After Taking a Flight on Emirates, I Never Want to Fly a Domestic Airline Again
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Even before I boarded my flight from Milan to New York, I could tell this would be different from a flight on most domestic airlines. Any passenger — not just those in business class — could take a newspaper or magazine for the trip.
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Freshly poured mimosas were available upon boarding, but unfortunately for me, those were reserved for business-class travelers.
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The flowers hanging by the bathroom were a nice touch. They came down before takeoff.
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Business class looked pretty cushy, with reclining seats, reading lamps, and big TV screens.
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But I wasn't prepared to pony up several thousand dollars for an eight-hour flight, so I kept heading toward the back of the plane.
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At least the overhead bins were spacious, even in the rear.
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My seat, 27K, was a window seat, and my row was full. Even so, I had plenty of room to wiggle my knees around. I'd hoped to fly on one of Emirates' impressive new A380 planes, which have two decks and slightly larger economy seats. But it was hard to complain.
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And one thing's for sure ... I lucked out with the view. That's one very large airplane wing, with the Swiss Alps in the background!
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Each seat came with a wrapped blanket and pillow ...
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And a set of headphones and some brightly colored stickers.
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The stickers had a cool purpose: Passengers were instructed to put them on their seatbacks to let flight attendants know if they wanted to be woken up for food or shopping.
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I made sure I would be awoken for dinner. I had heard good things about Emirates' cuisine (Saveur's experts have named its business-class in-flight fare the best two years in a row) and didn't want to miss it.
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Before we took off, a flight attendant came around with hot towels. In economy class!
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She also handed each passenger a printed menu. In economy!
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After takeoff, I started browsing the complimentary issue of Italian fashion glossy Grazia, which I'd picked up at the newsstand. It almost immediately put me to sleep ...
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But I was awoken soon after when the drink cart rolled up. Unlike on most domestic airlines (even those that fly internationally; the booze was free. The white wine wasn't half bad, and the flight attendant passed me a second bottle before I even had to ask for one. My seat neighbor collected mini bottles of Johnnie Walker Red Label as if it were going out of production.For more, click here.
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