Flying Emirates’ first-class from Miami to Bogota

A ticket in Emirates’ first-class may appear out of attain for many vacationers. In any case, a long-haul flight within the airline’s over-the-top suites can value north of $10,000, relying on the route.

Even if in case you have Emirates Skywards miles to redeem, the airline typically levies excessive taxes and surcharges on award tickets that may make them prohibitively costly, too.

Fortunately, Emirates operates a lot of “fifth-freedom” flights on which first-class fares and awards might be cheap. Fifth-freedom routes are these operated by an airline between two international locations, neither of which is the airline’s residence nation.

Fifth-freedom routes are typically tag flights between two locations with a number of visitors which are designed to optimize the usage of an plane’s time. Although these routes are sometimes on the shorter aspect, many are nonetheless operated by long-haul plane with swanky worldwide premium cabins on board.

Bucket-list bookings: The most effective luxurious suites within the sky and easy methods to fly them

Emirates, for example, operates fifth-freedom flights between Newark Liberty Worldwide Airport (EWR) and Athens Worldwide Airport (ATH), John F. Kennedy Worldwide Airport (JFK) and Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP), Colombo Bandaranaike Worldwide Airport (CMB) in Sri Lanka and Velana Worldwide Airport (MLE) within the Maldives, and Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) and Hong Kong Worldwide Airport (HKG), amongst others. It makes use of its mainline Airbus A380s and Boeing 777s to take action.

Certainly one of Emirates’ latest fifth-freedom flights from the U.S. is the three-hour leg between Miami Worldwide Airport (MIA) and El Dorado Worldwide Airport (BOG) in Bogota, Colombia, which started working every day in June.

Shortly after the route launched, money fares for first-class tickets had been holding regular at about $3,200 to $3,500 every method, or $4,860 to $5,400 round-trip.

Nonetheless, there was (and continues to be) plentiful award house almost every single day — not simply in first-class, but additionally in enterprise and financial system — all through the schedule. First-class awards will set you again 60,000 Emirates Skywards miles plus $105 to $186 every method (relying on which course you fly). That is a number of miles, however you might be nonetheless getting over 5 cents per Skywards mile in worth when touring one-way.

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Understand that Emirates Skywards can be a switch associate of almost all the key bank card applications with transferable currencies, together with:

So it is very simple to fill up on the Skywards miles you want, even in the event you hardly ever (or by no means) fly Emirates.

That is why I made a decision to guide a one-way flight from Miami to Bogota in late August and see simply how a lot of the Emirates first-class expertise I might squeeze into a comparatively quick flight.

Flying Emirates’ first-class between Miami and Bogota: The expertise

My flight departed MIA at 12:05 p.m. and was set to land at 2:55 p.m. in Bogota. Although it was scheduled to be three hours and 50 minutes, the flight was really simply shy of three hours.

I bought to the airport at about 9 a.m. to present myself additional time. Due to my first-class ticket, I used to be ready to make use of the designated check-in counters for first-class passengers; there was no wait, and I acquired entry to the Turkish Airways lounge.

It was pretty crowded however a pleasant sufficient place to sit down for a half-hour whereas having fun with some espresso, fruit and pastries and sending a couple of work emails.

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ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

As a result of it was a 15-minute stroll from my gate, I left the lounge about 75 minutes earlier than my departure time and was the primary to board, due to my ticket.

Emirates flies a Boeing 777-300ER between Miami and Bogota. Most of those planes have the airline’s older, however nonetheless luxurious, first-class suites on board — form of like those you will discover on the airline’s Airbus A380s. The gate workers in Miami advised me that the airline had really flown the 777 with its newer, sport changer, first-class suites on board a number of instances, together with as soon as earlier that very same week; nonetheless, I had no such luck on my journey.

Regardless of having flown these suites a handful of instances, I used to be nonetheless wowed once I stepped on board. This specific first-class cabin configuration had simply eight seats: two rows of 4 seats, every specified by a 1-2-1 configuration.

