Emirates airline's new Dubai-Cebu-Clark daily circular service has just two classes – business and economy. When I board the Boeing 777-300ER from Dubai International Airport and proceed to find my seat – just a few rows back from the forward doors – it feels like I'm flying first class, as there is no one else in a section in front.
I’d just come from the first-class lounge. As a special treat, those of us in business had been given access for Wednesday’s inaugural flight on this route.
Ordinarily, passengers flying business with Emirates are given access to the business lounge.
The transition from lounge to plane was seamless. We were fast-tracked and able to make our way swiftly to our allocated seats, of which there were 42 in a two-three-two configuration.
Unfortunately, it’s just a few steps on to the plane before I realise I’m seated in the middle of a row of three. I immediately begin feeling less than impressed (I wasn’t able to choose my seat as I was on a group booking). But I accept it and decide to make the most of the extra leg room and flat-bed set-up – after all, it is already past 3am.
The flight’s scheduled times are takeoff from Dubai at 2.55am and landing in Cebu at 3.50pm. Before take-off, the staff are very particular about the stowage of all bags and shoes in the overhead lockers.
Refreshments are served as soon as we reach our cruising altitude. At this time the steward checks in with me about my special meal request, while other guests hand over their suit jackets which are tagged and stored in a private cupboard.
There are a couple of things that are slightly annoying. The television unit doesn’t have touchscreen capability, and the USB drive isn’t easy to locate.
I sleep through the light breakfast that is served about an hour or so into the flight, and still feel groggy when “lunch” is served two hours before landing. This is testament to the comfortable bed-like seats, which are worth every cent of the Dh8,775. For economy you pay Dh2,385.
And with just three business seats to spare on the flight, which seats 428 across both classes, I’d say that’s a good indication most people agree.
q&a links with the Philippines
Melinda Healy gives more details about Emirates and its Philippine connection:
How many aircraft does Emirates airline have in its fleet?
Currently the airline has 236 passenger aircraft and 15 freighter aircraft and it has another 252 aircraft pending delivery.
How many destinations does the airline fly to?
The Emirates network has more than 150 destinations. It flies to 80 countries in six continents.
How many Filipino cabin crew does Emirates employ?
It has more than 1,050 Filipino crew to help local residents feel right at home when travelling with the UAE carrier.
How many new routes have Emirates added in the past year and how many more are forthcoming this year?
Emirates last year launched six routes – Bali, Indonesia; Multan, Pakistan; Orlando, Florida; Mashhad, Iran; Bologna, Italy; and Sabiha Gokcen, Turkey. This year, in addition to the Cebu/Clark circular service, it will launch Yinchuan and Zhengzhou, China; Yangon, Myanmar; and Hanoi, Vietnam.
How many passengers has Emirates carried since it launched flights to the Philippines back in 1990?
In the past 26 years, Emirates has carried more than 7.5 million Filipinos, international tourists and business passengers. In 2015 alone the airline hosted more than 550,000 on the Manila-Dubai route.
mhealy@thenational.ae
The writer travelled as a guest of Emirates.
Follow The National's Business section on Twitter