Problems with night flights
Written: Apr 17 '01 (Updated May 28 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Clean modern planes
Cons: Don't expect any sleep!
The Bottom Line: Prepare for a sleepless night. And in general great marketing has created unrealistic passenger expectations.
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| gavinstewart's Full Review: Emirates Airlines |
Just taken 4 Emirates flights in quick succession for the first time and they were a big disappointment.
Their main problem is night flights. If you're taking one then be warned! :
1. Don't expect your breakfast at breakfast time because you will get it immediately after take off. Even on a 02.15 departure, arriving 8am. What other airline does that? There is an agreed Do Not Disturb code if you want to be left alone; you shroud yourself under your blanket, and strap the belt together over the top of the whole thing; okay, now you can leave me alone! Surprise surprise, cabin crew ignored it and woke me up with a 3am tray. Thanks for that. At this stage I am still politeness itself, although the Arabian Nights music is starting to grate. Hey we've taken off now! Turn it off! (But more of this later).
Incidentally this may be because there's just one galley, at rear of plane, and an A330 is big; cabin crew clearly see meal time as major chore.
2. Because of dual language requirement, Emirates' decision to use pre-recorded video announcements means you're facing 30 to 45 mins of (loud) interruption, English, Arabic, English, Arabic, etc. Okay - the safety info is crucial, fine, but these videos really are unnecessarily long-winded.
Typical video scene. Beautifully attired arab man in flowing headress approaches similar gentleman, twice, in two languages - can you stub out your ciggie please? (Cutaway shot - big finger pointing to illuminated sign) (FX - loud chime). Aha - silly me, and he obliges, with a smile. (Close-up shot, grinding motion in the ashtray). So that's how you do it. No more burnt finger embarrassment for me. Just grip and grind, pushing down on the ashtray at all times. It's a no smoking flight anyway.
The video rumbles on. Oxgen masks spring open. So that's why the gentleman killed his ciggie? Some hand baggage falls on a man's head. Hmm, watch out for that. It might knock you senseless, an attractive fate now.
On and on and on about the features of the plane, IFE, how to unfold your tray, how to use the khazi - blah blah blah - please let me sleep!
However I now know how to tie a baby into a special inflatable baby liferaft. It is imprinted on my DNA I've seen it so often.
3. Emirates pilots are very sensitive about seat belts. Fair enough etc. again. But they'll keep the sign on till 39000 feet if there's a single bump. That also means no reclining. More fun if it's 03.45.
4. The famous IFE. Wow - 3 out of my 4 flights it did not work! And get this. On a night flight we got mad tempo Arabian piped music for two hours solid over the cabin speakers. (Same tune - imagine that!) People had to stomp to the back of the plane to demand ear plugs. Cabin crew did nothing to help. "The tape is stuck sir". Now bog off. Shrugged shoulders suggested that such conking out is common. 3 till 5am of exquisite torture. It was LOUD. Why have cabin music at all, when there's 20 channels of private radio?
Twas a sickly bunch of passengers spilling from that plane, grey, sweaty, lunatic stares. "Where is the Amnesty International desk, please?"
5. After all this you can get some sleep on an Emirates plane. But not for long, as whenever Dubai is near they crank out the Dubai Tourism Marketing video at full cabin volume (in two languages, natch).
And so I awoke, craving breakfast, coffee, water, anything, but the show had long since left town.
Odd experience on approach to Dubai. The sun blasts above the horizon. Thick fog materialises in an instant - literally five minutes. The plane over-shoots and goes around, great fun as always, and swoops around for another go. You don't really expect fog somewhere like Dubai. However Emirates cannot be blamed for this.
Emirates do have a whiff of complacency, "award-winning this and that", lectures about beautiful Dubai, and so on. The majority of their passengers are long-haul, tired, and just want to sleep.
My opinion is - fine during the day, but the night flights will drive you insane. There is a clear policy of noisy interruption and your cabin crew is going to take you through it 100%. What a shame - the day flights are great. Additionally there appears a consensus about inferior service on Asian-only flights.
So message to Mr. Emirates Boss. Is it really airline policy to give breakfast at 02.45? Or is staff supervision a problem for Emirates?
Recommended:
No
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gavinstewart
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Location: Huddersfield, Yorkshire, England
Reviews written: 13
Trusted by: 2 members
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Films Beer Jazz Travel - what else is there?
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