These suites felt ultraprivate, due to substantial doorways that closed on the contact of a button. My window seat, 2K, measured 48 inches broad from the cabin wall to the closing privateness door.

The leather-based chair was 24 inches throughout between the armrests, and it lowered to a lie-flat mattress measuring about 79 inches lengthy.

Throughout from it, the 24-inch high-definition display screen was loaded with the airline’s leisure content material, together with lots of of films, tv reveals, albums, video games and extra. Passengers acquired Bowers & Wilkins noise-canceling headphones to make use of with it. I saved my display screen on the map perform, although, since this was going to be a brief flight.

Whereas different passengers had been boarding, the flight attendant taking care of me (there was only one different passenger within the cabin) got here by to point out me the capabilities of the seat. She confirmed me easy methods to management it utilizing the docked pill on the armrest and defined its enjoyable options, just like the in-seat minibar and the vainness below the leisure display screen that popped as much as reveal an amenity equipment of Byredo merchandise.

Then she took my lunch order and provided me Arabian espresso, dates and my alternative of beverage. I ordered glowing water, holding off on something stronger till we had been up within the air, once they would open the Champagnes I knew had been on board. (I would checked the meals and beverage menus of my flight beforehand on Emirates’ web site.)

She got here again with a helpful tote bag, inside which had been a set of slippers and a pair of the airline’s moisturizing pajamas. These are most likely my all-time favourite airline sleepwear.

Simply minutes after we had been airborne, the flight attendant was again to supply me one other beverage. I made a decision to attempt each Champagnes on board — a 2008 Dom Perignon rose and a 2013 Dom Perignon common launch. I settled on the rose for a fast snack course of olives, nuts and chips. The airline affords eating on demand in first-class, however there was no time to waste on this fast flight.

I wolfed down a double portion of caviar with accompanying blini and fixings. Then, I moved on to an appetizer of poached prawns in leche de tigre paired with Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru Louis Latour 2012 white Burgundy.

Subsequent up was pan-seared crimson snapper with spicy gazpacho dressing, avocado, mango and chili salsa accompanied by sauteed kale and pickled shallots. The portion was elegantly offered and scrumptious.

For dessert, I tucked into chocolate marble cheesecake and tried the Chateau Valandraud 2008, a grand cru from Saint-Emilion in France’s Bordeaux area; it was luscious and wealthy however not overpowering. The meal ended with the presentation of a field of chocolate bonbons, however I used to be too full to indulge.

In any case that meals and wine, I used to be understandably a bit sleepy, so I requested if I might have my seat made up right into a mattress. The crew really turned down the center seat throughout from me since nobody else was in my row. I did not trouble becoming the pajamas, however I used to be in a position to take a 20-minute energy nap earlier than we began our descent into Bogota. Sadly, the airline’s 777s do not have showers like its A380s do, or I might need had simply sufficient time to squeeze in a fast rinse as a substitute of a nap.

Earlier than touchdown, I swiped a couple of snacks and sweets from my seat’s minibar, together with white chocolate-covered hazelnuts, to take to the lodge with me. Then, I freshened up with the Voya skincare merchandise within the bathroom.

The crew members, and my flight attendant specifically, did every thing they may to ensure I had the total Emirates first-class expertise, even on this comparatively quick flight. They gave the impression to be having nearly as a lot enjoyable as I used to be becoming all of it in.

Backside line

Whereas redeeming 60,000 factors for a three-hour flight may appear extravagant, that is most likely one of the economical methods to expertise Emirates first-class. That is very true contemplating the low taxes and charges in addition to the widespread award availability (that means you do not have to be that versatile together with your dates).

You might even attempt seat maps throughout quite a lot of dates to see in the event you might need a shot at one of many newer plane with the newest first-class suites aboard. Even with the older ones, although, this stays one of the enjoyable, rarefied methods to fly. It is nice to have one other technique to expertise it from the U.S.

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