Dad's Review - Travel in Style - Emirates Business Class

Being a Silver Skywards member I am entitled for an automatic class upgrade in case the flight is fully booked; I used to be a Gold Skywards member. Unfortunately, my company decided to change our airlines to Qatar Airways due to Emirates cancellation of flights to Yemen during the so-called "Arab Spring" a few years back thus my membership was downgraded several times.

Anyhow, during boarding, whenever the Emirates ground crew validates my boarding pass and the machine shows red light my blood pressure goes high as well, lol. It means my economy class boarding pass would be upgraded into business class. This usually happens during peak season such as Christmas and summer vacation where throngs of OFW are eagerly traveling back to Philippines for vacation and returning back to their jobs.

Obviously, there are lots of reasons why a typical working Dad loves to be upgraded to business class.

wide touch screen LCD

First and foremost is the welcome drink that will greet you upon settling down on the spacious and comfy seat. You will be offered fresh juices or wines. In my case, I always appreciate a glass of Champagne.

a multimedia tablet controller

Long haul flights can be taxing and boring. Imagine being inside a plane in a company of hundreds of strangers and nowhere to go for at least 8 hours. I remember decades back, when I used to work in Saudi Arabia, after dinner time we would watch a projection type movie on the front partition wall and some small overhead CRT TV's installed in strategic location inside the plane. You have only two choices; either you watch the movie or go to sleep. That was eons of years ago, lol.

On the other hand, imagine having more than 200 movies (some of them are new releases) to watch and hundreds of music collections and countless of games at the tip of your finger with matching 20 inch personalized flat screen in front of you. Sounds great? Yup, especially if you have a tablet as controller where you can even adjust your seat position or check the progress of your flight. Added treat is a full stereo noise canceling headphone. Don't even bother bringing this headphone with you because it is tailor made for Emirates flight and you won't be able to use it on any of your electronic sound system. In addition, you can even place a call during the flight but this service is quite pricey.

Fancy a drink?

I love the Chinese Beef

The food and drinks in any business class would rival a decent fine dining restaurant. In economy class, the flight stewardess would normally ask chicken or beef? Whereas in Emirates business class you can select a mouth watering dish from the menu; you have at least 3 choices. Trust me, the food taste great and the presentation is appealing. After the main course, I asked for fresh fruits as dessert and it came with a heavenly taste Godiva chocolate. Perfect for bottomless french red wine.

After meal, it is now time for my favorite activity during the flight; watch movies until I fall asleep. Aside from thick and comfy blanket and a bigger and fresh pillow, they are putting a 1 inch thick mattress on top of your seat making it somewhat like a bed. Yes, I mentioned like a bed because the seat can be reclined to almost 180 degrees without bothering the passengers at your back. Ooops, before I forget I need to press down a motorized blind as well since I don't want the sunlight seeping through my window while I am asleep. And for a bit of privacy, I can even raise the partition panel in between passengers.

Oftentimes, I read the in-flight magazines using a personalized reading lamp just above my head. This would focus the light directly to where I need it unlike the economy class overhead lamp which sometimes disturb your seat mate if not properly focus to you.

Breakfast comes in several selections. The fresh croissant is superbly soft and buttery while the firm wheat bread is a perfect partner for a steaming brewed coffee. Sometimes I ask for a choco muffin.

During the entire flight, they distribute a thick and steaming hot hand towel so you can freshen up from time to time. All Dads love the feeling of having a hot towel being rubbed on their face and neck after several hours of sleep. It also provides a clean feeling before and after the meal.

Toilet? You share common toilets with the pilot and his co-pilot. Free shaving and dental kits and sealed comb inside, not to mention the Emirates face towel which I love to collect since it can be used by my youngest kid who perspire a lot in school.

After a couple of movies and a few hours of sleep I would be arriving at the airport feeling fresh and well rested unlike when I travel in economy class; I normally arrive soggy and tired. The best thing also is you would be ahead of the pack when you disembark. 

aside from the usual pair of socks and eye cover I collect these complimentary Bulgari toiletries and other personal effects

For my other business class experiences, Qatar Airlines business class seat edges Emirates due to seat massager incorporated to their business class seats. I definitely love that kind of seat since having a massage after lying for several hours is a welcome relief for a Dad of my age, lol. In addition, their complimentary light jacket and pants is a great give away to my brothers. Whereas for Etihad Airlines, they have a small nicely designed cubicle for their business class passengers. Cathay Pacific? It is too generic and basic though I love their in-flight Chinese food.

It is really blissful for any Dad to travel in business class; aside from the complimentary amenities, the service is definitely great as  well. They would really pamper you during the flight. Actually, the in-flight service is really above par in all airlines' business class to say the least. Not to mention the usually gorgeous lady stewardess attending the business class area.