Maggie Chooi finds innovation and comfort in equal measure on a recent flight from Hong Kong to Dubai on Emirates’ flagship Airbus A380.

Check-in

Like many business travellers, I checked in at the Hong Kong Station’s Airport Express counters approximately three hours before my flight. The staff member at the check-in desk was able to assign my desired window seat on the Airbus A380-800 as it was not a full flight.

The Lounge

Emirates has its very own lounge at Hong Kong International Airport, located near gate 40, which is accessible by escalator from the main concourse. The spacious lounge is furnished with the signature Emirates colours of cream, gold and dark wood, and features an open seating area, a separate space beside the buffet counters with café seating, and a business centre to one side. I was warmly welcomed by staff in Emirates’ striking uniform and as the lounge was not very busy there were plenty of comfortable armchairs to choose from, although the addition of recliners or sleeping rooms for tired travellers would be a plus.

Service within the lounge was very efficient and the buffet counter offered a good selection of hot dishes, included potato and leek pie, saffron rice, stir fried prawns and scallops, stir fried beef with oyster sauce, steamed vegetable, chicken tikka masala and chicken satay with cashew nut sauce. There was also a separate station offering a great range of cold dishes, such as cous cous, tabbouleh, baba ganoush, stuffed vine leaves, fruit salads, cheese and desserts.

I was also impressed with the beverage selection; staff served chilled Veuve Clicquot champagne, and a good selection of spirits and mixers were on offer, which gave guests the chance to make their very own classic cocktails, although staff were also happy to play bartender as well. As I enjoyed my Bloody Mary, staff regularly reminded guests of the updated boarding time of the Emirates flights to Bangkok and Dubai.

My only niggle with the space is that it’s not enclosed like many other lounges at HKIA, meaning it’s quite hot and bright and you can hear a lot of noise from the concourse and food court below.

On Board

The boarding process for the three-class Airbus A380-800 was very efficient for such an extraordinarily large aircraft. After finding my seat I was greeted by a friendly cabin crew (Emirates is always very proud of its international cabin crew and on our flight the team represented 16 nationalities and spoke 17 languages) with a glass of Moët & Chandon Champagne, a wine list, and a stylish amenity kit that features miniature Bulgari products.

The Seat

The business class cabin on the Emirates flagship A380 is located on the upper deck and features a 1-2-1 configuration that offers each passenger direct aisle access. My fully lie-flat seat is superbly comfortable and comes with plenty of storage space, USB connectivity and an AC power socket that’s easy to reach. There is also a personal minibar, stocked with mineral and sparkling water and soft drinks, but as it’s not chilled most passengers prefered to order a drink and visit the bar (more on that in a moment) rather than help themselves. I found the window seats to offer more privacy than the central seats.

Onboard Lounge

The signature Onboard Lounge is located at the end of the upper deck on the A380-800, and features a fully stocked and serviced bar with a great selection of premium spirits, including Chivas Regal 18 years old scotch whisky, Hennessy XO cognac, Johnny Walker Double Black Label whiskey and Grey Goose vodka, while the resident bartender will also shake you up a bespoke cocktail. There are also bar snacks, sandwiches and canapés available. During my visit I ordered another glass of Moët & Chandon while chatting away with the dutiful in-flight manager from New Zealand.

Entertainment

Emirates’ award-winning ICE (information, communication, entertainment) inflight entertainment system is accessed via a 17-inch personal touch screen monitor that was very easy to navigate. There are over 2,000 hours of movies, TV shows, albums and games on the ICE system. There are two additional controllers – one tablet-style device that also controls the chair position, and a conventional entertainment control that allowed me to access the system with ease, even when I was lying flat.

Emirates also offers 10MB of free wifi data to each passenger during the flight, irrespective of class. An additional 600MB can be purchased for US$1. The wifi service was available once we had taken off, however it’s not available over China and India. I connected my Android mobile phone with the wifi and the speed was decent, with enough bandwidth to send out emails, Whatsapp messages and also check Facebook.

Dining

Approximately 45 minutes after takeoff the crew started the dinner service. On the appetizer menu, we had a choice of sliced roast lamb loin with mango chutney; smoked salmon and caviar; and creamy tomato soup, followed by a choice of rack of lamb with tomato and olive sauce; steamed ling fillet with steamed rice and stir-fried vegetables; and roast chicken with fried egg noodles for the main course. I matched my roast chicken with a dirty martini, my first on a plane, and decided to skip dessert even though there were some brilliant selections on offer, including chocolate orange mousse cake and an enticing cheese board. During the meal, crew patrolled the cabin with a wine and champagne sling to ensure speedy service at all times.

Summary

Emirates obviously put a lot of thought into the comfort of their passengers, especially those lucky enough to travel in business. I was impressed by the high consistency of service offered by its crew, and this, paired with their extensive network and additional value propositions, including gourmet dining, free wifi service and the innovative Onboard Lounge on the A380-800, ensures the airline will remain a stiff competitor to any other carrier globally.

Emirates business class Hong Kong-Dubai return from US$2,454 per person. www.emirates.com

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