[Anonymous]

[ZKSmith]

Check-in at Dubai was quick and friendly, no queue for Upper Class. Quickly through security, and after a long walk was finally in the Dubai International Hotel Business Lounge. The staff were friendly, and the Wi-Fi fast, although the lounge was rather basic and the food and drink options not great.

Priority boarding worked fine, once on-board my coat was taken and a welcome drink offered. About an hour after take-off the lunch service began. Starters were either potato and leek soup, or crab and tomato tian, served with a choice of breads. For mains the choice was beef fillet, chicken makhanwala, or mushroom pansotti. Desserts were carrot and almond cake or blueberry layer cake. A selection of fruits, chocolates, crisps, ice cream, and candy was available during the flight. Shortly before landing afternoon tea was served, consisting of finger sandwiches, tiny cakes, and a scone. The food was all fairly tasty, nothing special, but worst of all the portion sizes were tiny. A wide selection of drinks were available, and the superb flight attendants made sure my glass never ran dry.

The new Upper Class suite on the A330s offers a comfortable seat, but there is only an armrest on one side, which gets a bit annoying on an 8 hour flight. It seems a simple fix to add a fold away arm rest on both sides! Entertainment was good, an easy to use touch screen offering a good choice of modern films and TV shows (no classics), a few games and a reasonable selection of music (again, all fairly new releases). An interesting feature is the touch screen control panel for games, which can also act as a second screen, allowing you to watch a movie on the main screen, and have the moving map showing on the second screen.
The seat folds forward to convert in to a bed, revealing a separate sleeping surface which is sprung like a mattress. Comfortable apart from being very narrow.

An amenity kit, consisting of socks, an eyeshade, earplugs, a toothbrush, tissues, and a pen that didn’t work, was provided. All felt very cheap, as did the toilets, which could have been economy toilets. Two toilets for a cabin of 33 passengers. They were kept clean throughout the flight.

Outstanding service by the crew on this flight. Unfortunately, cost cutting means that Upper Class isn’t as luxurious as it could be. The food and amenities need improving, and the new seat could be better. Still highly recommend though, particularly if you can get a good deal.

[Author]

Posts