I’m finally sitting in my Emirates First Class Suite! I booked my ticket (for 85,000 miles + 400 AED) in early 2020, and unsurprising the flight was cancelled amid the epidemic. I eventually managed to rebook the flight, and I’m relieved to see the price has now crept to 102,000 miles + 1600 AED!

There are very few aircrafts of Emirates refitted with the First Class Suite. For London there is one daily flight in and out of Stansted, and Skywards availability may be released closing in.

Premium cabin passengers board from the front, so if you fly business class you can have a view of the suites as well. Let’s check out the business class cabin first:

It looks very underwhelming. Very few airlines still have the 2-3-2 configuration nowadays in business class, and it does seem very packed. Emirates’ First Class Suite is no doubt a huge breakthrough, but I’m not sure why they didn’t do anything to the business class as well.

Let’s go back to first class:

Emirates isn’t the only airline that offers a suite experience in first class or business class, but if I remember correctly their suite is the only one that’s sealed from ceiling to floor. It reminds me of the private boxes you see in some cafes in China.

There are two rows and six suites in first class, and three guests on that day. Here’s how my 2K suite looks like:

I can’t imagine anyone not being amazed when they see it for the first time! This is far more than just a seat, and definitely not something I had expected to see in the air.

Here’s what a middle suite looks like, which is almost identical:

A fun detail: as you have observed there are three windows by the middle seat as well. I thought they were wallpapers, but they are actually screens connected to the live camera feed!

The suite has so many compartments and it’s interesting to find out what they are. There is a desk in front that hides a dressing mirror, plus a notebook and some skincare products.

it impresses me that each suite has their own minibars, well-stocked and obviously free! Many snacks are in there if you feel peckish when watching a film.

At the back there are cabinets for jackets and blankets.

There isn’t a traditional luggage compartment in the suite, and you definitely don’t need one. There is enough space under the desk for a full-size suitcase.

The touch screen and control panel by the seat can be used to adjust the inclination and window blinds. The three window blinds can be controlled separately.

The tablet can also display flight information so you don’t have to pause the program you watch on the main screen.

On the left arm there is a small storage cabinet, and more seat controls.

And the the remote control on the right arm.

More controls are still to come! There is a panel to adjust the temperature and lighting of your suite on the wall. It also indicates whether the bathroom is being used,

You can change the brightness and colour as you like, and it feels dreamy!

And I have a new pyjama set to wear at home 🙂

Somehow they didn’t proactively offer me the amenity bag, but of course I had to request one.

I own a Bvlgari now!

The noise-cancelling headset:

The IFE content is just incredible! There are tens of, if not in the hundreds 2022 new releases.

And a few live TV channels:

It’s virtually a mini cinematic experience!

First Class passengers can enjoy the wi-fi for free, providing that your booking is linked to a Skywards number. The wi-fi is good enough for messaging and browsing, but good luck if you want to stream videos.

Let’s have a look at catering, starting with an Arabic coffee and a date:

Drinks:

The ONLY champagne on offer is Dom Perignon, which retails for around £200 a bottle.

Unfortunately I’m not a big fan of champagne, otherwise I could get more back from my 85,000 miles…

And food:

The amuse-bouche, which I think is foie gras and salmon:

How can I not order the caviar?

The caviar is great. I didn’t know you could actually order as much as you want, which I regret for not doing…

The tomato consomme:

Lamb bukhari looks quite different to what Google Image told me. I guess they have presented it in a nicer way as we are in first class.

Baklava:

The snack menu:

I ordered the edamame and beef sliders:

Honestly, most food is just so-so except for the caviar and baklava. I would just eat the caviar next time…

The door and blind have got the luxury feel.

Seat in flat mode:

This is probably the most ordinary part of the suite. Obviously it’s comfortable enough, but far from being a real bed and not that different from any other first class or even business class seats.

Lavatory:

There’s no shower room or bar on B777 – you can only find them on the A380.

The ground experience at Stansted is quite good too. Upon disembarking, a member of staff greets and guides the premium passengers until we arrive at immigration. Emirates has a dedicated fast track lane and an exclusive luggage belt for first / business class.

This is, without a question, the best flight experience I’ve ever had so far, and my previous first-class flights with BA or Air China are by no means comparable.

When it comes to the best first class cabin on the sky, people often mention Singapore Airlines (First Class Suite) and Etihad (First Apartment) as well. From what I’ve watched online they don’t look as fancy as Emirates, but they win at offering a proper double bed. Etihad of course has also The Residence, but it’s already a different league.