I spent 250€ to travel in Emirates' "secret" suite. Few people know about it and it doesn't fly to Italy
It's called Gamechanger is only on 9 Emirates planes, and it is (in my opinion) the second nicest first class cabin in the world (the best on a single-deck plane)
Emirates
HND
Japan
United Arab Emirates
Learn more from this trip
Our crazy adventure aboard all of Emirates' first-class cabins began in Japan, more specifically in Tokyo Haneda the city airport Of the Japanese capital.
In this article:
- Specifications
- Aircraft:
- B777/300
- Class:
- First
- Treat:
- HND - DXB
- Price:
- 250€
- Book
Emirates currently flies to Tokyo twice a day. One flight with the A380 lands at Narita, the other with the Boeing 777/300 arrives and departs from Haneda.
The best bonuses
In my hunt for the perfect itinerary, I tried to make the experience unique and unrepeatable, and I couldn't help but choose this route. It is the longest of those operated by "gamechanger" namely Emirates' rarest and most exclusive first-class cabin.
This cabin is second only to the Singapore Airlines Suite, but here we are on 777 not A380 and cm aboard an airplane are more valuable than in the piazzetta in Portofino.
Reservation
I have already written an article in which I explain in detail how I booked this ticket, I simply summarize by saying that the entire itinerary cost me less than 250€ each way, all inclusive.
At the airport
Unfortunately, Emirates chauffeur service is not available in Tokyo, we then arrived at Haneda by monorail, which is connected to the subway and allowed us to arrive in less than 25 minutes from Shibuya, compared to the 45 minutes, traffic permitting, of the cab. Above all, the expense was a tenth as the fare was 600 yen per passenger instead of the approximately 15 thousand for the cab.
The monorail stops at all terminals, so to avoid making mistakes, it is good to know. T3 is the one where all international flights depart, including ITA Airwyas flight to Rome, the only direct flight between Italy and Japan, which starts right here.
EK check-ins are always crowded, even in the rows dedicated to premium passengers. In our case complicating matters was the explosive mix of:
- Complicated itinerary
- 20-hour stopover in Dubai
- Marika's Latvian Passport
- Novice chek-in attendant
Translated we spent almost 20 minutes at the check-in counter because first there was no visa option on arrival for Muscat for Latvian passports, then the suitcase was tagged all the way to Muscat and not just all the way to Dubai, where in view of the long stopover we took advantage of Emirates' Dubai Connect, and so we needed to retrieve our luggage.
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Having obtained our boarding passes, we made our way to JAL's lounge.. Emirates, unlike Narita, does not have its own lounge at Haneda, so passengers are distributed to Japan Airlines' two lounges. Those traveling in First have access to First's lounge, while elite and business passengers to the traditional Sakura.
The lounge is beautiful, very large and elegant. However, it has nothing "first," but it is a constant with all oneWorld companies that have this distinction between lounges.
We enjoyed some Sushi and Sake, showered (there are no showers in first on 777) and waited for boarding time.
The Gamechanger
This cabin was to become Emirates' new standard, and if it ever arrives (but it won't) on the A380 could become the best in the world, or seriously contend for the title in Singapore.
Very few B777s have this cabin, and su each plane there are only 6 suites. In a 1-1-1 configuration on two rows.
The special feature is. Are actual enclosed suites from floor to ceiling, small cabanas. They are 100 times better than the seat offered on all the rest of EK's fleet.
Flying this cabin is not easy, and the reason is simple there are only 9 Boeing 777/300s with this configuration out of a total of 124 777/300s in the fleet.
They don't fly to America, except for sporadic appearances on the IAD/DXB. Europe is the continent where she is most likely to be found: Brussels and Zurich are the fixed stops, and with very rare exceptions do not fly in Italy. Then there is Tokyo and nothing more, of course, a change of machine can always happen, and in this case it would be a huge stroke of ... luck.
It doesn't offer a shower, it doesn't offer a bar like on the A380. But at the level of privacy, convenience, comfort and uniqueness, no comparison holds a candle to it. Gamechanger wins by technical knockout in the first round.
