Emirates First Class: DXB-DFW B777-300ER

After my 20 hour layover, I was ready for my flight to Dallas! The flight was downgraded from an A380 to a B777 due to light loads as the oil industry is struggling in Texas but it was just fine as I was the only passenger in First Class. I boarded my flight through the First Class lounge level and took the elevator down to the plane. Unfortunately, I had SSSS on my boarding pass which requires additional security screening at the gate but luckily this was my 3rd time being flagged by the US Gov due to a one-way ticket inbound to the US so I knew what to expect. They performed a thorough inspection of my bags and off I went. Upon boarding the plane I was escorted to my seat (Suite 2A) and was told the Suite across the aisle could be made up as a bed since nobody was sitting there or at any other seat in the First Class cabin. There were 3 flight attendants to take care of me for this 16 hour flight so it was going to be an amazing flight! A glass of champagne was served prior to takeoff and we pushed back from the gate on time. The taxi to the the runway took a bit but we were off on our 16 hour journey with view of the Dubai skyline during takeoff as I was on the left side of the plane (typically the best views are on the left side at most airports worldwide).

I did notice a few differences between the B777 vs A380 in terms of A/V, WiFi and the seat. The B777 featured live TV through their ice TV system which was super handy as well as much faster internet. The internet was provided by OnAir and costs $1 for 500MB of data. With only a few users connected I was able to get 3.8Mbps down and 0.5Mbps up. Very usable satellite internet compared to the super slow internet on the A380. One major difference with the seat I found is that on the B777 it featured a massage function which was a nice feature to have on such a long flight. The only 2 things missing from the B777 was an onboard shower and Henley Paradis otherwise I almost prefer it more due to higher ceilings. It still featured an onboard walkup bar.

Before heading off to bed, I decided to have some fresh fruit and clam chowder as I was a bit hungry and didn’t want to wake up mid-sleep. The clam chowder was very tasty and hit the spot. I went to change into my Emirates pajamas and returned to a freshly made bed. The ceiling turned into a starry night and off to bed I went. The bed was very comfy and I was able to get 8 hours of sleep. After waking up, I decided to have breakfast which I selected fresh fruit and scrambled eggs. The breakfast was good but nothing too fancy. Now I still had 6 hours to go so I decided to watch some movies and surf the internet.

Before landing I requested lunch which entailed selecting Caviar, Seafood a l’Armoricaine and a Lemon & Raspberry Tart. Wow! What a way to end the long journey. It was the highlight of the flight to end with such an excellent meal.

We were landing shortly so I decided to use up the rest of my 500MB of data which at that point 30 other users were online and turned on the nose cam so I could watch the landing just as the pilots were seeing. Upon landing it was a short taxi to the gate and the amazing crew (Rebel, Tanika and Yogini) wished me a pleasant day. I mentioned to them that this was the best Emirates flight I had all trip! I’d definitely consider flying Emirates again on their B777-300ER over their A380 if this quality of service could repeat itself. The onboard shower on the A380 is unique though and so must try it once in your lifetime.