Emirates Economy Class
BACKGROUND
Did you know that there are up to 12 non-stop flights a day between Singapore and Melbourne. The Singapore Airlines and Qantas group operate most of this. Today, we will be flying on the odd one out, Emirates. You might why Emirates would be operating a route between Singapore and Melbourne. Well, this wouldn’t be possible without fifth freedom rights. Freedoms of the air are a set of commercial aviation rules that give a country’s airline the permission to operate flights over or to a country. Fifth freedom specifically allows an airline to operate flights between two foreign countries. Emirates is rated highly among travellers and we have already tried them in first in this channel. So, I thought this would be a good way to experience them in long haul economy.
THE GROUND EXPERIENCE
Emirates flight depart out of Terminal 1 at Changi. The check in is usually at the far end of T1. Here, the check in process was all automated and very efficient with additional customers for elite members as well. Immigration was pretty quick at this time of the day and I am soon with the airside of the world’s best airport.
EMIRATES LOUNGE
With my flight not quite ready for boarding, I make a quick trip up to the Emirates lounge. Emirates codeshares with Qantas and as such Qantas gold members and above have Emirates lounge access. You also have access to the Qantas lounges although their opening times are a bit hit and miss for this morning flight. The Emirates lounge is in concourse C near the Qatar and Plaza premium lounges. I was surprised by how big this lounge was, but it made sense as Emirates has double A380 services everyday. The lounge was super quiet during the visit and had sweeping views of the tarmac over gate C1. The meal offerings in the lounge were halal and breakfast service was on at the time. My favourite was this selection of dates. I found the lounge to be relaxing with multiple seating options and functional amenities.
BOARDING EMIRATES 777
My flight was called for boarding and I made my way to gate C15 for security clearance, soon after which I came face to face with my ride for the day. Emirates operate 123 777-300ers and on this route, the cabin features, first, business and economy. In economy, there are 304 seats in a 3-4-3 layout and I opted for Seat 21K in the forward cabin.
Source: Aerolopa
Immediately upon boarding, we are treated to the beige hues that pays tribute to the golden sands of Dubai. The 3-4-3 layout isnt as good as SQ that offers 3-3-3 but still feels pretty quite spacious and leg room was quiet good too bad. Despite begin the last row, the recline was pretty good. One of the best things about this flight is how empty it can be. Now, this is not a guarantee, but on both my flights, I had the whole row to myself.
Directly underneath the screen, we have the USB port and headphone jack. Alongside this is the TV remote which doubles up as a second screen and the coat hook. The tray table is the fold out type and there is a separate cup holder. The seat pockets are quite large and feature the in-flight magazine. Other amenities provided include the headphones, pillow and blanket. With that, it is time to push back and begin our long taxi to runway 20L.
EMIRATES INFLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT
The flight time today is only about 6 hours, so I wasted no time to check out the IFE. Emirates’s ICE system has won multiple awards and never fails to impress with 96 flights worth of content! The movie selection and tv selection are extensive and the touch screen system is super smooth and intuitive to use. There is also a live TV option available which features news and sports channels. The flight cameras also give an unique perspective of the flying. If you are on one of the refurbished aircraft, you can also use bluetooth to pair your own headphones which is an awesome feature. I dont think I have seen this on another economy class flight before.
EMIRATES MEAL SERVICE
About 45 minutes after takeoff the first meal service begins. Emirates preload their menus on the app and website and there were two mains options options provided. This has to be one of the most comprehensive meal services offered in economy class with big portions and varies small bites including chocolates. In fact, it felt more like a premium economy meal service and the metal cutlery added to this feel. For reference, I have added the pancake breakfast meal offered on the flight from Melbourne.
I settled under the comfy blanket watching a movie for the next few hours. 2 hours prior to landing the second meal service started. This was more like a snack service and a pastry was provided accompanied by a muffin. And not too much later, the flight began its decent into Melbourne airport.
SUMMARY
This Emirates fifth freedom service between Singapore and Melbourne is a breathe of fresh air to travellers. Yes, it is not their A380, but still the hard product is fantastic. The meal service is superb for economy and the inflight entertainment is one of the best. The crew and service on both my flights were amazing. Special mention to Natalia who was looking after the economy section!
In fact, the only bad thing about this flight is the 3am departure from Melbourne. So, I would definitely recommend this flight especially over the Qantas options that fly the same route. Is it as good as Singapore though, well that is a touch and I will leave that up to you to decide.
BOOKING EMIRATES USING POINTS
If you want to try Emirates on this route, you easily do so using Qantas points. An economy redemption will cost only 30,200 points and the carrier charges are not too bad either for Emirates (84 SGD if you originate the trip from Singapore).