All European routes are a maximum of 6 1/2 hours, definitely not enough time to enjoy this cabin at 100%. The flight from Tokyo takes 10 hours, which becomes as much as 11.30 in winter, so it is the ideal route to make the most of this suite.
On board
We arrived at the gate on time and the Emirates B777 was there waiting for us. Boarding started more or less smoothly. Except to notice my suitcase, the boarded one, strangely stopped at the gate. I then discovered that the attendant's error had not been remedied, so it was required to retrieve the luggage from the hold to be re-labeled and re-boarded.
Opening the boarding gate, I sprinted like Cipollini in front of the finish line of the Giro stage., too bad that at the last km sign we were stopped for almost 30 minutes. A problem with a hatch forced the procedures to be suspended and left passengers standing in the connecting bridge.
Having resolved the issue we beamed aboard, only pity that unlike what other airlines do EK does not reserve the front door only for first passengers but also for business passengers. Result to be able to take some pictures of the cabin in peace I had to wait until the last minute.
Surreal is the adjective that comes to mind., I have flown on many first-class cabins in my life, but this one is truly unique and, to date, inimitable.
We had booked suite 2F and 2K, which is one of the two middle suites and one window-side. Contrary to what you might think the best chair is the middle one and the reason Is that it is larger than the others.
Of course if you're traveling as a couple you can't stay close and chat, you can't even have dinner together, so if you want a honeymoon don't waste points (or euros) and fly business class. I must admit that Marika and I did not suffer from the distance, on the contrary.
When you enter the suite, you really feel like you are entering a hotel room, of course the bed is missing, but the closure from heaven to earth, gives a different feeling From all the other "doors" I found on board an airplane. The chair is very comfortable and moves in all directions, legroom is endless, the door completely isolates from the aisle, and the finishes are in perfect Emirates style.
I find it difficult to list the features of this cabin, which is truly on another level. There is everything that EK offers in its first classes, only here everything is bigger, richer, more comfortable, more unique.
Each passenger is free to manage everything in his or her suite. Once you reach cruising altitude, you close the door (and the window shutter) and you are in your own sanctuary. You decide the temperature, the intensity of the light, the coloring of the lights. The volume of the TV and trivial things like the angle of the chair. You can also turn on the LEDs in the floor and decide what color to have them.
What is lacking on board is not space. There is a cabinet under the desk where the trolley can be hidden (ps if you like my Level8 aluminum until July 12 is discounted by 20% using BFF20 as a discount code ). There is a closet with hangers where clothes can be hung. There is space under the table, on either side of the chair (which also moves horizontally when in doubt) and above the desk.
If normally EK in first hides a small minibar in the coffee table and places a basket of snacks available for hungry passengers, here are two display cases one for drinking and one for snacks.
The table comes out from under the desk, and it is the size of a coffee table. The chair can be moved at will until the right position is found at different stages of the flight.
On all EK premium seats there is a small tablet that helps manage functions. The higher you go up the category the bigger it is, here it is a 13" that weighs at least 1 kg.
Everything is managed from the tablet: from IFE to the lights, from the chair to the lights. You can also video call the crew, yes I spelled it right VIDEOCHIAMARE.
Under the base of the tablet are quick buttons to quickly operate lights, IFE, crew call, and raise/lower porthole curtains.
Hidden in the armrest is the TV remote control, and in the opposite armrest is a small compartment where you can put your phone or passport. Also in the armrest are quick seat controls. Four buttons to find the perfect seat at all stages of the flight.
There is then a small touch screen on the wall structure which allows you to manage other functions such as light colors, suite temperature.
Hidden in the desk is the vanity kit. There is an illuminated mirror and a space where a few products are left in addition to the iconic diary and first-class pen.
The special feature for the central seats is that the portholes are fake and thanks to some screens they broadcast what you would see by looking out the windows.
Those who sit on the real portholes are also given binoculars so they can see from above what is happening on the ground.
What makes the difference are the details, everything in this cabin is studied to the inch and Emirates takes advantage of every inch to offer a truly unique product.
