FLIGHT REVIEW: Emirates A380 First CLASS with showers, Christchurch to Sydney — Part 1

• TRIP REPORT: Introduction – my trip to Christchurch, New Zealand flying Emirates First Class on an A380
• LOUNGE REVIEW: Revisiting the Sydney Qantas First Lounge
• TRIP REPORT: Flight Review – Sydney to Christchurch on Qantas in Business – same, same but different
• HOTEL REVIEW: The George Hotel, Christchurch (Ōtautahi). Luxurious local comfort.
• TRIP REPORT: Christchurch Airport – small, spacious and efficient
• LOUNGE REVIEW: Manaia Lounge, Christchurch, New Zealand
• FLIGHT REVIEW: Emirates A380 First CLASS with showers, Christchurch to Sydney — Part 1

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Finally, I get to experience First Class on an Emirates A380 with shower suites. I feel like I was the only travel blogger who had not been exposed to this experience, albeit for only 3+ hours – until now.

Introduction to a review of First Class on the Emirates A380

One of the shortest international Emirates First Class A380 flights is the fifth freedom route between Christchurch and Sydney. It pauses in Sydney before the aircraft heads off to the Emirates base in Dubai. This short trip was the easiest way for me to experience Emirates First Class service and those famous on-board showers.

Post-COVID route suspension and New Zealand border closures, there was some online chatter that Emirates was not providing the shower service, amenities, or pyjamas on this first leg via Sydney to Dubai.

Wanting to ensure I would have the shower experience, I corresponded with Emirates to confirm they would be available for use on the short 3ish-hour trip between Christchurch and Sydney.

And just so you know, here is what you will and won’t get on this flight according to correspondence with Emirates:

‘I can confirm that the show spa (sic) is available on Sydney to Christchurch route upon request only. Relevant amenity kit bags come along with shower spa access, so these will be also available upon request. 

Pyjamas are not available on this route as they are reserved for overnight flights. Amenity kits are also reserved for overnight flights; however, they are available if specifically requested by customers.’

BCW Global on behalf of Emirates

Redemption and taxes

I opted to redeem Qantas Frequent Flyer points for the flight. The cash price was approaching AU$1,000. I opted to save my actual pennies and just spend some points. This was not great redemption value, but it suited my purposes. It meant that I was getting less than AU$0.02 per point, but that’s OK. The normal range to aim for in points redemptions is somewhere between 1.5¢ and 5¢ – so not completely out of the park.

The nearly AU$200 taxes and charges were high but bearable. Is it a small price to pay for caviar service and a shower in the air?

Flight Details

Flight: EK 413
Route: Christchurch (CHC) to Sydney (SYD)
Date: Thursday, 6 September 2023
Depart: 5:45 PM NZST
Arrive: 7:05 PM AEST
Duration: 3 hr 20 min
Aircraft: Airbus A380
Seat: 1K (First Class)
Cost: One way 64,500 Qantas Frequent Flyer points plus AU$119.62 in charges

Boarding the Emirates A380

This was pretty smooth, with all three airbridges operating, I headed for the one that would take me to the top deck at 5 pm as boarding commenced. Mohammed greeted me. He offered a seat change if I was not happy with my chosen 1K.

I think I was one of only three passengers in this cabin, so I had options if I wanted to change my seat. However, as you can see in the photo below, this seat misses out on a third window. I decided to keep my chosen seat adjacent to those showers.

Mohammed also asked if I was travelling through to Dubai or just to Sydney. I responded, unfortunately, just to Sydney.

Emirates First Class Seat on the A380

Now, I have only travelled in three other first-class cabins: Thai Airways B777, Qantas A380 and Singapore Airlines A380, so I am not a highly experienced First Class passenger. On Thai Airways, the seat was before suites and closed doors, so it felt very open. Qantas, the same, no door, and located on the ground floor of the A380. That made it feel spacious, with lots of head height. The now, old Singapore Airlines suites, although located on the upper deck used their zig-zag corridors to give a sense of space to the cabin.

That is not the case with the Emirates A380 First Class Suites. I was quite surprised at how closed in and potentially claustrophobic the cabin felt. The suites’ high walls and the upper floor’s low ceiling made the cabin feel a little bee-like compact honeycomb, belying the luxury I was about to experience.

My initial reaction was how small the first-class seat enclosure was. Narrow, and not as long as I had imagined. But believe me, long enough.

Once in the suite, that impression changed. Everything I needed was there, mostly in easy reach.

The Flight

The cabin felt quite hot, and I seemed to be developing a headache, which may have just been a result of the amount of Champaigne I had drunk in the lounge, or the length of time I had spent waiting in the airport and lounge to check-in and board.

I headed to the bathroom, only to realise this was the full-on shower suite, and there were two of them up front of First Class.

While there, a menu and wine list was dropped off at my seat. But more about the food and beverage service later.

The captain announced the flight details at 17:25, 25 minutes after boarding. Our flight was to be under three hours. That meant I had caviar service, a meal, and a shower- quick smart!

A few minutes later, at 17:28, the safety video was played, and cabin staff were instructed to cross-check. Pullback was at 17:34, which I hardly noticed given the size and bulk of the A380. By 17:40, my first glass of Dom had been removed, and the crew were preparing for departure 8 minutes later.

By 17:50 we were in the air.

We suffered a bit of turbulence on the way up. The flight deck flashed the seat belt sign to remind us to keep ours on.
Mohammed, knowing I wanted a shower, asked me whether I would like to dine or wash first. I opted for the shower straight up so I could then relax and enjoy my meal. He said, give me 5 minutes. True to his word, my shower suite was ready in five.

2PAXfly Takeout

In the next instalment, I’ll cover the shower experience and then what I ate and drank during the flight.

So far, I had a great initial impression of this First Class Cabin and service on the Emirates A380. But once I had settled into the suite, I was taken aback by how sort of coffin-like it was. I don’t want that to sound too negative. It’s just that although you do get a great amount of space, it doesn’t initially feel that way.

Let me put that in context. In Qantas First Class, you get a much greater impression of space and openness, but you sacrifice privacy for that. On Emirates, the luxury is a bit shouty with all that bling, product, and pop-up mirror. In contrast, Qantas First is all neutrals, with a swivel seat and no door.

I’m not going to make a judgement yet about which is better. I’m just noting that they are different.

That’s it for this first part. Next time, the real reason I booked this flight . . . the shower!

Other Posts in the Series

<< LOUNGE REVIEW: Manaia Lounge, Christchurch, New Zealand