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CLASS WARS
Travel experts review Emirates’ first, business and economy seats on the same flight – so how do they stack up?
EMIRATES is known for its luxurious first class cabins - but at over a thousand pound more than economy each way for the privilege, can they really be worth the money?
Three travel experts put their offering to the test to find out just what you might expect from different cabin classes on the same flight.
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director of content Nicky Kelvin, head of video Jean Arnas and senior writer Ben Smithson recently headed off to Dubai with the Middle Eastern airline from London Stansted.
All three were on the same Boeing 777 flight, but travelling different classes.
Nicky managed to nab a seat in first class, Jean was in business while Ben landed the economy seat.
Each of them rated their journey based on ground experience, cabin and seat, amenities and in-flight entertainment, food and beverage and service, before giving it an overall mark out of 100.
Read on to find out what they really thought....
Economy - from £379 return
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Ben managed to grab a window seat in economy, next to other passengers, which he said was "uncomfortably narrow".
It was a full flight, which meant that the crew were a bit flustered according to Ben.
Even so, he gave them 18 out of 25 for service.
There were few frills in economy - there was no amenity kit but he did get a pillow, blanket and padded headphones.
While the juice was served in plastic cups and the water in single-serve containers, Ben said it was "the best food I have ever had in economy".
He also praised the in-flight entertainment as there were hundreds and hundreds of options.
Overall, he scored the experience 68 out of 100.
Business - from £1,779 return
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Surprisingly, Jean, who flew in business class, didn't rate the overall experience much better than Ben, giving it a total of 68 out of 100 as well.
The best bit was the seat, which was designed to offer plenty of privacy and rolls down into a bed at the touch of a button.
Like economy, the food was excellent - the plated dishes were served on a tray in his private enclosure with a generous glass of wine.
He also enjoyed a cocktail with a plate of salted nuts - and even had a personal bar with soft drinks.
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But Jean did have a few complaints.
For one, there was no separate boarding gate for business class passengers.
The service was also not as good as he expected, as his drinks orders were ignored and the time between starter and main course was way too long - an hour and 20 minutes.
He explained: "40 mins after my starter, the crew came to tell me that “the oven was broken” and took another 40 mins or so for my main course to arrive."
Plus, there was no amenity kit bag and the amenities he received were "sub par".
First - from £4,279 return
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Nicky tested the first class cabin, which the airline described as "game-changing".
Needless to say, he had an "almost flawless" onboard experience in first class in his "incredibly well-designed and posh suite".
There was vintage Dom Perignon champagne to kick things off and the meals were served on proper plates a spacious table, mini salt and pepper grinders included.
He had his own mini-bar as well as a treats basket.
And when it came to getting some rest, he could close the door to his private suite as well as the curtains, while his bed was prepared for him by cabin crew.
Nicky gave almost every aspect his journey full marks, totalling 90 out of 100, but the ground experience was far from perfect.
He complained about the "messy boarding experience" and the "not-quite-first-class lounge in Dubai".
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The Points Guy team previously tested out all the cabins on a British Airways flight.
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Sun Online Travel also revealed that there's a passenger rating system that determines how you're treated.