Review: Emirates First Class Dubai To San Francisco

Shelly and I originally had a Viking River Cruise scheduled from Amsterdam to Basel Switzerland. The cruise got canceled due to Covid but since we had our return flights on Emirates in first class, we decided to spend a week in Switzerland.

Over the course of our trip to Switzerland, I posted three airline, two hotel and one airline lounge reviews. Here are the other posts in this series:

American Airlines flagship first class from Dallas to London Heathrow is here.
Emirates game changer first class from Zurich to Dubai is here.
Emirates first class lounge at Dubai International Airport is here.
Hotel Continental Park in Lucerne Switzerland is here.
Waldorf Astoria Palm Jumeirah in Dubai is here.

At The Airport

I had arranged the chauffeur drive car service with Emirates to pick us up at the Waldorf Astoria Palm Jumeirah Hotel to Dubai International Airport (DXB). Emirates provides the chauffeur drive service for paid first class and business class customers at no charge. Passengers on award tickets either on Emirates or a partner airline (Alaska) will be provided with the chauffeur drive service at a reasonable rate. Emirates charged us a flat $50.00 USD for the BMW car service for this 26-mile trip. A taxi would have cost over $100.00 so paying for a chauffeur drive is well worth it. We asked for a 6:00 am hotel pick up and the driver was extremely prompt arriving at 5:50 am. These drivers work exclusively for Emirates so they treat the customers very well.

a man and woman standing next to a car — Emirates BMW chauffeur drive dropping us off at Dubai International Airport.

After getting out of the car, we were on our way to the first class check-in. The problem with priority check-in at DBX is that first class and business class uses the same check-in line. The morning of our flight, the lines were extremely long. Part of the slow check-in process may have been due to passenger documentation and Covid testing results. We had to show our negative Covid results three times before boarding the aircraft.

a red sign in an airport — This way to priority check-in.

a group of people in a airport — Priority check-in uses the same line for business and first class. The line was very slow, everybody had problems. Proof of Covid testing was the biggest problem.

After clearing the check-in counter, it was time to head to the first class lounge that had just reopened. Here is the lounge review.

a group of people wearing face masks — Checking in with the concierge at the Emirates first class lounge.

Boarding The Aircraft

Emirates boards first class passengers the way it should be done. When you step aboard the aircraft, the purser checks your boarding pass. If you are in first class, the purser will call over one of the first class flight attendants that will escort you to your suite and demonstrate the features and functions of your suite. My outstanding first class flight crew consisted of Jason, Muhammad and Emily the purser – an excellent crew.

The aircraft for this flight was a Boeing 777-300ER. The flight was scheduled to use an Airbus A380 but A380 service to San Francisco hadn’t been restored. This is a long flight that covers 8,090 miles with a block time of 15 hours and 50 minutes. Dubai and San Francisco are virtually on the opposite sides of the earth so the flight leaving Dubai flies straight north over the pole and south to San Francisco in a straight line.

There are a lot of goodies in the Emirates first class suite so let’s start the unboxing.

a map of the world — We literally flew a straight line from DXB over the North Pole to SFO. Map created by using greatcirclemapper.com.

a plane parked at an airport — Emirates operated the Boeing 777-300 on this flight.

a woman sitting in a chair holding a glass of wine — The first generation first class suite – doors open.

a pair of doors with blinds — The first generation first class suite – doors closed.

a suitcase tied to a seat belt — Carry-on storage.

a bottle of champagne and a glass on a table — Pre-departure Veuve Cliequot Brut champaign. Dom Perignon 2008 Champagne is available during the flight.

a woman wearing a mask and gloves holding a tray with food — Hot towel service.

a person in white gloves holding a gold object — A cup of Arabic coffee.

a person holding a box of chocolates — Yes, I’ll have a date.

a group of cosmetics on a table — Men’s amenity kit from Bulgari.

a black bag with a red handle — Lady’s amenity kit.

a group of black objects on a table — Lady’s amenity kit contents from Bulgari.

a bag and slippers on a tray — The Emirates hydration jammies and slippers.

a screen on a table in a plane — The Emirates ICE infotainment features a 32″ LCD screen and the snack basket.

a bowl of food and a face mask — The snack basket with a side order of sanitizer.

a man taking a selfie in a mirror — The toiletry kit is under the pop-up, lighted mirror.

a black notebook and pen in a tray — The coveted Emirates journal and pen.

a black headphones in a case — Bowers & Wilkens noise-canceling headphones.

glasses and cans on a shelf — Ensuite minibar.

