A photo of me after taking an onboard shower getting ready to enjoy caviar and Dom Perignon on Emirates First Class! Photo by: Evan Berman

I love flying, especially in international business or first class. Every step of the journey– from priority check-in and security to lounge access to the in-flight experience– is made easier and more enjoyable. When I mention my travel experiences to others, one flight in particular stands out: Emirates First Class. I flew from Milan to New York in Emirates’ glamorous Airbus A380 First Class and want to share how I booked it as well as a brief recap of the experience. Stay tuned for a full, in-depth review.

Overview:

Thanks to terrific marketing, Emirates has become synonymous with luxury and once-in-a-lifetime experience. The airline is based in Dubai and flies all over the world from Australia and Asia to both Americas. More relevant for us US-based fliers, the airline flies to New York from Europe– Milan to New York- JFK and Athens to Newark. It’s one of the best ways to get you back from Europe– only if you like drinking Dom Perignon, eating caviar, and taking a shower at 30,000 feet of course! 😉

Booking:

Now for some bad news. I’ll share how I booked this award, but unfortunately, the price is much higher now. Most airlines are in alliances that make it easier to book a partner award for less, but Emirates First Class is only bookable via their own mileage program: Emirates Skywards. At the time (prior to the new year), it was 85,000 miles each way for a first class award flight between Milan or Athens and New York. Now, that price is 102,000 miles each way.

Some of you might be thinking, how do I earn all of these miles? I’ll explain more below but I transferred miles from AmEx Membership Rewards Points and Capital One Venture Miles. That’s why earning points with credit cards is so important– you get to fly these planes for a few hundred dollars in cash!

Searching Availability:

To start, I logged into my Emirates account and searched for a one-way award flight from Milan (MXP) to New York (JFK). I needed to return to the US some time around the 27th of March (a Monday), so I checked the +/- 3 days box. Note: you will not always find availability. When I was searching, this was the only flight with award availability in February, March, or most of April! Below is the result:

Transferring Points:

I then needed to transfer 85,000 miles to book this flight. I opted to move 70,000 AmEx Membership Rewards Points and 15,000 Capital One Miles to save the rest of my AmEx points for another flight. The transfer was instantaneous, as you can see in the 3rd picture– 85,000 points are in my account ready to use.

Purchasing the Ticket:

After transferring the miles, I just needed to purchase the ticket. I did the same search again, selected the flight, and then paid the miles and taxes due.

Now, the fun begins! I selected my seat and got excited for the trip.

The Experience:

After the purchasing the ticket, let’s get into the fun part: the enjoyment of an over-the-top luxurious flight! The journey begins in Milan.

At the Airport:

I arrived at MXP (Milan-Malpensa) a bit over 2.5 hours before the scheduled departure. I made my way to the Emirates check-in where I was pleased to see separate Business and First Class lines, not the typical “Premium Cabin” grouping. There was no wait in the First Class line and a short delay in the Business Class line. My bag weighed more than 55 lbs at this point (over the technical limit for “oversized luggage” but) the agent asked if I was flying in First and upon my confirmation, she said “First Class no problem. We will take care of it for you!” Just one example of how flying in a Premium cabin takes the stress out of flying.

Lounge:

After check-in and dropping my checked bag, I was issued a boarding pass and lounge invitation. While I visited other lounges, the Emirates Lounge was the best of them. From the self-serve champagne and wines to the cold and hot plates, this was a great opportunity to catch up on lunch after a day of sightseeing in Milan!

While the food and drinks were great (particularly the desserts), it was nothing compared to the flight. For example, the champagne on offer was Möet & Chandon, a solid mid-tier bottle, but nothing compared to Dom Perignon. This is after all a First & Business Class Lounge. If you fly First Class from Dubai, you will have access to a separate First Class Lounge with higher quality food, drinks, and service. That being said, this lounge is miles ahead of most US lounges.

The Flight:

All I can say is wow. I came in with sky-high expectations and managed to be blown away. Let’s start with the one negative: the main course (I ordered Chicken Mandi) was underwhelming. I had flown Turkish Business Class to get to Europe and the main course was far superior. Now, let’s get to the positives (everything else!).

Here are the high notes:

• Unlimited Caviar!
  • Note, I opted for one serving as I feel this is something to be savored, but for the glutenous, you may enjoy as much as you like!
• Incredibly high quality alcohol
  • Wines: Dom Perignon 2013, Château Lascombes 2009, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos Saint-Marc Olivier Leflaive 2013 from Burgundy, Domaine de Chevalier Blanc 2013 from Pessac-Léognan, France, Château d’Yquem 2014 (the best dessert wine), Graham’s Single Harvest Tawny Port 1979 (it is tremendously difficult to find this bottle),
  • Liquor: Hennessy Paradis, Tesseron Cognac Lot 29 XO Exception, the Dalmore King Alexander III Single Malt Scotch, Chivas Regal Royal Salute 21 Year old Scotch Whisky
• Exceptional Service
  • Service is always tricky. I don’t like being fussed over but at the same time it’s nice to have someone nearby who is happy to get you whatever you desire. The crew knocked this out of the park– Emirates is now the measuring stick against which I compare other airlines and hotel service.
• Showering onboard
  • Let’s face it: I could have taken a shower in the lounge or my hotel before flying. But, how cool is it to take a shower while flying at 30,000+ feet?!? Emirates remains one of only two options (Etihad on their A380 which is hard to fly as it only operates on select routes between Abu Dhabi and London) to fly commercially and shower in the skies.
• Chatting with fellow passengers at the onboard bar
  • Behind Business Class on the upper deck of the A380 is a bar where passengers from both Business Class and First Class are free to congregate. It was fun to chat with other passengers and staff while sipping terrific drinks. While the seat was comfortable, this experience made it feel like you were in an upscale establishment, not flying across the Atlantic!

Here are a few of the photos from the experience:

The Seat:

Food and Drink:

Onboard Bar:

While this is not unique to Emirates, it is very fun to visit an onboard bar while flying. I spent a good amount of time back here, chatting with passengers and the flight attendants. In particular, Humberto the bartender was terrific and I enjoyed hearing about his perspective on Emirates and flying. Emirates’ flight attendants are from all around the world so it was a pleasure to speak with people with such a mix of backgrounds and perspectives.

Takeoff and Landing:

The Bathroom (and Shower):

Final Thoughts:

This is the high-level review of my experience booking and flying Emirates. To say this was a unique flight would be an understatement. The service was exceptional and the offerings blew me away. Emirates First Class has a well-deserved reputation and I hope that each of you get to experience this for yourselves! Have you flown Emirates First before? As always, reach out with any questions. Stay tuned for the full recap at the end of the Eastern Europe 2023 trip.