This flight may have happened nearly two years ago, but Emirates First Class on the A380 still remains the most fun flight that I have ever taken.
- Route: JFK – MXP
- Plane: Airbus A380
- Cost: 85,000 Emirates Points + $68
- Departure: April 2022
Emirates First class on the A380 is a bucket list flight for anyone in the points & miles space. There are a variety of different reasons, but if you’re looking for just one, it’s likely the famous Emirates First Class Shower Spa – where you can shower onboard.
This has always been the number one flight I’ve wanted to take ever since I got into points and miles, and after searching for award availability every now and then, I finally was able to land a seat on my very first true “First Class” flight.
Be prepared to book just a few days in advance
Emirates First Class is notorious for being difficult to book in advance. When I booked my seat, I flew out within 36 hours from New York City, which meant that I had to quickly get a repositioning flight to JFK from Denver, but luckily thanks to JetBlue points, the cost here was minimal as well.
After finding award availability, I quickly transferred over 85,000 American Express Membership Rewards Points directly to the Emirates Skywards program. This was back in April 2022, so the point cost has now risen to 102,000 Emirates Skywards miles for this exact same flight that I took, though the taxes and fees still remain below $100.
It’s also a good idea to lock up the award flight as soon as you see it, as the seats that are released are typically only one or two at a time and can go very quickly.
You will likely need to book your own repositioning flight
Emirates only flies to a few cities in the US, which means that if you don’t live in a major US city, you will likely need to book your own ticket (either via cash or points) to the place where your true award flight is.
Emirates currently flies to New York, Chicago, Washington DC, Boston, Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, Houston, Orlando, and Dallas. Which means that if you don’t live in any of these cities, you will first need to get to them to take an Emirates flight.
Emirates flies two wide bodied planes to the US. The Boeing 777 along with the Airbus A380. Both of these have different first class cabins, so be sure to do additional research on the specific cabin you will be in dependent on your route.
Ground Experience: Emirates Lounge – JFK
Luckily when you are flying out of JFK, Emirates has its own lounge for both business and first class passengers. The lounge isn’t necessarily anything too special (especially compared to the onboard experience) but it is still a nice lounge to use nevertheless if you don’t have access to others.
I would recommend visiting the lounge for a little but then also checking out the Centurion Lounge if you have an American Express Platinum card. The Centurion at JFK is even more special due to the fact that there is a “Speak-Easy” bar inside, with an excellent espresso martini.
If you decide to visit both lounges, just give yourself plenty of time to get to your gate, because you do not want to miss what comes next.
Seat & Amenities
After boarding the plane, and turning left (one of my favorite things) you will get to your massive seat in the first class cabin where the flight attendants will come around and ask if you would like a pre-departure beverage. A famous part about Emirates First Class is that they serve Dom Pérignon as a champagne, but not until you are in the area. I found out this is due to taxes and the cost involved with serving Dom on the ground. However, you can still get your pre-departure glass of champagne while on the ground.
The A380 suite has fully enclosed doors, ambient lighting, a massive TV, and the famous in-seat minibar that is stocked with snacks and drinks. Emirates also gives you some amazing amenities including Bulgari toiletries and some incredibly comfy pajamas that I still wear to this day. All in all, Emirates hooks you up for what is about to be one of those bucket list experiences.
Dining
After getting into the air, the real fun begins. The flight attendants will come back to you once again and bring one of the famous parts of any Emirates First Class flight, Dom Pérignon. This was my first time having Dom, which was a pretty cool experience. They also ask if you want to reserve a 30 minute session for the shower spa, more on that later (but of course it was a yes!)
Speaking of first experiences, later on they came around again with our first course which consisted of a few different appetizers, and then the famous caviar which was yet another first for me. Eventually our full meal came around where the menu was pretty extensive to pick from. My meal, the service, and everything in between was incredible, and arguably the best dining experience I’ve had on any flight I’ve taken so far.
Onboard Experience
After dinner, I did manage to get a few hours of sleep but was woken up gently by one of the flight attendants who said that it was now my turn to use the Spa, and this was hands down, the coolest experience I’ve ever had on an airplane.
Inside the massive Shower Spa you have an in-flight map, toilet, toiletries, and the famous shower itself. You get a total of 30 minutes in the actual Spa, with 5 minutes of hot running water inside the shower (there is a timer inside the shower so you know how fast to go!)
You aren’t rushed by any means and you can actually take some of the toiletries here back with you as well. After leaving the Shower Spa you exit to some ambient lighting and then a glass of tea waiting for you – what a cool touch!
After this, it was time to start waking up for my departure in Milan, but I managed to head to the back of the business class cabin to just checkout the onboard bar and lounge. This is available to use for both business and first class passengers and is a good place to socialize especially on those ultra long haul flights.
All in all, Emirates First Class still remains to be the most fun flight that I’ve taken so far (even after Singapore Suites & Lufthansa First from Frankfurt!) it’s hard to be the onboard experience and all of the fun things that come with it.
