Airline review: Emirates Airbus A380-800 business class, Zurich to Dubai

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Airline review: Emirates Airbus A380-800 business class, Zurich to Dubai

By Ben Groundwater
Updated
Emirates business class on board an Airbus A380.

Emirates business class on board an Airbus A380.

THE ROUTE

Emirates flight number 88. Zurich to Dubai.

THE AIRCRAFT

Airbus A380-800. Emirates currently has 120 A380s in its fleet – the largest in the world.

THE LOYALTY SCHEME

Emirates Skywards, which isn't affiliated with any major global alliance, but does let you accrue points when you fly with Emirates or flydubai, or book with other travel partners.

CLASS

Business class, seat 25A.

DURATION

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Six hours and 20 minutes. We take off on time, and thanks to what must be a howling tailwind (or the fact I'm seated so far to the front of the plane), we arrive half an hour early.

FREQUENCY

Twice daily. Taking off from Zurich at 2.25pm and landing at 11.45pm, or departing 10.15pm and arriving 6.25am.

HEALTH

Emirates has no vaccination or testing rules for its passengers, other than ensuring you meet the entry requirements for your final destination. The airline offers refunds (minus service fees and taxes) for cancellations, or rebooking over a period of 24 months.

CARBON EMISSIONS

Carbon emissions for this route are calculated as 527kg per economy class passenger. Emirates doesn't have a carbon-offset program for its passengers.

CHECK-IN

Online check-in is available on Emirates 48 hours before my flight. The airline offers chauffeur-driven rides to the airport for business- and first-class passengers, though as I'm travelling from Austria I'm unable to use this service. There's a very short queue at Zurich Airport, and after a brief check that I'm carrying the documents necessary to get back into Australia, I'm through to security.

THE SEAT

This A380 has 76 business class seats in a 1-2-1 configuration on the plane's top deck, which is reserved purely for first and business. Lie-flat seats have a pitch of 123 centimetres, and a width of 47cm. There's a universal power socket, two USB charging points, and a mini-bar with water and soft drinks. I'm also given a pillow, a blanket, and a mattress to lay down on the seat after take-off.

BAGGAGE

Business class passengers with Emirates have a 40-kilogram checked baggage limit, regardless of the number of items checked. You can also bring two pieces of cabin baggage weighing no more than 7kg each, though going by my fellow travellers, this isn't rigorously policed.

ENTERTAINMENT

My seat has a whopping 23-inch TV screen, as well as a tablet that functions as a second entertainment screen (though I'm baffled as to why anyone would select a smaller, handheld screen to watch their movie), and an even smaller remote control, which also has a screen. So, I'm good for screens. These panels all display Emirates' "ice" system – information, communication, entertainment – which has more than 4500 channels of on-demand movies, TV shows, music, podcasts, live TV and more.

SERVICE

"We have six hours together – use me." Those are the parting words from Asad, the flight attendant who has been assigned to me for this flight, after his personal introduction, and they're memorable ones. Use me, he says. Call me whenever you need. Ask for more food. Ask for drinks. Ask for extra pillows or blankets or whatever it is you desire. Without exaggeration, Asad is the best I've ever met in the skies – friendly, professional, helpful, interesting. Can I take him on all my flights?

FOOD

Pre-departure, Asad hands me a menu and a wine list, and they're things of beauty. There's a three-course lunch coming up – I opt for an Arabic mezze plate, then prawn machbous (a Bahraini rice dish), and then a cheese plate – plus hot and cold snacks served at the bar at the back of the cabin. Everything is delicious. The wine is top-notch too: a 2017 Chassagne-Montrachet goes well with the mains, before a little Hennessy XO cognac to complement the cheese. Because, you know, business class.

ONE MORE THING

Let's take a moment to acknowledge the greatness of the A380, an aircraft that has now sadly ceased production, and yet is still the most spacious, comfortable and quiet plane in the sky. All of that space allows for Emirates' amazing stand-up bar at the back of the business-class cabin, where there are always drinks being poured, snacks being served, and people to chat to if you feel so inclined.

THE VERDICT

There's no point comparing business class with economy – they're entirely different worlds. To rate this you have to hold it up against other business-class cabins, and in that respect Emirates is still a clear leader, providing charming, professional service with all the mod-cons and luxuries you could hope for.

OUR RATING OUT OF FIVE

★★★★★

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