai, it was time to head to Kuwait.

My flight to Kuwait would be an early morning flight on Emirates.

Taxi's were available 24x7 at the Sheraton -- no booking necessary. My taxi deposited me at the dedicated First/Business check-in area at DXB Terminal 3 -- a dedicated Emirates terminal.



An impressive, mindboggling, list of destinations served by Emirates....



A long travellator ride to the dedicated immigration and security check area...



No queues to speak of at immigration / security. I was through in a flash.

At 6am in the morning, DXB was busy!

[yflyer]

My first stop would be the Emirates Business Class Lounge in Concourse B.



This was a very large lounge spread out over one of the upper levels of the concourse.









Apart from sofas and chairs, a limited number of recliners / loungers were available. They were mostly occupied when I was there.

[yflyer]

There were showers available, but fewer than you would expect in a lounge of this size. A queue of passengers were waiting outside to use them.





There was a spa available as well, although prices looked to be on the high side.

[yflyer]

A good selection of F&B options were on offer at breakfast.

Beverages, including champagne, red & white wine, and liquor...





They must have signed a very large contract with Voss to supply drinking water for the lounge.





Premium dates from Bateel were also available throughout the lounge.

[yflyer]

Dedicated dining area, one of several in the lounge...





Cold cuts and other starters...



Juice...



Cereal...



Fruit...



Bakery items and preserves...

[yflyer]

Unclear if this was a functional oven for bread, or just a piece of decor...



More starters and dessert selections...





Including some impressive looking shrimp rolls...



Some of the breakfast mains on offer...





An Indian breakfast selection: idli and sambar...



Chicken and Pea Stew and Kalongi Paneer...



Chilli con Carne and Masala Chicken...



To be continued...

[CarbonMan]

Thanks, yflyer, for the TR so far. Appreciate the details you put into it.

BTW, why didn't EK provide you with a car at DXB? I always appreciate that service at both ends of the flight.

One thing I didn't like about their drop-off for J/F is the long walk to the check-in counters.

I was at the Business Class lounge in January and didn't notice a similar amount of food. They provided two main options, a middle-eastern/asian fare and a western one. They seemed to have improved on that front.

[SQueeze]

Thank you so much for the extensive TR. What a pleasure to read.

I have not flown EK in recent history but based on what you presented, it looks like what i expect (a bus service) - so many people. I don't feel anything premium at all about their lounge (looks like a crowded canteen), or the airport (like a bus station).

Anyway, i just got me and my partner EK F from DXB-SIN next Feb. See if they ever change my mind about this airline.

[chisquared]

Great TR. Looking forward to the rest!

[yflyer]

Thanks, yflyer, for the TR so far. Appreciate the details you put into it.

BTW, why didn't EK provide you with a car at DXB? I always appreciate that service at both ends of the flight.

One thing I didn't like about their drop-off for J/F is the long walk to the check-in counters.

I was at the Business Class lounge in January and didn't notice a similar amount of food. They provided two main options, a middle-eastern/asian fare and a western one. They seemed to have improved on that front.

Thanks, CarbonMan! I was flying Y, so no car pick-up for me. I've still got Qantas Gold this year, so this gets me into the J lounge (But not the F lounge...sigh).

There seemed to be quite a large variety of food available at breakfast in the J lounge. This was the Emirates J lounge in Concourse B, which is an older lounge compared to the Emirates lounges in Concourse A (The dedicated A380 concourse).

[yflyer]

Thank you so much for the extensive TR. What a pleasure to read.

I have not flown EK in recent history but based on what you presented, it looks like what i expect (a bus service) - so many people. I don't feel anything premium at all about their lounge (looks like a crowded canteen), or the airport (like a bus station).

Anyway, i just got me and my partner EK F from DXB-SIN next Feb. See if they ever change my mind about this airline.

Thanks, SQueeze!

On my previous trip on Emirates to DXB, I got to sample their F Lounge in their dedicated A380 concourse, Concourse A, which blew me away (Details here). One of the most impressive lounges I have been to, once you get over the fact that it is spread out over the entire level of the terminal. Refined, exclusive, with superb catering and service.

Compared to that, the Emirates J lounge in the older Concourse B was quite ordinary. Perhaps the J Lounge in Concourse A is better.

Although I didn't fly J on Emirates, I passed through the cabin, and it did look fairly cramped on both the 77W (2-3-2 in J) and A330 (Also 2-3-2 in J...). For anyone used to SQ J I suspect Emirates J on the 77W and A330 would be a let down.

But if you are on Emirates F, I think you will be in for a great time! Do try to book the Emirates A380 if possible (Rather than 77W) if you are flying DXB-SIN. Although I have only flown Y on the EK A380, I suspect J and F on the A380 will be much nicer than on EK's other equipment types.

[yflyer]

Great TR. Looking forward to the rest!

Thanks, chisquared!

[yflyer]

I had a glass of champagne and a small breakfast before heading to explore the rest of the lounge.



Business Centre facilities and workstations...



A Children's Play Room...





This lounge also has a dedicated children’s food corner, which I wish I had discovered earlier, because the hot dogs on offer there (and nowhere else in the lounge) looked quite delicious.







There were also tubs of Haagen Daaz ice cream available here which I did not see in the main dining area.

[yflyer]

I headed to my gate...



They had just announced boarding, and there was a long queue for Y. There was a fast track lane for J/F and FF's, and I breezed right through.



Equipment for today was a 777-300ER, registration A6-EBJ, an 8 year old aircraft.



J was configured 2-3-2...



A pragmatic, and fairly dense, J configuration.



That said, the seats did look quite comfortable.