Want to spoil yourself and fly in Emirates Boeing 777 business class? Or have you already booked and want to know what to expect?
Keep reading for this Emirates 777-300ER business class review which will tell you everything about flying in this plane with Emirates. I’m hoping it will help you work out if the 777 business class Emirates offers is worth it for you.
Business class is always such a treat. Emirates is well known as one of the best airlines in the world so I had high expectations when I booked my Emirates Boeing 777-300ER business class seats. These were soon dashed when I checked out the Emirates 777 business class seat map to select our actual seats and was surprised to find the cabin has a 2-3-2 configuration.
I then read more about business class on Emirates 777, and I was a little concerned.
While I was still confident I’d have a better experience than in economy, I did wonder if it would feel like a much lesser experience than other business classes I have flown like on Qatar, Etihad, Qantas, Singapore Airlines and Malaysia Airlines.
So how was it? Did I worry for nothing? What exactly is it like in business class on Emirates 777-300ER?
Keep reading for my full Emirates business class review 777 to find out with everything including the Emirates Boeing 777-300ER business class best seats, what we had to eat and drink, what the lounge is like in Dubai, what the service is like… Everything there is to know and experience in Emirates business class Boeing 777.
Make sure you watch the full video review too. It’s the best way to see exactly what it looks like onboard and what the experience is like.
I have also updated this review to include my experiences on a second flight, from Singapore to Melbourne.
I want to start this by pointing out that I have flown business class in many airlines, and since this is a review, I am more critical than I would be if I was someone who hadn’t flown business class much or wasn’t looking to learn all the nitty gritty about business class 777 Emirates to help you make an educated choice about booking this product.
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Contents
Emirates 777-300ER Business Class Review
Details Of My Flight: Emirates 777-300ER Business Class Reviews
I took this business class Emirates Boeing 777-300ER flight from Dubai to Kuala Lumpur which is scheduled to take 7 hours 25 minutes. It was scheduled to leave Dubai at 10:25am and arrive in Kuala Lumpur at 9:50pm.
I travelled with my 7 year old son, and we booked it using Qantas frequent flier points.
We sat in seats 4K and 4J which are two on the side next to each other.
Full Video Of My Emirates 777 Business Class Review
Check-In At Dubai Airport
Emirates flights all depart from Terminal 3 at Dubai International Airport so you need to head there. This terminal has a very large check-in area, one of the largest I have seen and we found it tricky to find the business class check-in area. We asked for help and ended up having to walk for quite a while to find it.
For your reference, it’s on the right hand side of the terminal as you enter and is like a whole separate part. If you see economy check-in desks, you need to walk back to the start and head further right.
Actually, the lines were basically non-existent in the economy area anyway so we should have just stayed there. We also didn’t realise until checking in that since we had checked in online and were travelling carry-on only, we didn’t need to check in.
Security was very fast and we were soon in the very busy terminal.
What is amazing is that Emirates offers a chauffeur service where you can be picked up at your home or hotel for business class passengers in many cities. HOWEVER, they do not offer this if you book through Qantas so we weren’t able to experience this. We may not have got lost in the terminal if we had this.
You can check if this is offered in your city here.
Lounge Access: Emirates Business Class Lounge In Dubai
Next up, we went as quick as possible to one of the Emirates Business Class Lounges in Dubai. I must admit that I felt a little overwhelmed when looking up Emirates Lounges before departure as there isn’t just one but four that I could access with my business class flight/Qantas status. They all sounded fantastic.
There are Emirates business class lounges in concourse A, B and C. There are also three first class lounges!
All the lounges have everything you would expect from top airport lounges with food and drink, various seating areas, showers and even a day spa (although business class travellers have to pay extra to access this).
The concourse A lounge is well known among lounge-goers thanks to having direct boarding access for business class travellers from the lounge (if your flight leaves from concourse A). It’s HUGE and runs the length of the terminal.
As we were flying from concourse C, we visited the lounge in concourse B. It was printed on our boarding pass to go to this lounge and it was on the way there. The downside is that there was no indication anywhere how long it would take us to get from the lounge to our C gate, so we had to leave quite early in case it was far.
I was quite happy since I had read about the special Moët and Chandon Champagne Lounge where you can try four of their champagnes and canapes by Michelin-starred chefs in this lounge.
The concourse B lounge even has a Costa Coffee. It’s a huge lounge with seating for 1,500 people.
After entering the terminal, you have to take a lift or escalators up to the main terminal area and look around for the business lounge sign. It’s not that easy to see, but keep looking and you will.
We initially thought we had to join a line to enter, but it turned out this was for SkyRewards and we were soon using the automated gates to enter the lounge.
