I scored a taste of luxurious first class at a bargain price

The airline: Emirates

• Route Dubai to Kuwait City, flight EK855
• Frequency Daily (first-class available on selected dates)
• Aircraft Boeing 777-300ER
• Class First; seat 1A – best seat in the house
• Flight time One hour, 55 minutes (on time)

Checking in

I return my hire car before sunrise and glide towards first-class check-in. I sit while my boarding pass and bags are taken care of. This feels very VIP. Then it’s a quick skim latte and avocado toast in the proper first-class lounge before boarding.

Baggage

Pack up to 50 kilograms of checked baggage (maximum 32kg per item) and two 7kg cabin bags. Silver status as a Qantas Frequent Flyer or with Emirates Skywards unlocks an extra 12kg in the hold – the same for Qantas Club membership. Gold status gets you an extra 16kg and Platinum sees a 20kg boost.

Loyalty scheme

Emirates Skywards, partnered with Qantas Frequent Flyer. Booking first class with points now requires Skywards Silver or Qantas Silver status. Through the latter, grabbing a seat costs 34,800 Qantas points plus $394 from Dubai, one-way. Bringing the kids? Sorry, Emirates doesn’t allow that in first class for children under nine, unless you’re willing to buy a full-fare ticket. Stump up for that airfare and you’ll earn just 975 Qantas points one-way from Dubai, with no status credits.

The seat

Oh my gosh, I’m smiling. I waltz down the first-class aerobridge and my suite is calling. The lighted mirror greets, the snack basket entices, the desk lamp illuminates and the motorised minibar enchants. Legroom goes beyond any need to measure, and privacy doors and window shades close at the press of a button. This is the opposite of “are we there yet?” – I’m holding out for a delay to prolong the experience, but we disembark on time. Shame.

Entertainment + tech

The 32-inch screen is impressive, as are the Bowers & Wilkins noise-cancelling headphones. There’s also free and unlimited Starlink Wi-Fi on this aircraft (Emirates is progressively rolling it out), which reaches an incredible 375Mbps. That’s faster than my fibre at home. One AC and two USB-A ports keep gadgets recharged. A separate tablet functions as a wireless remote for the TV and the seat, including control of the “do not disturb” light.

Service

Today, I want to be disturbed – with everything. Three crew members make introductions and I’m quickly loaded up with pyjamas, slippers, snacks, newspapers, Arabic coffee, dates and warmed nuts … and we haven’t even hit the runway yet. I devour two glasses of the exquisite Dom Perignon 2006 Plenitude 2 champagne at the gate. At about $1200 per bottle in Australia, my flight just paid for itself. The crew continue pouring Dom as though it’s water and I’m handed a sneaky takeaway “coffee cup” for landing. It’d be a shame to waste good champagne, after all. I’m so glad I didn’t sleep through this morning’s alarm.

Food

From five options, the Emirati breakfast feels apt, combining haloumi, cheddar and cream cheese with hummus, tomato, olives, Arabic bread, hard-boiled eggs and laham nashif (dried meat). I skip the bakery basket as the serving is already generous. Another skim latte brings temporary respite from the bubbles. Chocolates follow, and when I’m too full for seconds, a fully loaded takeaway box arrives for the road. I enquire about caviar, but that’s only on longer flights. Next time.

Sustainability

Emirates operates a comprehensive reuse and recycling program for inflight service items and runs much of its ground operations via solar power. What began as 2990 solar panels in Dubai is being expanded to almost 40,000 panels. Inflight blankets are manufactured from plastic bottles and Emirates pilots are trained to avoid using full reverse thrust on landing to save fuel, reducing emissions.*

One more thing

For a taste of Emirates first class closer to home (and far from potential conflict in the region), fly Sydney-Christchurch for 78,400 Qantas points plus $234, one-way (you’ll still need Silver status). Whatever the route, watch out for aircraft swaps – my flight was to have Emirates’ newest suites, but the aircraft was switched the day before travel.

The price

Fly first class from about $4800 return between Dubai and Kuwait. Without using points, the Sydney to Christchurch route costs about $3800 return in first class. To fly from Sydney to London in first class costs about $22,000 return.**

The verdict

Do you need first class on a two-hour flight? Absolutely not. But that’s why it’s so fun. I’ve spent less than $400 and feel like a sheikh. At least, until reality returns at the passport queue.

Our rating out of five

★★★★★

The writer flew at his own expense using frequent flyer points.

*For more information about air travel and sustainability, see iata.org

**Fares are based on those available for travel three months from the time of publication and subject to change.