Emirates A380 First Class Dubai to JFK
Gate B15 was just a short walk from the FCL, with Y pax boarding from the lower level...
... F & J pax from the upper level.
With direct elevator access to the second level of the jet bridge.
The EK First amenity kit, much better than most airlines.
Mrs. SFO goes for the dates and Arabic coffee.
Ready for an on-time departure, I love the A380 camera options.
OK, some very strange flight data numbers today. 70mph taxi and 274 miles distance traveled? Yikes.
Shortly after take-off, our crew jumped into action.
Today's menu...
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Wine list, in addition to Dom...
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At around 10:00AM, we both started with breakfast.
I opted for the "farmhouse fresh egg Omelet, served with roasted plum tomato, sautéed leaf spinach, baked beans, corn cakes and freshly grated cheese" although neither of the latter two items were evident on my plate, and a selection from the Breakfast mixed grill.
While Mrs. SFO chose the Breakfast Mixed Grill, "selection of succulent grilled chicken medallion, sizzling turkey sausage, tender lamb pepper kebab, sautéed woodland mushrooms, roasted cherry tomatoes and creamy lyonnaise potatoes marbled with herbs".
A few hours later, time for the first G&T of the day.
And a little later, let's go with Dom.
And around 4PM (T+7 or so) lunch...
... starting with the Seared tuna, "fresh tuna steak, marinated in a vibrant oriental soya ginger and wasabi sauce, served with crisp green papaya salad with piquant ginger and chili, accompanied by marinated asparagus tips and over roasted cherry tomatoes". Sounded a lot better than it tasted as they used way too little "vibrant oriental soya ginger and wasabi sauce" marinade. Green papaya salad was just as bland.
But the Ravioli pasta was sensational, fresh pasta cases generously filled with leek and woodland mushrooms, served with wild mushrooms and parmesan velouté, topped with freshly shaved parmesan cheese.
For my main, I went with the Pan-fried beef pepper steak even though eight hours after prep, any chance of anything less than well done was a long shot. As was the "crisp" golden roasted potatoes. On the other hand, it was still pretty tasty slathered in an unlisted red wine/onion/Asia sauce, and accompanied by the 2010 Sequana Sundawg Russian River Pinot Noir.
The Almond financier, a light moist French tea cake, served with poached rhubarb and almond wafer was a pleasant way to end the meal.
A little later, I went for a stroll to check out the Lounge at the rear of the J cabin. Some pics for the earlier flight.
And from today.
Back in 2E
I had booked a showed at T-2 and pretty much around that time, our FA came by to tell me that the shower was available. Some pics from our earlier flight.
And today.
Since we are only given 5 minutes, an in shower LED timer is a great idea. Not much pressure but it's enough to do the job. Although our FA did say that if I needed more that 5 minutes of water today, it would not be a problem.
All in all, the on board shower is a great idea. Back at my suite, I can tell that we've entered US airspace as, for some reason, Wifi automatically shuts down.
The air show is a great way to follow and watch our approach. Also fun to watch the erratic Distance Travelled stat which decreased the closer we got to JFK.
Arriving at Terminal 4 Gate A6 a few minutes early. Although the ground aspects of EK First could be improved, in the air, Emirates First is a great experience. Our 13+ hours were most pleasant and went by very quickly. And Mrs. SFO says she is looking forward to an even longer flight, our 16 hour LAX-DXB A380 flight in February. She might even try a shower on that one, especially now knowing about the miserable showers in the DXB FCL.
Customs and immigration was a breeze today. No wait for Global Entry kiosks and the friendly CBP agent at baggage check waived us through despite our exceeding the personal limits.