Sydney to Dubai
Airbus A380; Emirates has 60 of these aircraft in its fleet.
Skywards
Business
14 hours 10 minutes
There are daily flights from Sydney to Dubai.
This cabin has a 1-2-1 configuration. Seats have a 48-inch (122cm) pitch, extending to a 79-inch (200cm) flat bed. Seats are 18.5 inches (47cm) wide.
Passengers can check 40kg of baggage.
Boarding this flight, there is just one thing on my mind: how soon can I get back to sleep? With a 6am departure, my alarm went off shortly after 3am. Even with the luxury of a limousine transfer to the airport – a complimentary service for business class passengers – all I care about is getting horizontal again as quickly as I can. So I'm delighted to find my pillow and blanket – along with noise-cancelling headphones, eye mask and socks, plus an assortment of drinks – waiting for me when I take my seat. Even better, business class is practically empty. The biggest advantage of Emirates' A380 business class is that it takes up the entire upper deck: no chance of being woken by babies at the front of economy. Once the seatbelt sign goes off, I switch my seat to flat bed mode and drift off.
Surfacing several hours later, I check out the entertainment system. Few airlines offer as much choice as Emirates: I spend a long time scrolling through the options, and even more time deciding which movie to start with. Ultimately, however, I spend most of my time on the inflight Wi-Fi, thanks to a special offer in which the first 600MB are free. The connection is reasonably fast, and I'm thrilled to get ahead on my work.
Friendly and fast. As soon as I'm seated, the hostie is checking whether there's anything I need; throughout the flight, there is always someone when I'm looking for service.
Having slept through breakfast – served right after take-off – I'm decidedly peckish when I awake. Fortunately, there is an extensive snack menu to choose from. I opt for the mushroom, leek and feta parcel, which is tasty, apart from the too-sweet tomato sauce that accompanies it. When dinner is served, however, all is forgiven – or maybe I have just made better choices. The tasty duck breast appetiser is followed by a perfectly cooked steak, accompanied by tender asparagus and a delicious potato dauphinoise. The cheese platter is a good way to finish.
Tired of sitting still? The back section of the business class cabin is devoted to a Lounge Bar, a very civilised alternative to spending the whole flight strapped in your seat.
Why can't every flight be like this?
Read more of Traveller's Flight Tests in our airline reviews section.