We had both been super excited for this lounge experience, waking up early so we could have as much time there as possible.
But it was very crowded when we first arrived (about 7:15am). People were everywhere. It was hard to find seats and, it all felt like a lot of effort. It was much more pleasant by the time we left around 9:30am with a lot of spare seating.
The lounge is looooong and skinny. This means it can feel crowded easily and the different areas feel far apart. I felt like I spent a lot of time walking in this lounge and trying to relax instead of feeling like it was a relaxing place. I have been to Qatar’s and Etihad’s business lounges in their home cities in this region, and I prefer them because everything is closer together and I never had a problem getting a seat. It’s also difficult to find a seat + power for devices.
The upside is that it is very cool. There are many different food areas like the Health Hub (fruit and juices), Asian, Middle Eastern, Western and International food buffets. There’s a dessert buffet (Mr 7’s favourite) and my favourite, the Moët and Chandon Champagne Lounge.
Mr 7 was also super excited by the kid area with arcade games, but soon heart broken when the arcade games didn’t work and you needed a Playstation account for the Playstation! That area is pointless unless the idea is to frustrate kids.
As a diet cola addict, I was also disappointed to find soft drinks hard to find. I eventually noticed some hidden on the ground behind a counter and got a diet pepsi this way.
It was hard to get cold drinks in general. There is plenty of water and Perrier around, but it’s all sitting out and not refrigerated (hint: go to the Health Hub near the beginning of the lounge for cold water).
The food I ate (desserts and Indian) was just ok. The champagne was excellent though so just head to the Champagne Lounge!
There is also a relatively big smokers’ area and I was surprised to find it was an open area. This meant a big part of the lounge smelt of smoke, including around the Moët and Chandon Champagne Lounge 🙁 I have not seen a smoking area like this in many, mean years and I found it a little shocking.
The upside is that the areas around this, like at the champagne lounge, had seating free unlike elsewhere. It would have been nice to drink my champagne without feeling icky from the smoke smell though.
There are plenty of toilets and showers sprinkled across the lounge. It is definitely far easier to access a shower here than the impossible task it seemed in Qatar’s Doha lounge.
All in all, I was not a huge fan. I think if I had entered at 9am instead of 7am, I would have found it much more pleasant when the crowds were gone. It’s a shame it’s not easier to get a cold drink, the kids games didn’t work and that there is cigarette smoke in a big section of the lounge.
It’s still got its perks though and we did enjoy our time here. I imagine on a second+ visit, once you knew the layout and had preferences of where to go, it would be more enjoyable.
Please note though that flying business class on Emirates does not automatically mean you get to access one of these lounges. If you are flying on a business class special fare, you will need to pay if you want to access a lounge.
Boarding Experience
We left the lounge when the flight said boarding on the screens. This was about 40 minutes before. By the time we were in the main terminal part again, it said final boarding and we had an unpleasant rush to make it to gate C10 which was further than I imagined. It would be so good if they had information somewhere about how far away the gates are. I couldn’t even find it online.
On the way, we saw that the Emirates lounge in concourse C is shut.
At arrival at the gate, there weren’t many people left, but they were all in a big mess without clear lines and no one moved. There was definitely no priority even though we stood in the business line.
Once we were on the air bridge, it was very hot and we were in another, not-moving line. I realised they were all economy passengers, and I was able to get priority with a lot of “excuse me’s” so we could get to the business class part of the air bridge.
Onboard, we were welcomed and soon in our seats. It was obvious that the business class area wasn’t full which made things more pleasant.
Emirates 777 Business Class Seat Review
The cabin is in a 2-3-2 configuration. As I said above, I wasn’t happy when I learned about this, but actually I found the Emirates business class seats 777 better than I thought they would be. I was quite comfortable on this flight.
I had picked seats by the window for me and my son. The window seat is quite private and the top pick if travelling alone and looking for the best seats Emirates 777-300ER business class. Although sitting here means you don’t have aisle access. My aisle seat was nowhere near as private. While it has a big privacy partition, this is only to the seat next to it and there wasn’t really any privacy between me and the person on the other side of the aisle. Still, this seat beat the middle seat.
My seat was set up with a blanket and pillow, water bottle, headphones, socks and face masks. There was no amenity kit.
The screen is a good size and the entertainment options great. There is plenty of storage between the seat pocket under the screen (which fit my water, laptop, charge and more), some space for shoes and a storage area by the powerpoint/USB charger perfect for my phone and accessories.
There was also a tablet and remote on the side of the seat which seemed like overkill. I did like that my tablet kept playing the route map as I love being able to see one of those at all times.
