After our whirlwind journey from Kuala Lumpur to Sharjah, to Muscat, to Dubai – it was time for, hopefully, our final leg home, in the newly renovated Emirates 777 business class cabin, from Dubai to Dublin.
First things first, the new business class cabin, and especially the seat, is such an unbelievable improvement over what came before, during our previous trip last year. Gone are the old 2-3-2 angled flat seats, and instead we now have a truly competitive 1-2-1, all aisle access, seat product.
Of course, one of the things I feared the most about this particular change was that it would result in narrow footwells, but that also hasn’t turned out to be the case; as you can see, there’s still a wealth of space to fit all but the absolute most gigantic feet, or tallest of people.
After 12 hours sat in a narrow, angled recliner on an Oman Air 737, this was like stepping into complete opulence and luxury.
The new seats are akin to a very updated version of their A380 business class seat product; with a large footwell, fully-flat plush seat, a removable tablet, plenty of power and USB sockets, and a selection of drinks right at your seat (not that I ever had any of them other than the water).
You also have the full selection of seat and at-seat options along a large stretch of buttons alongside your seat – just make sure not to knock them by accident, as I did at one point and wondered why I was suddenly being reclined against my will (or so I thought).
Boarding was wrapped up pretty sharpish and we were welcomed on-board, while I hurriedly satiated my ever-present thirst for a glass of pre-departure champagne.
Thankfully after so many hours of mishaps, we were airborne without any delay, and it wasn’t long before I was headed straight for my second glass of champagne, opting to have another go at the Arabic mezze (far more successfully this time, compared to my earlier Oman Air disappointment).
For my main, I went for the beef tenderloin, which for an airplane beef meal, and despite my initial concern over its small size, was quite delicious.
One thing I have to consistently call out about Emirates for positively, is their crews'. To their great credit, they have by far the most consistent and reliable service flows (i.e. nothing ever seems to get forgotten), quite often the friendliest and most engaging crewmembers of the Middle East carriers, and the most willing to go above and beyond – even where their huge business cabins could otherwise end up feeling a bit robotic, and process-driven.
This crew was no different, and meals were done very punctually giving those of us who wanted to sleep ample time to do so – and those of us who needed one or two more nightcaps, were also well looked after despite the meal service having completed.
On that note, and after the high drama of the night, and day, and going into night again, I decided to recline my very comfortable plush leather seat into fully-flat, and grab a few hours well-deserved sleep before our arrival into Dublin.
One nice thing that Emirates have kept in spite of the cabin renovation is the stars in the cabin ceiling; this is such an unusual touch, and I have a real soft spot for this feature, it feels extremely classy and relaxing.
Ultimately, I only woke up (surprise, surprise) with just enough time for two last glasses of wine before we began our descent after a flight that felt all too short in such an enjoyable, and beautifully renovated, business class cabin.
Overall, this was another great Emirates experience – I daresay even ‘exceptional’, although of course by that stage anything that didn’t involve an angled recliner on a small plane would have felt absolutely fantastic. But the good food, wonderful cabin crew, and significantly improved business class seat made this overall the perfect way to finish off our trip to Malaysia and the (very) long journey home.
