What Makes Emirates Business-Class Dining Service Stand Out From The Rest
Anyone who travels by airplane for business or for pleasure wonders what it's like to fly in business or first-class, especially on long-haul international flights. Those in economy strain to peek behind the flimsy curtain shielding the elevated experience from view. Some airlines provide perks to guests in economy classes but the best treats are reserved for business and first-class.
What makes luxury flight experiences worth the price tag? Insider took a look at Emirates Airlines, revealing that they serve some of the best inflight food with flawless service. These differences make you want to grab your passport and book an international flight today.
Emirates Airlines urges you to fly better by flying with its team. The airline boldly claims that when you fly Emirates, you can expect the extraordinary. From its elite pre-flight Moët & Chandon Champagne airport lounges to its cushy onboard amenity kits filled with toothpaste, earplugs, socks, and eye masks to its top-shelf stocked bars and flowing bottles of wine to its genuinely comfortable seats, complimentary Wi-Fi, and 5000 channels of in-flight entertainment, Emirates excels in hospitality at its finest. Your wishes and needs are the team's commands.
Emirates is famous for being one of the most luxurious airlines in the world, according to Investopedia. The experience begins in the airport lounge and doesn't end until you gather your luggage. Whether you're shopping for luxury brands in the online boutique or sleeping soundly, per Luxury Hotels, Emirates is one of the top airlines for travel.
Luxury at 40,000 feet
With leather seats that recline completely and privacy panels in place, each guest is treated like royalty. Flight attendants are on hand to indulge your craving for comfortability. Fluffy pillows, cozy blankets, and other luxurious essentials are bestowed on eager guests to ensure they feel pampered and cared for. Luxury Hotels reveals that the airline will even chauffeur guests to the airport in private limousines, making it one of the most luxurious commercial airlines.
According to Insider, impeccably attired flight attendants visit each guest once the airplane reaches altitude, offering a warm, moist, lemon-scented cloth to refresh the hands and face after the jaunt through the airport. They promptly provide dining and beverage menus and pour complimentary glasses of Moët & Chandon vintage champagne and soft drinks to guests. Orders are taken for each meal at the beginning of the flight, making meal service seamless throughout your time onboard.
Insider states that what truly sets Emirates airlines apart from other luxury airlines is its attention to excellence in its business-class dining experience.
Setting the table
Emirates' official website shows that business-class passengers are treated to elegant white table linens, with meals served on Royal Doulton bone china with high-end, full-sized flatware, arranged on a sturdy table surface made for dining. While it isn't quite five-star fine dining, it's close.
Emirates focuses on freshly prepared seasonal and regional cuisine and does a great job given the space and cooking constraints of an airplane. In its review, BusinessClass.com notes that Emirates will tailor the menu to the flight's destination, focusing on more local tastes. While the meals are pre-cooked and packaged, they resemble fine dining, and care is taken in heating the meals, so that everything is evenly cooked and heated without drying anything out, according to Insider.
In his profile of the airline, Harrison Jacobs, Insider's first international correspondent, said that the Emirates three-course meal on the business-class flight from New York City to Dubai was the best he had ever had.
Three- and four-course meals
You won't get the same meal on every flight. According to CNN Travel, Emirates changes its menu monthly for seasonality and freshness. Emirates chefs demand quality ingredients and don't cut corners. The airline has about 7,000 dishes in its culinary repertoire and serves around 180,000 meals daily and 55 million meals each year!
Glancing at the Emirates sample menus available on their site, gourmet meals are multi-course and no need is left unmet. Three midday lunch entrees are available, and in the evening three and four-course meals are served, which will satisfy even the most epicurean palate.
Depending on the route, midday meals and snacks are served shortly after departure, followed by a generous evening meal. Dinner includes alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages of your choice, a crisp seasonal salad starter, and one of four gourmet entrée selections. A selection of bread and rolls are offered along with evening meals. Per Insider, Emirates ending the meal with a creative cheese board and a variety of gourmet desserts or fruit is an impressive touch, as is the fine chocolates to finish the evening dining experience.
Three hot breakfast selections and three light-bite offerings, along with pastries, bread, fruits, yogurt, juices, coffee, and tea are served a few hours before arrival.
Regional cuisine with different flavor profiles is a top priority. Naturally, modern twists on Middle Eastern food factor in on every flight. On business-class flights between Japan and other destinations, a clever Japanese Bento Box complete with sake is offered (via Emirates).
Relaxing in the best onboard bar and lounge
The Richest rates Emirates as the second-most luxurious airline because of its luxe first-class style, and "posh" doesn't even begin to describe the generous onboard cocktail lounge in business class. The bar is glossy wood, with mirrors, chrome, and lights, and drinks are served in real glasses with flair. Travel + Leisure divulges that the lounge is the perfect place to stretch your legs or relax on one of the leather couches encompassing the space.
Skilled flight attendant mixologists are equipped to prepare top-shelf cocktails, and pour a glass of wine, an icy cold beer, or a favorite non-alcoholic beverage for adults and for children. Bowls filled with regional fresh fruit, tasty snacks, herb-infused olives, elegant canapes, sandwiches, pastries, and cakes, are as plentiful as are the leisurely conversations with intriguing travelers from across the globe.
The Emirates onboard bars are full-service and well-stocked; not just bedecked with nibbles and cocktails, according to T+L, but also fussy and fragrant bouquets of fresh-cut flowers. Ample beverage service is accessible during meals and throughout the flight without ever leaving your seat. Emirates quenches every connoisseur's thirst, with top-shelf spirits and liqueurs, Moët & Chandon Champagne, beer, wine, aperitifs, soft drinks, a variety of teas and tisanes, and endless pots of freshly brewed coffee.