We flew the first class Boeing 777 fromDXB to Male to complete our outbound journey. I don't want to be redundant since I've reviewed other flights before, but I won't be fully reviewing this flight. I wanted to highlight a few of the highlights.
As a reminder, this was booked as part of a larger award itinerary, as we redeemed 160,000 Skywards miles per person to fly from Washington to DC to Male, with a stop in D.C.
I felt like I had to book it when I saw award availability. Taking a 4:20AM flight on my birthday is something that I couldn't turn down. It might not be the best way to celebrate this special time.
I don't have an answer to why my boarding pass says "PARTNER" Sometimes award tickets show that, according to a friend at the airline.
I think the best explanation I have come up with is that it refers to employee staff travel. The agent had to confirm that I redeemed my miles and wasn't on staff travel when I entered the first class lounge. It's strange.
We spent most of our time at the airport in the first class lounge in Concourse A, and the agent told us that
I'm a fast walker, so usually I cut those numbers and assume it's less than 10 minutes. It took us 25 minutes to get to the far end of Concourse C.
I knew there was a Concourse B first class lounge, but I didn't know it existed. This lounge isn't impressive, so that's probably for the better. Does this look like a Priority Pass lounge or a hub first class lounge for one of the best airlines in the world? Sometimes it feels like it's stuck in the past.
45 minutes before departure, boarding was scheduled to start. First and business class passengers were invited to board.
There is a one hour time change and our flight was scheduled to leave at 4:20AM and arrive in Male at 9:30AM. The flight time was 3 hours and 40 minutes. What was the experience like? Very nice.
The cabin on one of the oldest Boeing 777s felt a bit dated. The technology on some of the older planes isn't as good as on the newer ones.
How great is this for a 3hr 40min flight?
We were assigned two seats in the second row of first class. We were supposed to have the cabin to ourselves, but last minute one employee booked, and she was in 1A (Emirates captains, and their families, get space available first class travel).
The two first class flight attendants and the purser couldn't have been more professional and courteous than the crew we had on the last flight. They gave us drinks before we left, and we got some Dom Perignon.
We were also offered Arabic coffee, dates, an amenity kit, pajamas, and slippers, which were identical to what we had on the long haul flight, so check out the previous review for all the contents.
We were exhausted by the time we were airborne, since we hadn't slept that night. We asked the crew to make our beds and wake us up as close to landing as possible so we could eat breakfast. They took care of the turndown service within 10 minutes of takeoff, and we were off to sleep.
I love how the stars are on the ceiling.
We slept for over two hours and were woken up just over an hour before landing. It's great that the crew allowed us to sleep this long, because many crews claim they can only serve a meal up to 90 minutes before landing.
Breakfast was served. There is a simple menu on this flight, with a breakfast option.
The wine list for this flight is below.
I had to take pictures for review because we weren't really hungry. It's always nice to wake up with a coffee, even if it has the Emirates logo on it.
I was offered a fruit plate, some yogurt, and a selection from the bread and pastry basket.
I ordered the scrambled eggs with potatoes, mushrooms, and kale for the main course.
It was a perfect meal for a flight like this.
If you're in first or business class, you don't have to pay anything extra for a birthday cake. Since I was traveling on my birthday and wanted to report back on how this is being executed nowadays, I ordered one of these.
The crew presented this beautifully as we began our descent. The crew put some roses in the mail and wrote a message with melted chocolate, which they don't have to do.
The crew took a picture of us.
We only had a bite or two of the cake, but the crew packed it up in a to-go box. Since we were going to take a seaplane in the heat, I felt bad not taking it with me. I'm not sure what the policy is on bringing fresh food into the country.
It's not often that you get a view like this when approaching a major international airport, but that's what you get when you fly into theMaldives. I will let the pictures speak for themselves.
The bridge connecting the capital of Male to the airport was finally opened. It was cool to see this, since it wasn't yet open the last time I flew to the islands. I need to visit Male sometime, I'm sure it's fascinating.
The Velana International Airport is small, but it is amazing how many planes are parked here during the day. There were three planes on the ground.
The seaplane terminal is fun to see since it is the primary way to get to the further islands.
The new runway and terminal at Velana International Airport will be a game-changer for the airport. Significant progress is being made there.
We parked at a remote stand next to another plane, which pushed us back minutes after we arrived.
We had to take a bus to the terminal after they set up the air stairs. We were through immigration in no time and were on the way to our first resort.
I can't imagine a flight like this being better, as the experience is very good. If you're not connecting from somewhere else, a 4:20AM departure time isn't ideal, but I was able to get in a solid nap, have breakfast, and enjoy some Dom Perignon. The crew on this flight was excellent, which made the experience all the better.
It's amazing how different a short haul premium cabin product is in different parts of the world, especially when you consider that the Chicago to San Francisco flight is comparable in length.
What was the experience like when you flew short haul first class?
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