EXCLUSIVE: What’s It Really Like to Fly in High Style Aboard Emirates From Athens to Newark?
As airlines around the world vie for customer loyalty with new routes and on-board perks, this giant global carrier stands does stand head and shoulders above the rest.
By Anthony Grant
AS AIRLINES AROUND THE WORLD vie for customer loyalty with new routes and on-board perks, this giant global carrier stands out.
Are the big legacy carriers of the wealthy Gulf countries, chief among which Emirates, really as amazing as people say they are ?
Based on my limited experience flying the Dubai-based airline, on a so-called “fifth freedom” flight from warm Athens to not warm Newark, the answer is an unequivocal yes. Fifth freedom flights are those that make it possible for an airline to fly between two countries when neither country is its home base.
These flights are loopholes, after a fashion, and often allow travelers to experience less expensive fares and service with more international flair than aboard many American carriers.
On this flight, I found the service to be vastly superior to that aboard any other airline I have flown in recent memory. Emirates’ motto is “Fly better.” Simply put, they do.
The main reason I resisted such a flight for so long is a mix of inertia and admitted addiction to stopovers in London. However, when I belatedly learned that Emirates has a codeshare agreement with the Greek flag carrier, Aegean, choosing a non-stop flight to the United States to experience how the airline does things differently became the obvious choice.
It was easy to discern how the Emirates experience would be different even before boarding the plane. That’s because when you fly with Emirates in business or first class, you are offered a complimentary ride to the airport. In a chauffeur-driven car. I mean….
…that is a seriously nice perk, especially when the airports you are doing battle with are New York’s busy JFK or Newark International. In fact, assuming you have a round-trip ticket, you are a offered a ride from the airport as well. So, upon arrival at Newark, upon leaving customs, I was promptly greeted by a super polite driver from the Blacklane company. He whisked me into Manhattan faster than I could say, “gosh, why can’t more airlines do stuff like this?”
That’s another story. Anyway, at the airport in Athens — by the way, it’s one. of the best airports in Europe — there was a separate entrance for business and first class passengers, which cut the waiting time for boarding.
Once on board, the cabin interior was pleasantly fragrant.
Having introduced myself as a journalist, once airborne I was given an escorted tour of the Boeing 777-300ER, from the last row of economy all the way to the pretty spectacular first class cabin.
The airline’s famous Shower Spas, praised by the likes of Jennifer Aniston, are only on the larger A380 aircraft (used on the Milan-JFK route) but based on my quick look at the first class cabin on the 777, it is gleaming and serene.
The new Emirates Boeing 777 business class shines too. There is ample aisle space. According to a press release, the look is inspired by “the fresh, open and contemporary design elements of Emirates’ iconic A380 experience, featuring soft leather cream seats accented with champagne trim, lighter wood panelling, a mini-bar, and other technology touches that deliver an elegant and engaging experience.”
The seats convert to spacious flatbeds which recline up to 78.6 inches. Flight attendants, who somehow appear unhurried and address passengers by their names, breeze by to offer mattress-style padding for the seat and also a complimentary pair of soft pajamas.
It isn’t just the material side of things that makes this different. The secret in the Emirates sauce has to do with a lack of gimmickry and a genuine desire to serve passengers, as I observed it, across every class of service.
Emirates’ core product seems to be a quiet insistence on the best of everything so, with little apparent need to shout about it. There is Champagne from Veuve Clicquot, travel amenities by Bulgari, pretty orchids in the first class lavatories (I wasn’t supposed to peek, but who could resist?) — individually all impressive, but collectively they add some extra panache to the Emirates brand.
The food and drink does deserve some special mention, particularly given the unusual breadth of the latter category. Emirates holds the distinction of having more wines in its inventory than any other airline — so much, in fact, that some will reportedly not be served before 2037. On my flight was showcased a Veuve Clicquot 2015 champagne, the “upfront appeal” of which, according to the description, “is carried over to the mid-palate with notes of dried apricot, date, hazelnut, honey, buttered toast, and brioche.”
That might even sound tempting for a teetotaler, but I opted for a classic Kir Royale from the large menu of cocktails. My ami de passage, a Connecticut Yankee who was making his way home after having flown to Cairo for a wedding, nursed an Aperol Spritz.
A Breakfast Martini tempted, but it was a night flight after all.
The onboard cuisine might be described as Continental classic with a nod to flavors of the Middle East. For appetizers there was a choice between fava and leek soup, traditional Arabic mezze, or marinated prawns. I opted for that silky potage, a standout dish with the inclusion of crunchy fava “profiteroles” and parsley oil.
“We want to destroy that assembly line image that airline food has and make our menus so much more complex than the customary ‘chicken or beef’ you might usually expect to find,” according to the airline’s menu. They do.
The three mains on offer were lamb kabli, roasted chicken with lemon herb sauce and Greek peppers, and braised black cod with fennel veloute, caramelized carrots, and mashed potatoes with celeriac — for those who find it hard to choose, the flight attendants know their kitchen and are only too happy to advise you.
Special meals, including low sodium and kosher meals, can be ordered in advance (incidentally, there were many Israelis on my flight who had arrived at Athens for their Emirates flight from Tel Aviv, via another airline).
There is a thorough in-flight entertainment system as well as an in-flight catalogue of sorts whose pages are filled with one exotic perfume after another, many of which are on the expensive side. Unlike on some European airlines today, there’s no aggressive sales pitch — if you want to purchase something you can and that’s that.
That again speaks to the key ingredient of the on-board business experience with Emirates — overall it is quite indulgent, with an almost stubborn fixation on the finest of everything from food with an abundance of options to aesthetic flair, but without ostentation.
This, combined with a vast global network and interesting fifth freedom flight choices, could make it the airline to beat in 2025. Cue all relevant emojis, friends, and get going, because Athens and maybe even Dubai are waiting. 🇦🇪☀️🏛🧿🇬🇷
For more information or to make a booking, visit Emirates.com
