Emirates A380 to Dubai, the DXB F Lounge, and a glimpse of Islamabad

[yflyer]

A look at the menu...


A very impressive range of cocktails and mocktails...



A Marrakesh Express...



A plum and coriander martini...

[yflyer]

A very extensive menu was available for lunch and dinner. There was also a breakfast menu available (I didn't snap a picture of that...).

Appetizers...



This was the octopus carpaccio, which was quite delicious.



I also tried the seafood and lemongrass nage...





Main courses...



They also had a burger available, which I did not try. So many choices, so little time...



Desserts...

[yflyer]

I only ordered appetizers from the menu...I spent the rest of the time eating from the buffet...





A selection of dips...



More starters...

[yflyer]

Mains from the buffet...



The lamb machbous appeared to be the Middle Eastern version of lamb biryani, and it was delicious.



The tandoori / kebabs were a little dry after sitting in the warmer for some time, but the only way to get really fresh tandoori / kebabs is to have them served fresh right out of the tandoor or the grill.





There were also premium dates from Bateel on offer.

[yflyer]

The washrooms in the lounge were beautifully appointed...





There was a playroom for kids...



And PS/3's for the young at heart...

[yflyer]

Overall a stunning lounge...great facilities and F&B. Exactly the kind of lounge I think EK needs to maintain DXB's position as a premier airline hub.

I also do acknowledge stargold's point that a smaller lounge may offer even greater scope for luxury or the creation of a distinctive lounge ambience, since there are only so many ways you can transform an entire level of a terminal, but I think on balance, the amount of space available, plus the private departure gate access, have made the EK F lounge concept quite viable.

[yflyer]

After all those drinks, it was inevitable that I would end up napping in the quiet lounge. I awoke just in time to board my flight EK354 to Singapore.



This would be operated by A6-EEF, a very new A380 delivered a year ago, in May 2013. At construction number 113, A6-EEF was new, but not the newest. I looked up this handy A380 production list and noticed that since May 2013, a further 15 A380's have been delivered to Emirates.

A6-EEF had an updated A380 cabin product, which was quite different from the previous A380 interior -- much improved in fact.



These were slimline seats, which made the cabin look much more spacious and airy. They also had updated IFE, which had hardware which looked fairly similar to SQ's newest IFE on the latest 77WN's.

There were differences in detail, such as the windows, which had window frames in simulated wood.



And two-tone overhead bin handles.



The IFE screens were very slim, and the reduced size was very apparent on the bulkhead seats.

[yflyer]

Although the seat and seat back were very slim, the seats were very comfortable to sit in. These must have been the first slimline seats on any aircraft that I found comfortable to sit on. These were far superior to the earlier Emirates A380 Y seats, and just pip the SQ A380 Y seats in comfort as well.



IFE was updated as well, with Emirates' industry leading ICE system improved even further.





The IFE controller, mounted on the seat back...



USB charging, and headphone socket (2 pin)...



Headphones...



And A/C power...

[yflyer]

One feature I liked about the fold-out trays in the bulkhead seats was a tab on the edge of the tray.

Usually, most fold-out trays sag at one end...



However this latest design had a tab which extended out and rested on the armrest, which meant a perfectly flat and firm fold-out table for meals or for your notebook computer. Brilliant!

[yflyer]

It looks like Emirates have thought of everything!

Well...not quite...

For the bulkhead seats, the controller is built into the side wall/armest of the seat.



This includes the reading light and attendant call button. The touchscreen on the controller is disabled when locked. However, when the controller is stowed, the buttons controlling the reading light and attendant call button are below the cushion, and cannot be activated unless the controller is removed! You had to remove the controller in order to press those buttons.

[yflyer]

Each seat came with a pillow and a blanket. Soft blanket, but why does Emirates use those cheap pillow cases, and not soft fabric ones?



Hot towels were distributed.



I used the onboard cameras to watch the take-off...

[yflyer]

Some cabin views...





The elegant, slimline seats made a huge impact in terms of perceived spaciousness of the cabin. Cabin ambience was superb.

The rear stairs were roped off.

[yflyer]

Menus were handed out.



There would be a snack service, followed by breakfast before landing...



I began with a gin & tonic...



The light snack was a chicken sandwich, which was quite good.

[yflyer]

Seat recline was very good by Y standards.

[yflyer]

After meal service, I spent some time exploring the IFE selections.

There was a good selection of new Hollywood movies.



As well as Asian/regional movies, including a selection of Bollywood hits.



Audio selections were intelligently selected as well.



I would highly recommend the audio selection above, which is a classical "mashup/crossover" album (But no attention-grabbing album cover with a young female violinist rising out of the water, I'm afraid...) where pianist David Greilsammer alternates between Domenico Scarlatti's piano music, and modern pieces from John Cage. The compositions from John Cage were surprisingly listenable and tuneful. Surprisingly, a combination that worked very well. An LA Times review of this recording can be found here. I liked the music so much, that it spurred me to look for a copy of this CD online for purchase. Of course, many may feel that John Cage's music is ideal for the A380, especially his famous composition 4'33"...

The hardcopy programme guide was essential a booklet of program synopses and listings.