The seat reclines nicely, but it is not a fully flat seat. My bigger complaint is that you can’t control different parts of the seat separately. As I write this while flying, I wish I could have my foot rest fully up (I love my feet up!) without having to have my back quite reclined. Still, it’s fine.
Just after takeoff, they came around and offered mattress toppers for people who wanted to sleep.
During the flight, I did have a nap. I didn’t find it particularly problematic that the bed didn’t lie completely flat and was reclined. However, I am 1.64 metres and my feet were fully against the seat in front of me. When my seat was reclined, but not fully flat, the foot rest was a little short for me as well. This is not a seat for tall people.
So the seat would not work so well for taller people, and I would be inclined to look at other options for an overnight flight.
Emirates Business Class 777-300ER Review: Food And Drinks
While I had a nice champagne on boarding and Mr 7 had a refreshing apple juice, I was surprised that any further meal service took awhile.
We were given menus before takeoff, but they only came around to take orders awhile after takeoff. I was not hungry so that was ok, but it would have been nice to have a drink service straight after takeoff.
It took about 1.75 hours after I boarded (we were last people to board in business class) before getting a drink other than the welcome drink. I was quite thirsty by then and wishing I had taken some drinks from the lounge.
I was glad the food wasn’t immediate though. I kind of hate that on medium-long haul business class flights since you’ve just had the chance to eat in the lounge. But a drink should be fairly immediate.
For our flight, there was a full lunch and a “light bite” for later. I hate there aren’t two full meal services on flights this long that are during the day. It’s a common complaint I have when flying from Australia to SE Asia. Although what they offer always does seem to be enough so perhaps I should start accepting it 🙂
The lunch was three courses with three options for each one. I was relieved there was an option for each that my son wanted as business class menus can struggle to be kid friendly. We could have ordered him a kid meal in advance but then they are so basic compared to the great food you can have in business class.
For my lunch, I was very tempted by the Arabic mezze for an appetiser but went with a cream of mushroom soup instead. I followed it up with chilli garlic prawns and a vegan chocolate tart.
My son had the mezze with a Thai red curry and chocolate tart.
He washed it down with an apple spritzer, I had a sauvignon blanc.
Everything I tasted was great.
There is a snack area towards the back of the business class cabin with items like apples, potato chips and water bottles. This hit the spot in the middle of the flight.
Drinks during the flight were tricky. They were slow and I only seemed to manage small glasses which meant I was still thirsty and needed more. It was annoying.
The “light bites” turned out to not be a second meal service. I was waiting for them to come and ask what we wanted. When this hadn’t happened just over an hour before landing, I asked for what we wanted thankfully or we would have gone hungry.
I found it weird that we hadn’t at least been told that this was not a service and we needed to ask when we wanted it. I didn’t see anyone else eating it and, with a flight this long, I think you do need more food.
The upside was that it was delicious. I had a great tuna poke bowl and my son loved his chicken kibbeh.
Amenities
I was surprised to find no amenity kit in this Boeing 777-300ER business class Emirates. There are socks and masks left on the seat, but nothing else.
When I went to the bathroom, there were little hand creams and some extra bathroom amenities like combs and toothbrushes/toothpaste. I took a hand cream, and it was nice. I also enjoyed the perfume available.
There was no internet, not even paid.
Emirates 777-300 Business Class Review Service
The service on this 777-300ER business class Emirates was good. I wouldn’t say it was especially warm, but staff were easy to engage. They weren’t especially friendly and I didn’t feel their english was as smooth as I would have expected but I have no real complaints beyond drinks being quite slow.
I also didn’t understand using big glasses but then only serving a little when it came to soft drinks.
Flying Emirates Business Class Boeing 777-300ER With A Kid
Mr 7 absolutely loved flying in business class 777-300ER Emirates. He had looked forward to this flight for months, and it did not disappoint.
There was no special attention or anything, but it was smooth. And at least they didn’t tell us off like we had in Qatar business when my 5 year old rung the buzzer for a drink (as I told him too) and they came and complained to me that he keeps ringing the buzzer! Ummm serve him like anyone else!!
I would have thought Emirates had kid activity kits or something similar, but we saw no evidence of this. If they do in economy, it seems crap he didn’t get one.
Note that I had a few annoyances when flying Emirates business with kids the next time. See my notes below on the Singapore to Melbourne flight. I would no longer say it was a positive experience to fly in this class with children.
Disembarking And Luggage
We arrived ahead of schedule and it was quick and easy to disembark in business class.
Since we didn’t check in luggage, I can’t comment on luggage priority for this flight.
Emirates 777-300ER Business Class Singapore To Melbourne
A few months after my experience flying Emirates business between Dubai and KL, I had the opportunity to fly them SIngapore to Melbourne. This time, I was travelling with two kids aged 7 and 13.