Inflight Service

If you are flying Emirates first class, you better be hungry. The Emirates food and beverage menus are extensive and diverse. This flight serves breakfast and lunch which is actually like a full dinner service. IF YOU ARE STILL HUNGRY, there is a snack bar in the first class galley. Let’s check out the menu and get this party going . . .

a plate of nuts and a glass of ice on a table — Warm nuts and a Dalmore King Alexander III Scotch on the rocks after takeoff. May be the best Scotch ever.

a brown and white menus — Let’s see what’s on the menu.

a plate of fruit and a glass of water on a table — Breakfast starter. Fresh fruit and warm breads.

a plate of food on a table — Breakfast main course. Cheese and basil omelette with veal rashers, roasted potatoes and tomato.

a bed with pillows and a screen on the side of it — Bedtime. Wake me up for lunch, please.

a wine bottle and a plate of food on a table — Canapes of sweet potato tartlet, houmous with lamb baharat, smoke salmon crepe with poached pear. A glass of Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc.

a table with a plate and silverware — The table is set for lunch.

a table with a bowl of soup and silverware — Carrot and ginger soup.

a person holding a bottle of wine — Sandeman 40-year-old Tawny Port with dessert.

a plate of food and a glass of wine — Cheeseboard with Colston Basset Stilton PDO, Norfolk Mardler, Ossau-Iraty PDO, Somerset camembert, Varra Valley Dairy marinated feta and Nettle cheese.

a white towel on a plate — Chocolates and another hot towel.

Inflight Entertainment (IFE)

The first class suites feature a 32-inch HD monitor featuring the exclusive Emirates ICE infotainment system:

Information,
Communications and
Entertainment.

There are over 2,600 choices for movies, TV shows and games along with forward and downward-looking cameras. You can watch live TV and sports. ICE has the ability to create a favorites list, virtual keyword search and seat-to-seat call capability. I’m an avgeek so I chose to monitor the flight instruments and and flight progress.

a screen shot of a video game — I’m an avgeek, so I have the flight instrument view on the display.

a screen with a map and text — Following the flight path from Dubai over the North Pole and down to San Francisco.

a hand holding a video game controller — Infotainment remote control. This remote has a cord, the new first class remote is cordless.

a close up of a plug in — Power and USB ports.

a display case with food in it — Still hungry? There is a snack bar set up in the first class galley.

What It Cost

I priced out our first class Emirates flights from ZRH to DBX to SFO and it came in at just over $13,000. We used Alaska Airlines miles and redeemed 180,000 miles and $142.00 each which also included a first class flight on Alaska Airlines from San Francisco to Portland, OR.

Setting A Land Speed Record At SFO

I’m so glad that we have Global Entry. When we were clearing immigration in San Francisco, we headed to the Global Entry kiosks. At the kiosk, the kiosk scanned my passport then it scanned my face and printed that image on a cash register tape. From the kiosk, it is over to the immigration officer who took the cash register tape and waved us through. The process was completed in about 90 seconds.

Having Global Entry is so much better than just having TSA precheck. TSA precheck is $85.00 for five years and Global Entry which includes precheck is only $100.00 for five years. In addition to time savings, Global Entry gives you a Government-issued photo ID that will get you through TSA screening. Without the Global Entry card, I would have to pay for an enhanced driver’s license that complies with the Real ID format. For information on Global Entry, click here.

Final Thoughts

Emirates first class never disappoints. From the chauffeur drive service to the amazing inflight service. The first class lounges are opening back up as lounge operations are ramping back up. Emirate infotainment may be the best in the air with the Emirates ICE with extensive programming and a brilliant 32-inch monitor. The food service, like my flight, was non-stop so be sure to board hungry. The food and beverage menu is diverse, the food tastes great and the presentation and flight attendant service is nothing short of amazing.

The people of Emirates like those at the Waldorf Astoria Palm Jumeirah and every place else in Dubai are truly amazing. This was my first experience in the Middle East and on a Middle East airline and what I discovered is that these are people that simply put, can’t do enough for you.