EK A380 SYD > AKL in Y mini-TR

[nonpop]

For anyone thinking of EK to NZ, here are some shots I took recently.
Hope some of you find the useful.

Thought I'd give the EK A380 (QF code) a go to AKL vs the LAN bird I have been using.
Price was much cheaper than the Lan QF code that used to be very economical. Both flights depart at a similar time in the morning from SYD so a hearty breakfast can be had in the 1st lounge.

Breakfast


View from lounge --- 3 x QF A380s all in view + the LAN A340


EK A380 shots - Cabin - this was the forward 'mini-cabin'


EK A380 shots - Legroom - space was acceptable and better than QF B737 IMHO


EK A380 shots - legroom


More to follow ...

 

[nonpop]

EK A380 shots - Entertainment. Was a bit flaky with some stutter. I notice that many people in the mini-cabin had the same issue. Staff tried to re-boot the system but then gave up. They seemed to not really care and just shrugged it off. The USB power worked well and I recharged by phone. There also appear to be a shared power point every 2 seats.


EK A380 shots - Bathrooms were right upfront of Y cabin that I used. They were clean and large and never seemed to be a line. The water was dispensed by waving your hand vs needing to touch something


EK A380 shots - Breakfast was nice and tasty. Good for an economy Y meal.


My thoughts:

Check-in: Had to be done via EK check-in. QF 1st rejected me even though I was on a QF ticket. I would have liked that with the QF/EK agreement that both parties could have checked their relevant pax in.

Lounge: As a QF WP I had access to the QF Syd 1st lounge. Though at EK check-in they did strongly suggest I use the EK lounge as it was closer to the gate.

Departure: It was 1.5 hrs late departing. I was told this at check-in only and no notification via SMS ever cam through. It was late due to coming from BKK I was told.

The flight was 99% full it seemed. I was lucky to have a single seat next to me free in the 4 seating section. I continued to move my seat around in the run up to the flight via manage my booking. In the mini-cabin the spare seat next to me was the only one. Yet even thought it was a full flight, it still felt better than a full B737.

Boarding: Was a bit of a scrum. Even with premium boarding it was not handled as well as I expected. Staff seemed overwhelmed. Once seated, pre-flight we were given a hot towel. But collection of the towel happened way after take-off. You could see everyone with the used towel wondering what to do with them. So many seemed to end up on the floor.

Overhead storage was at a premium as per just about every flight these days. I was travelling HLO and it seemed many others were doing the same. Nonetheless nobody seemed to not get space even though she was 99% full of pax.

Overall the flight experience was positive. The A380 is much nicer than the B737 and provides for a very quiet and smooth ride ... but surprisingly I still like the A340 LAN use as it felt less cramped especially with the 2 seating option.

Would I use the EK bird again ? Yes over QF B737 but prefer LAN A340. However; subject to price difference then the EK flight may be the one going forward.

 

[TomVexille]

Check-in: Had to be done via EK check-in. QF 1st rejected me even though I was on a QF ticket. I would have liked that with the QF/EK agreement that both parties could have checked their relevant pax in.

That's standard in any codeshare. You always check in with the operating airline.

 

[JohnPhelan]

Departure: It was 1.5 hrs late departing. I was told this at check-in only and no notification via SMS ever cam through. It was late due to coming from BKK I was told.

Strange that you were told that, given the aircraft comes from DXB, not BKK.

 

[TomVexille]

Strange that you were told that, given the aircraft comes from DXB, not BKK.

Yeah, strange since the BKK flight continues to CHC, not AKL.

 

[serfty]

Without checking, maybe they swapped aircraft at SYD?

 

[TomVexille]

Without checking, maybe they swapped aircraft at SYD?

DXB-BKK-SYD-CHC is a 77W

DXB-SYD-AKL is an A380

 

[nonpop]

That's standard in any codeshare. You always check in with the operating airline.

Yep I'm good for that. I was just kind of thinking that may be they had got their stuff together to allow it. I've had the QF 1st people check me in on LAN so just had my fingers crossed. Anyways I asked then for express in / out cards which they gave me.

And for the BKK delay ... yep again I thought it was coming from DXB but she kept saying BKK. Either way, delayed departure as a result of incoming bird. It also used to happen with the LAN flight. Just means more time in the 1st lounge ... so provided the delay is within reason e.g around 1hr, then all good in my books.

 

[NFF]

Steel cutleries ?

 

[mushez]

Steel cutleries ?

All EK flights are proper full size cutleries in all classes. No plastic to be found.