Hello from the UAE, as I just flew Emirates’ Airbus A350-900 business class on the 7hr10min flight from Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) to Dubai (DXB). The A350 joined Emirates’ fleet a little over a year ago, and it’s the carrier’s first new aircraft type since 2008, so it’s a pretty major development for the airline.
Emirates opted not to go for a cutting edge business class hard product on this aircraft, which many of us found a bit puzzling, as the airline instead installed an evolved version of its existing staggered product.
However, I’ve gotta be honest, I think Emirates’ overall A350 business class experience is stellar, and I walked away with a more favorable impression than I was expecting. On paper, Emirates’ business class might not look that impressive — there are no doors at seats, no dine on demand, etc.
What makes Emirates special, though, is the totality of the experience. Emirates has the Gulf’s best flight attendants, an excellent drink selection (with real cocktails!), good food, incredible entertainment, and extensive amenities. And I have to say, while Emirates has long been known for its gaudy interiors, the updated cabin finishes are super elegant, and I think the aesthetics of the cabin might be among the nicest out there.
In this post I’d like to share some initial thoughts, and then soon I’ll have a full review.
Emirates’ A350 business class seats are better than expected
The version of the Emirates A350 I flew on featured 32 business class seats, spread across eight rows, in a 1-2-1 configuration. Emirates has a staggered layout, with seats produced by Safran, and it’s essentially an evolved version of the popular A380 product.
Despite the lack of some bells and whistles, the seats are supremely comfortable. I found the seat to be quite spacious, well padded, and since I was in a “true” window seat, I had enough privacy so that a door wouldn’t have really made a big difference (take that, OMAAT readers who claim I’m obsessed with doors!). 😉
In bed mode, I found the seat to be cozy as well. And Emirates has individual air nozzles on the A350, so that’s a plus!
But the seat’s tech is phenomenal, including a tablet for controlling seat functions, two USB-C outlets, one USB-A outlet, and one AC power outlet, plus wireless charging.
Emirates’ cabins also finally just look and feel really elegant (compared to the 1990s Las Vegas aesthetic the airline used to be known for), and as the airline describes it, the interiors are “inspired by the Mercedes Benz S-Class.” For example, how cute is it that when you lower the window shade, the blinds have a picture of an Emirati ghaf tree?
Emirates’ A350 entertainment & Wi-Fi are amazing
Emirates’ ICE inflight entertainment system is known for being among the best in the sky, and the A350 features an updated interface of that. Business class has 20″ 4K screens, with incredible picture quality, and bluetooth audio. The selection of entertainment is truly endless.
Another exciting thing about Emirates’ A350s is that they feature Viasat Wi-Fi, which is free for business class passengers (and all Emirates Skywards members, for that matter). This is a massive improvement over Emirates’ previous OnAir system, though in the meantime, the 777s and A380s are getting Starlink, so will have an even better setup.
Emirates’ soft product is among the most well-rounded
Emirates strikes such a good balance with its soft product. For one, the airline has among the most generous business class amenity kits, with seemingly endless products, plus slippers and more. On slightly longer flights there are also pajamas, but this flight missed that cutoff.
Emirates also has the best drink selection of any airline in business class, in my opinion. Yes, the wine is very good, but what stands out to me is how the airline serves “real” cocktails, including in martini glasses.
This might sound minor to some, but I think this is such a small but smart investment on Emirates’ part, as it’s not something you’ll find on many carriers. For example, I had a negroni, served with mixed nuts and olives.
I find Emirates food to be very good, though admittedly the menu typically isn’t as huge as on Qatar Airways, and there’s also not a full dine on demand concept.
On this flight from Vietnam, dinner was served after takeoff, with a snack service later in the flight. To start, I ordered the beef with fish sauce and papaya salad, which was delicious. That was also served with a side salad, and a bread selection.
For the main course, I had the shrimp and vegetable rice noodle rolls, which was phenomenal (it may not look that amazing, but it was very well executed).
For dessert I had the muscovado tart, with mango and passion fruit compote.
Then for the pre-landing meal, I opted for the barramundi with lemongrass and chili, served with fried rice. It was simple but satisfying.
Honestly, in some ways I like Emirates’ lack of dine on demand, since the cabin actually stays fairly quiet during the flight, rather than the constant sounds of the oven being opened and closed, cutlery being placed down, etc.
Emirates flight attendants are pretty special
I’ve been flying Emirates pretty regularly for close to 15 years, and I feel like over time, service has only gotten better. This flight was no different, with a great crew, and a lovely Russian-Ukrainian flight attendant working my section of the cabin.
Emirates of course has flight attendants from all over the world, and there’s no denying that Emirates gets its pick of applicants. When people apply to work at Gulf carriers, they almost always apply at Emirates first (for good reason).
I find that Emirates flight attendants have a lot of personality compared to crews at other Gulf airlines, and I really like that. They’re people you can actually have a conversation with, and for the most part, they take a lot of pride in their jobs, and do a good job upholding the company’s high standards.
Just to contrast that a bit, I find Qatar Airways has very good service as well, but the flight attendants almost seem to work too hard due to the dine on demand concept, to the point that I can feel how stressed they are. It feels like they’re constantly running around, and I almost feel bad asking for something, because I know how much they have on their plates (no pun intended).
I just find Emirates flight attendants to be fascinating, and I always enjoy learning where they’re from, etc., so to me that’s a fun aspect of flying with the airline.
Bottom line
While Emirates’ new A350 business class hard product is nothing cutting edge, I was very impressed by the overall experience. Emirates’ evolved staggered seats are comfortable, have excellent tech, and also have very nice aesthetics. On top of that, I find Emirates’ soft product to be very good, from the amenities, to the food and drinks, to the service.
Sure, there are splashier airlines out there, and airlines that might have more impressive talking points on paper. But I always find that Emirates actually delivers, and rarely do I walk off an Emirates flight with anything but a great impression.
What’s your take on Emirates’ A350 business class?