Interestingly, this flight is a very similar duration and left and arrived at very similar times. It was the same seats.
My experiences were much the same. Here is some information about where it differed:
- I used the Emirates lounge in Singapore. It was great with a great tarmac view. The offerings were simple but well done and delicious. I enjoyed my time in this lounge.
- The priority boarding was not the best. They sent business class passengers through a special air bridge and economy through another. However, the economy passengers still walked through my section of business class so I was actually stuck waiting to get to my seat while they all flowed off the air bridge in front of me.
- Welcome drinks took a long time and were after we started taxi-ing for take off so they were rushed and it felt annoying.
- There was a drinks service after take off, but it still took a long time. I asked for a drink and it took about half an hour.
- I had to argue for my 7 year old to be able to select food from the business class menu. It seems Emirates automatically assigned him a child meal and I was told I should ring Emirates if I want him to have the business class meal before the flight!!! Then they said we had to wait for all adults to order and he could have what’s left!! I honestly found this incredibly ridiculous and was not impressed. It’s enough to turn me off flying Emirates with kids again. He did get a kids’ activity pack this time.
- Food service started two hours after take off (and after the flight was an hour late leaving so quite a wait) and took another hour to finish. I had the salmon entre which was one of the best things I’ve ever eaten! Unfortunately, the prawn main was plain and not very nice.
- We were in the middle three seats which worked well for us. I found the service on my side fantastic, while it was annoying on my kids’ side. It wasn’t just arguing about the meal for the first service, but they completely forgot to bring out my 7 year old’s meal in the second service. They brought the wrong drink for my other kid. It just seemed continuously something wasn’t right.
- For the second meal service, they did seem to take orders this time, but they didn’t take my order and, like I said above, they never brought out one of my kids’ meals.
- There was no snack bar on this flight and no space where it could go like on the last plane either. They would bring snacks if you asked though.
- Australian arrival cards were only brought out right before landing. This is annoying when you have three to bring out.
Overall, I was not impressed by the service on this flight and did not feel that is was worth the high cost of flying business. Add in the sub-standard business cabin, and it’s hard to recommend this.
Emirates New 777 Business Class Vs Old
To make things a little more confusing, if you are planning on flying in business class Emirates 777, there are both old and new Emirates 777 business class seats.
I was able to determine that I would be flying on the old seats by looking at the seat selection in the manage booking area of Emirates once I had my flight booked. I was able to see a 3D view of what my Boeing 777 Emirates business class seats looked like from this, so I could tell what seats they were.
Other than the seats, there shouldn’t be much difference whether you are flying in Emirates 777 new business class or not.
So what is the difference in Emirates new business class 777? The biggest difference is that the older seats are not fully lie-flat when reclined. They are angled. Whereas the new seats lie flat and have an ottoman.
There is also a small minibar in the side of the new seats, although since these are not cooled, I don’t really understand the point of them. They also have bigger screens, more storage and are generally nicer and more comfortable.
Since we were on a day flight, it did not matter so much to us that we were on the older Emirates 777-300ER business class seats, although it still would have been nicer to be in the new Emirates business class 777.
Final Words: Is Emirates Boeing 777-300ER Business Class Worth It?
While I did have a great experience overall in this Emirates business class Boeing 777-300ER review, and it’s always nice to fly business class, I don’t think it is worth it when you compare it to other business class options.
This is primarily because of the Emirates Boeing 777 business class seats being angled, not great for tall people and the service being not as good as it could be. I found the time to get a drink, for example, across the flight duration, quite slow, and I think it should have been made clear that there wouldn’t be a second meal service.
Add in my sub-standard experiences on my Singapore to Melbourne flight and I’m not sure I would fly them again. Certainly not with a child. I shouldn’t have to ring Emirates before the flight for my kids to order business class food in business class!
However, it also wasn’t as bad as I imagined. The Emirates business class seats Boeing 777-300ER were comfortable enough and did the job fine for a day flight. The service could have been better, but it wasn’t terrible.
Given this is the only option between Dubai and Kuala Lumpur, I would take it. However, if you are flying from Europe to Malaysia, for example, it may be worth considering a different carrier that has a more comfortable seat than the Emirates 777-300 business class seats.
On the Singapore to Melbourne route, Qantas or Singapore Airlines are much better (see links to my reviews of these experiences below).
I hope you have found this full Emirates business class Kuala Lumpur to Dubai review useful. You can also read my Qantas business class review here, Singapore Airlines business class review here, Malaysia Airlines business class review here and Scoot Plus here. You can find all my planning guides (including flight reviews) here.
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