Flight Number: EK413
Route: Christchurch – Sydney
Aircraft: Airbus A380-800
Class: Business Class Seat: 12J
Duration: 3 hours and 5 minutes
From the elegant beauty of the top-storey cabin with its polished wood fittings to the glass of Moët & Chandon Champagne served before take-off, Emirates A380-800 offers a business class experience that is nothing short of extraordinary.
Seats are suite-like, in a 1-2-1 configuration, my window seat affording me a little extra privacy. Centre seats would be ideal for couples, and come with an optional electronic privacy screen. Fully reclining flat-bed seats have simple, intuitive controls and come with a personal mini-bar, stocked with snacks and beverages, plus compartments for storage.
The Emirates ‘ice’ inflight entertainment system offers a 17-inch touchscreen with a linked controller, detachable wireless tablet, and noise-cancelling headphones. The selection of more than 2000 movies, TV shows and audio programs, including live sports, is excellent.
As a bonus, I have 20MB of free Wi-Fi to use within the first two hours of logging in and further data can be purchased at a reasonable rate. The inflight menu offers a choice of one appetiser, three main courses, four desserts and a wine list with tasting notes and suggested pairings.
I select a sauvignon blanc that perfectly complements my salmon main, which is cooked to perfection and served on white linen with crisp napkins and gleaming cutlery. Dessert is a lovely lemon tart and handmade chocolates complete the dinner service.
The glam inflight cocktail bar and lounge, designed for the use of both Business and First Class passengers has two plush bench seats, plenty of standing space, plus a selection of savoury and sweet snacks. The attendants make a martini as good as any back on terra firma, or one can indulge in more of that free-flowing Moët.
The Verdict: Incredible comfort and seamless service makes this flight seem almost too short.
