This is the second part of my review of my flight from Toronto to Colombo via Dubai on Emirates Airlines.
(This is Part One of the review, and it contained the flight from Toronto to Dubai.)DUBAI-COLOMBO on Emirates
This is a short haul flight, with just over four hours of flying time. Emirates deploys Boeing 777s for this route.
Again, Emirates has an impressive array of entertainment options though the Live TV did not display any of the listed stations.
For breakfast on this route, Emirates had two options - either chicken curry with lemon grass, served with Sri Lankan-style coconut roti and seeni sambol, or cheese omelette with vegetable croquettes and creamy spinach with sweetcorn. I went for the first. There was fresh fruits and breakfast cake as well.
I was not sure whether alcohol was served though it was listed in the menu card. However, this was an early morning flight so not certain whether anyone ordered it.
COLOMBO-DUBAI on emirates
I had checked in online two days before - yes, one of the advantages of Emirates is that it allows online check-in as early as 48 hours before the flight - and at the airport there was a separate line for online check-ins where we just had to get our boarding pass and check in our luggage. The online check-in section was virtually empty so checking in was a breeze.
Again, boarding was very professional.
The flight was, just like the Dubai-Colombo route rather uneventful.
For the meal, I chose chicken curry with moong kiribath (milk rice), served with mustard curry and coconut milk rice cake and spiced chickpeas.
DUBAI-TORONTO
It was almost the same routine. Orderly boarding. Great service.
The meal plan was slightly different, though: as the flight left just before ten am, we were served a breakfast of either cheese omelette with vegetable croquettes and creamy spinach with sweet corn, or scrambled egg with chicken chipotatas, baked beans and creamy spinach. I went for the latter.
For lunch, they had braised chicken with pepper sauce, served with green beans and mashed potatoes with herbs, or cod with roasted garlic sauce, served with vegetable couscous. I chose the former. There was also brown rice salad and chocolate mousse.
Later there was Emirates pizza and fruits and snack bars available.
General Comments about my emirates flights:
Oftentimes, I saw flight attendants going around with polaroid-type cameras snapping photos. I guess that was for passengers who wanted their presence to be engraved in print.
And I loved the fact they said there were employees from 16 countries speaking 15 languages. And, sure enough, there was English with various accents which is something to be appreciated in this globalized world.
I also found the paper bag they gave to drop cans, bottles etc., is a very neat idea. Sure, it makes the lives of the attendants and the cleaning staff easier but in general, I find it a cool idea.
The biggest, and the most powerful, observation, though was the demeanour of the flight attendants. They were so friendly and polite. It was one of those rare occasions when I felt I could stop by and chat with them.
Right from the beginning, Emirates wants to make sure you are welcome aboard and at least in my case they succeeded.
All in all, I am hooked to Emirates! Now I have to figure out a way to fly business class in one of their 380s!
Take a look at the video of my flight.