Emirates Economy Review: Will a Longhaul Flight Cause Dead Butt Syndrome?

I recently wrote a post regarding the pros and cons of flying Emirates business class, so as a follow up to that, I thought I would give you my Emirates Economy review. In all honesty, this is where I will probably spend most of my flight time. The upgrade to business class is a bit too steep to justify in my cheap brain. And I chose quite the flight to take economy, travelling all the way from Mexico City to Dubai on a Boeing 777-300. We did make a quick stop in Barcelona for about an hour, but I boarded the same plane to continue my journey. So, I got a two in one journey or about 20 hours of flight time to share with you.

The Cabin

The Emirates Cabin looks new and offers mood lighting, complete with a starry ceiling for sleep mode. The seating configuration is 3-4-3 in economy with two spacious isles which allowed for relatively quick boarding and deplaning. The bathrooms are smaller than the A-380 counterpart; think of the lavatory on a typical domestic flight, but offered the luxury hand soaps and lotions, which is a nice touch.

Seats

My preferred seat is the bulk head for extra legroom. But buyer beware, these seats are next to the bathrooms, so people congregate in this area and it is brighter if you are flying during the night. You also have to store absolutely everything during take off and landing. This includes the pillows and blankets that are waiting for you in your seat. You also can’t use the TV during take off and landing which may be annoying for some. To me, this is worth it for the additional legroom.

In comparison to other economy seats, I would say that the Emirates seat is a bit more spacious and offers more cushioning. After my 11 hour first flight from Mexico City to Barcelona, I was still comfortable. My butt didn’t fall asleep as it sometimes does in other airline seats.

Entertainment

There was so much entertainment available on your seat back 13.3″ screen. From new movies to the classics, TV series, games, podcasts, and music, there was a lot to keep you occupied. The seats are also equipped with 2 universal outlets per 3 seats and each seat has it’s own remote. Wi-Fi is also available for a charge during the flight, although I didn’t find that it worked very well.

Amenities

Upon boarding, each seat is set up with a good sized fleece blanket and pillow, along with a pair of over the ear headphones. The headphones are much better than the typical earbuds that other airlines give you and you could enjoy the endless entertainment for your entire 11 hour flight without discomfort.

Once on board, flight attendants come through the cabin offering a sustainable amenity kit which includes socks, eye mask, ear plugs, toothbrush, and toothpaste, and a book mark, all of which are reusable and sustainable.

Dining

Speaking of reusable and sustainable, the meals actually included real silverware and plates. The food differs depending on your departure locations, but is tasty. I always order a special meal (gluten free to be safe) and on my outbound flight from Mexico City, I actually got fish. Usually, I would not have touched this on a flight, but it didn’t smell funny so I tried it. It was shockingly good and filling. Pictured below is the meal I received in route from Barcelona to Dubai and it is a lot. Chicken, rice, green beans, 2 slices of GF bread, 2 fruit cups, and a green salad.

Service

The Emirates cabin crew is always very nice, albeit a little dismissive and hurried. However, they are always kind and happy to help. My seatmate was having issues with the Wi-Fi and one of the attendants helped him for 10 minutes, which I though was above and beyond. I did not get the same treatment from the cabin crew as I was skipped for a drink since I had my special meal and barely received a response when asking about the deplaning process in Barcelona when I was continuing to Dubai. I mean, I had one ticket that did not mention Barcelona, so I could have used some additional info. but ok. Point taken for my Emirates economy review!

How does Emirates economy compare to other carriers?

I most recently flew internationally with Delta, which as memory serves, is very similar to flying with United, so my Emirates economy review will be in comparison to those journeys. Overall, I would say that Emirates economy is more comfortable, seems more spacious, and the food and other amenities are better. I think the entertainment is probably comparable to Delta, although Emirates definitely had more choices that would cater to people from all over the world.

I was a bit surprised that the service was not better. Nothing was wrong with Emirates Economy service, but I did feel like I was bothering the cabin crew with any request like for water or the question about my direct flight with a stop.

In direct comparison to my recent international flight with Delta, I would say they did the food and beverage service much better than Emirates economy. While Emirates only comes through the cabin once with food and drinks, Delta makes several rounds and as a thirsty wine drinker, I appreciate that. Delta came through prior to the meal service with beverages (including free beer, wine, and spirits). The meal cart also included a beverage service and then they came again after dinner with more beverages. So Delta wins that one.

Emirates Economy Review- Overall

In my opinion, if its a long haul flight, I am choosing Emirates. However, if it is a shorter trip, I might consider another carrier depending on the price point, where I’m going, and who the carrier is. I think Emirates does the long haul flight very well and I also really like their loyalty program, so I will continue to fly with them. Next stop is Barcelona and Mallorca, but this time, I’m actually leaving the airport. Stay tuned for more travel reviews and itinerary suggestions!