Flying Emirates Boeing 777 Business Class in 2021

After a smooth 13-hour flight from Washington DC to Dubai in Emirates First Class, we continued our $70,000 honeymoon trip to Maldives. This was after we had spent the day relaxing and having a great time at both Le Meridien Dubai Hotel and at The Emirates First Class Lounge.

In this post:

• St. Regis New York

• The Ritz Carlton Tysons Corner

• Air France Lounge – Washington DC (IAD)

• The Emirates First Class – 2021 Edition

• Le Meridien Hotel Dubai

• The Emirates First Class Lounge Dubai

• The St. Regis Maldives Resort

• Aerotel Transit Hotel Changi Airport Singapore

• The Longest Flight in the World (Singapore – New York)

• American Airlines Flagship First (JFK – MIA)

• The American Airlines Flagship Lounge Miami

• American Airlines Flagship Business (MIA – LAX)

• Our Round-The-World Honeymoon Trip [External Link]

On this flight, my wife was in First Class again while I was in seat 6K (Business Class) just right behind the Suite 2K where my wife was sitting. 

Booking a mixed cabin ticket wasn’t much of a problem for me in this case since I was going to review the Emirates Business Class on the old 777 anyway, and besides, it was just a 4-hour flight from Dubai to Maldives.

Surprisingly, our flight EK658 was already making its “Final Call” about 55 minutes before its’ estimated departure. Though we were still at the Emirates First Class Lounge at this point.

I’ve been a long-time fan of Emirates airlines and its’ products, both soft and hard. Though, until this time, I’ve tried so hard by avoiding flying the old Emirates Boeing 777 until this time, I must say I wasn’t disappointed in the business class cabin despite its’ lack of enough privacy and direct-aisle access as it is on the Emirates Airbus A380 Business Class.

The Emirates Business Class cabin on the Boeing 777-300ER is configured in a 2-3-2 configuration and consists of 42 seats altogether. The business class cabin was about 30% full on this flight, and there was no one else sitting in Row 6 except me.

Since I had selected seat 6K, a window and bulkhead seat which is right behind Suite 2K in First Class where my wife was seating, it was an easy access going in and out of the First Class cabin to talk and dine with my wife.

Coming in and out of the First Class cabin wasn’t a big deal to the crew on our flight EK658 from Dubai to Male, we were treated with utmost respect and courtesy.

We started pushback at 4:20am, and 10 minutes later we were already up in the air. The quiet sound of the Boeing 777 jet-engine was just so soothing.

Many would agree with me that Emirates Airlines doesn’t disappoint when it comes to food and beverage. The food and beverage service began shortly after takeoff, and we began the early hour of the morning with warm nuts and apple spritzer.

After a few snacks, I decided to have breakfast later and just get some sleep in the meantime. The Emirates business class seat on the Boeing 777 was comfortable, both in lie-flat mode and in takeoff/landing mode. 

About an hour before landing, my wife came over from her first class cabin to wake me up so we could have breakfast and prepare for landing. For breakfast, I opted for the Emirates full breakfast, which consisted of bread, pastries, yogurt and fresh fruits, and cheese omelet. 

In my own opinion, I felt like the lavatory on the Emirates Boeing 777 in business class cabin was a letdown. It was a regular-sized lavatory just like in narrow-body aircrafts. The lavatory featured both Voya and Bulgari bath amenities as you would expect from Emirates.

Our flight EK658 touchdown Male International Airport, Maldives at around 9:30am as scheduled.

My verdict:

While Emirates is one of my few preferred airlines in the world, I think the airline only shines with its’ Airbus A380. Although the services received on this flight was great, I believe it wouldn’t have been the same experience assuming the cabin was full. And again, I think Emirates need to do better with its’ lavatory in the business class cabin on the Boeing 777. But regardless of the few cons I pointed out, I still won’t mind jumping on another Emirates Business Class flight in a heartbeat.

My wife and I had a great time during our flight and the crew of this flight EK658 was just awesome. We arrived in Maldives looking forward to our next adventure at the “Great Room” before our seaplane to The St. Regis Maldives.

In conclusion, I would like to point out that the Boeing 777 is not comparable to A380. So, if you’re flying Emirates business for the first time, my recommendation is that you try the A380 first. This will surely give you a better experience than the 777.