Emirates Airlines - Amsterdam to Perth via Dubai

After what had been a mentally and physically stressful 48 hours, we were in Amsterdam and had our fingers crossed that our flights would still be going ahead as planned. Midday rolled around and it was time to head down from the Sheraton Schiphol Hotel, through passport control and to the gate, about a 10 minute walk. As I headed down to the terminal, I stopped at one of the many mini-marts to purchase some prized antiseptic wipes, just to be safe.

As I had no check-in luggage, I checked-in online through the Emirates app and went straight to passport control, where to my surprise, it was quite busy. Maybe it should have been expected as everyone was trying to get home. Anyhow, my past experiences with Emirates had been up and down, so I wasn't sure what to expect. This time, however, I was more focussed on arriving home in one piece (safely) than anything else.

Flight number EK148 - Amsterdam (AMS) - Dubai (DXB)

Flight number EK420 - Dubai (DXB) - Perth (PER)

Aircraft type - Airbus A380-800 (both flights)

Amsterdam - Dubai (EK148)

Our flight was due to depart at 2:30pm so we commenced boarding at around 1:45pm. After each section had boarded, it was apparent that out of about 400 economy class seats, only 100 or so were filled. Like my previous flight with KLM, staff came around and ensured all individual passengers were adhering to social distancing measures. I was lucky enough to have the middle row of row 72 all to myself. After I had wiped my seat down with my new wipes (call me pedantic), and the flight attendants came around with a warm towel, we pushed back and headed for the runway. I wasn't sure what runway we used as I was in a middle row, however it was only a short taxi until we we're on our way.

As we were airborne, the lunch service started. There was a choice of beef with rice, chicken with pasta, or a vegetable dish. As always, I was stumped for choice and went with the beef. It was absolutely delicious, but me being me, I also asked for the chicken dish too. Don't judge me. I'm glad I did because it was just as good. Dessert was a white chocolate and raspberry cheesecake, which was a great end to a great meal. After a few glasses of a lovely drop of Shiraz, yes glasses, not bottles, I dozed off to sleep for the majority of the flight and woke up as we were descending in to the organised chaos that is Dubai International Airport. Just before landing, we were given a small snack pizza-pocket type thing which was very tasty. Flight time on EK148 was 5 hours and 53 minutes.

90 minutes passed quite quickly, as I wandered around for a bit, before settling down for a light midnight snack (it was 12:30am at this point). I chose a vegan blueberry muffin and coffee from Treehouse Juicery, which satisfied my tastebuds, albeit very expensive, at about USD$25. Then again, what isn't expensive at Dubai Airport, right? Check out my airport review of Dubai International Airport!

Perth - Dubai (EK420)

As time passed, it was time to board my next long-haul flight, this time 10 hours, from Dubai to Perth. There was not one spare seat on EK420, except for one next to me...yay! After again wiping my seat with the prized antiseptic goodies, the crew came around once again and handed out warm towels. We pushed back a few minutes late, but really, what is a few minutes when we're talking 10 hours. Plus, I was on board my final flight of a hectic few days, so it did not bother me in the slightest, I was just happy I got this far!

Shortly after take-off, dinner was served and I chose another beef dish, this time with mashed potato and greens. And yes, I do eat my greens. I polished dinner off in no time at all and got a very good 8 hours of shut eye before being woken up by the smell of the breakfast service. The breakfast choice consisted of an omelette with sausage, tomato, and a hash-brown kinda thing, noodles, or a cold dish, alongside a seasonal fruit salad and orange juice. Of course, I had to go for the first choice. The omelette, while obviously not hotel or restaurant quality, was really tasty, as well as the sausage and, well, we'll call it a potato cake, were both good quality.

After binging season 12 of The Big Bang Theory, it wasn't long before we descended over the Indian Ocean to Perth. As we were descending, the captain decided to take over the PA and announced there was a problem with the engines. The sight of the passengers' faces when he said that had to be seen to be believed. Soon after he made this announcement we landed on to runway 21 at Perth International Terminal. Instead of exiting the runway right away, we stopped whilst engineers had a quick look at the problem, before taxiing on to our gate. Disembarking from the jumbo jet, we were swamped with letters and legal documents to fill out prior to being stamped in to Australia, ensuring we would adhere to self-isolation rules upon entry. The flight time on EK148 was a mere 9 hours and 50 minutes.

Final Thoughts

Emirates then. What a great job this time 'round on both of my flights. Their world-class status is much deserved and the quality of cabin crew is simply phenomenal. Always walking up and down the isles in

case a passenger has a request, and they always seem to be available to help or just have a chat down the back. Unfortunately, my flight back to Amsterdam with Emirates has been cancelled due to current times, but I do look forward to travelling with them as soon as travel is a thing again. Yes, you pay slightly more for Emirates than others, but if you want an edge in comfort and service, it is well worth the money.