Customer Service Review – Emirates Airline

Having looked forward to my holiday to Dubai all year long, the date had finally come. Checking-in at the airport was a breeze – the Emirates check-in staff were friendly and efficient, even despite the huge number of passengers seemingly getting on my flight. Dedicated check-in desks were a welcome change, which I suppose is a perk of paying extra to fly with a major airline like Emirates. After check-in, I wasted a few hours with mundane airport activities.

It was soon time to board my flight. After being offered a newspaper or magazine in the departure gate (a nice touch!), we were directed down an air-bridge to our rather large Boeing 777 aircraft. The cabin crew looked glamorous and welcomed me on board with a smile.

Having booked an economy ticket, I was pleasantly surprised when I settled into my seat. Economy on a big international airline such at Emirates is not the same as the typical European charter fare. I had a decent-sized personal TV screen, a comfy pillow and nice amenity kit.

Once we were on our way, the cabin crew came out with a wide selection of drinks and nibbles followed by a meal. The service was a little slower than expected – I wasn’t hungry when I saw they had started serving, and I was ravenous by the time my food arrived. The food was better than average, with a tasty Middle Eastern twist, but by all accounts still “plane food”. I must be the odd person out who actually enjoys “plane food”. There is something novel about everything being in its own container, the obligatory bread roll and foil-covered cup of water.

At about 3 hours into my 7 hour flight, I must admit I was starting to get restless. The crew had left far too long to allow people to eat and I was essentially trapped in my seat by my meal tray and empty drinks – shrinking my economy seat dramatically. Eventually when the rubbish was collected in, I decided to watch a film.

The selection of in-flight entertainment was great, with a wide choice of on-demand films and TV shows – I struggled to decide which one to pick. I must admit that the screen was a little too close for comfort. Obviously there isn’t much that can be done about this as it is fixed to the back of the seat in front of me – and if I wanted legroom, I’d have to pay a lot extra to upgrade to business or first class.

A little while into my film of choice, the lights were dimmed as passengers around me drifted off to sleep. I’ve never understood how people manage to sleep sat bolt upright surrounded by strangers. Feeling thirsty, I decided to press the call bell to ask for another drink. After waiting a few minutes, I was approached by a rather stern-looking cabin crew member. After asking what I wanted, she begrudgingly offered to get me a drink. Returning quite a while later with my orange juice, she definitely didn’t look happy to help.

The rest of the flight seemed slow. My seat felt like it was shrinking around me and I struggled to get comfortable – but I don’t imagine sitting in any seat for 7 hours is going to be a particularly enjoyable experience. I was relieved when the seat-belt signs flashed on as we prepared to land in Dubai.

The customer service with Emirates was good overall. I was only let down in a couple of areas, which could have been due to it being such a busy flight, as there wasn’t an empty seat in sight. Besides one crew member, the staff were very professional and friendly and the level of service was high. I would definitely consider flying with Emirates again in future, perhaps just at a quieter time of year – after all, Dubai is a massive winter holiday destination.