Did you ever imagine flying Emirates First Class without spending a fortune? Then this article will make your dream come true!
What makes the Emirates First Class experience so special?
Picture this: you are comfortably seated in your private First Class suite on board the Emirates A380. “Can I pour you some more champagne sir?” – your personally assigned crew member asks with a warm smile. Graciously pouring you a glass of Dom Pérignon causing a delicate ballet of bubbles rising gracefully from the bottom.
Outside a magnificent sunset unfolds and a warm, golden light filters through the 3 windows of your suite. You lift your glass and take a sip, feeling the bubbles burst gently on your tongue. In front of you a meticulously set table with a more than generous portion of caviar. Life is particularly good in First Class.
And this is just the beginning, we did not talk yet about the personal minibar inside the suite that magically lifts and glides open with a soft nudge. You can see it the video below:
And if you can’t find what you are looking for then there is an actual onboard lounge with a bartender who can prepare your favorite cocktail. Feeling a little overwhelmed and want to freshen up? Well if you are flying on the A380 you can actually take a shower on the plane.
The cheapest way to experience Emirates First Class in 2024?
There are 2 affordable Fifth freedom flights (more about what those are in the next section) on which Emirates offers First Class.
Flying Emirates A380 First Class between Bangkok and Hong Kong
You can either fly 3 hours in First Class on the A380 between Bangkok (BKK) and Hong Kong (HKG) costing around 817 EUR one way or 1290 EUR return. Sometimes there are promotions and you can get a one way for around 600 EUR and that’s exactly what I did 😉
Not a bad deal for a once in a life time very exclusive luxury experience if you ask me.
It’s also possible to redeem 45.000 miles for a one way ticket. Again sometimes there are promotions and you could get it for even less.
Flying Emirates 777 First Class Between Cyprus and Malta
Alternatively you can fly 2 hours 50 minutes on the 777 between Larnaca (LCA) in Cyprus and Malta (MLA).
For the best experience I strongly recommend the A380 between Bangkok and Hong Kong as only the A380 has the onboard shower & bar and the caviar service, which is only available for flights of minimum 3 hours.
I tried both First Class flights from Bangkok and from Cyprus and even without all the extra glitter and glam on the Cyprus flight, it’s still an amazing experience. Remember that Business Class or First Class in Europe usually means an economy seat with an empty seat next to you. On Emirates I got my own private suite with a full flat bed, Champagne, a la carte dining, Hennessy Paradis, … But if you want maximum value for your money you might skip this one or wait for a promotion.
Currently you can only find these flights for around 1500 EUR which is quite high.
The cost in miles between Cyprus and Malta in First class is the same as between Bangkok and Hong Kong: 45.000 miles.
What is a Fifth Freedom flight?
When an airline flies between 2 countries that are not it’s home base then this is called a Fifth freedom flight. In this case Emirates (Dubai, UAE) flies between Thailand and Hong Kong or Cyprus and Malta. As Emirates offers a much more premium service than any of the local carriers these flights are especially interesting in Europe and in US where most local airlines lowered their standards to Ryanair / Wizzair level.
Which other Fifth Freedom flights offer Luxury experiences?
- Singapore Airlines between Milan (MXP) and Barcelona (BCN)
- Singapore Airlines between Frankfurt (FRA) and New York (JFK)
- Singapore Airlines between Manchester (MAN) and Houston (IAH)
- Singapore Airlines between Tokyo (NRT) and Los Angeles (LAX)
- Qatar Airways between Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) and Phnom Penh (PNH)
- Qatar Airways between Lusaka (LUN) and Harare (HRE)
- Gulf Air between Larnaca (LCA) and Athens (ATH)
- …
More Luxury flight experiences?
If you like what you read and want to indulge in more luxury experiences then you can check the first world problems of a travel hacker.
Happy travels!