[Anonymous]

[SimonS1]

As all 8 of Emirates flights to London were full yesterday I found myself in need of another option hence used Qantas QF1, codeshare with EK.

Online check in – redirected from Emirates web site with a new code to Qantas site, however check in was relatively pain free. The flight leaves from T3 at Dubai and four desks were open in the premium area at Dubai and through the Egates in about 5 seconds and off to the new Zone A.

The lounge good as always if a little impersonal due to size. Good range of hot and cold food, popcorn, Baskin Robbins, drinks etc. Fairly poor range of magazines though.

5 minutes before the flight nothing was showing on the display, however they suddenly announced final call, bit of a scrum however on reaching the gate boarding had only just started. A minor technical problem it seems and we left an hour late at 3am.

The seat was very uncomfortable, pitch OK but the back of the seat in front has various hard panels which can bang your joints. In flight entertainment excellent and the crew were very efficient led in our area by Alexandra who did not hide at all – backwards and forwards with drinks etc the whole flight.

I skipped the food (as I always do) and got a few hours of patchy sleep.

Slightly irritating that the CSD felt a need to parrot messages from the flight deck about turbulence which were quite clear.

Landed in London about 45 mins late, bags checked as Business were amongst the first off the belt and I was out of the airport within 45 mins. I must say I had forgotten what a dump LHR terminal 3 is, long corridors to UK Border, and another long walk to the train. Usual unsmiling staff at UK Border but at least the queue was short.

Overall I would describe it as an acceptable experience but wouldn’t convince me to use Qantas on a more regular basis.

One other thing is that by my recollection my boarding pass was checked 8 times in Dubai – at check in, on entry to border control, at the border control, entrance to lounge, at the gate, entrance to lift from gate to plane, exit from lift from gate to plane, and on boarding. Keeps people in work I guess.

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