Needless to say, the chair turns into a bed, completely flat, and when you close the door and window, it is like being in your own hotel room.
Sure Singapore Airlines took a different approach, In the first class suite you have the armchair and a bed, but on the A380 there is all the space you want, not here. Here, however, you have even more privacy since the wall reaches the ceiling, completely isolating the passenger from the corridor.
In the night version, the cabin is something really spacey, is much more beautiful than when illuminated by natural light.
First's six passengers have two bathrooms available, one slightly larger than the other, but certainly here the A380 with the shower and heated floor can't be beaten by anyone
Food & Beverage
Emirates has been awarded (read bought) the world exclusive of Dom Perignon and Is therefore the only company that serves this prized label Of champagne on a plane. There's one thing I can't understand, how come some times he can't serve it until the doors close, quirks of the skies.
The menu and wine list were distributed shortly after boarding in the classic leather case. One of the few downsides of this flight was the dinner, being an overnight departure no real dinner is served, but a kind of snack.
Ca va sans dire you start with caviar, but then the dishes are definitely less sophisticated and important than on a regular flight. True, one could arrive already dined at the airport, or dine in the lounge, but if I buy a ticket from first I always expect the same quality of offer, And so it was not.
The flight lasts just over 10 hours; on a flight of the same duration, two full meals are offered in this cabin level, Here, on the other hand, there is only breakfast and again the menu is a little bit sad. Emirates' wine cellar is among the finest and most exclusive of all carriers, has snatched the DomPe from all the competition, offers wines and spirits of the highest quality, and when a "teetotaler" like me gets on board, it's like going to Disneyland.
From the menu, besides the caviar, I got the sushi platter, then finding nothing of interest I aimed for the snacks and ordered the hamburgers to my incredible surprise the flight attendant came to inform us that they only had 1 dish available and that it had been ordered before us by one of the other two passengers. So I had to settle for shrimp cocktail and a typical Thai dish with chicken
Always stellar presentation, Restaurant-like mise en place and attentive, fast and present service. Finally, a bowl of Dompe was gone before dessert arrived. The whole service took less than 50 minutes, perfect for an overnight flight where you want to eat quickly and then get to sleep.
In the display cases snacks, chips, candy as well as soft drinks and other beverages.
About two hours after landing, breakfast was served. I chose French toast and it was a colossal disappointment compared to what I ate on board Etihad. All served with hot pastries, cappuccino and fresh fruit.
Service
As soon as we enter we are greeted and escorted by the purser to our seat. As this is our first time in this booth, the different features are explained to us, the features and various possible settings of various electronic trinkets.
On the coffee table was already the beauty kit, a different one for me and for Marika. Not only aesthetics, but also the products inside were different according to the sex of the traveler.
Shortly afterwards our pajamas were brought to us, while eye mask and slippers were already in place.
As always, I hung up on the flight attendants. and we chatted about work and what we like to do when we get to our destination.
After dinner, While I was changing for the night, the assistant turned the chair into a bed, appreciable the mat that is put over the chair that makes it much more comfortable.
There is also a small pull-out table hidden in the console, which is very convenient for having a drink at hand at all times.
Small tip valid from economy to first, belts fastened while sleeping and visible, so in case of turbulence you are not woken up by the crew to check that they are on.
IFE
Unbelievable, but I was disappointed by ICE., Emirates' award-winning in-flight entertainment system. My remote control didn't work, I was been replaced, rebooted the system, but nothing no way to use it. In addition to this the screen had non-functioning touch and that combined with the KO remote control was a little bit annoying.
Sure I could use the tablet as a controller, but it weighs 1 kg (or maybe more) is a 13" and not pocket-friendly at all, especially watching TV with the chair in bed mode forced me to get up. In first class this should not happen.
The content as usual is many, practically endless. Live tv, tv programs with discovery+ and disney+, on this you can't say that EK hasn't hit the mark, it's however the same for years, a refresh to the UI as well as EK is painting the new liveries could give it to theIFE as well.
The headphones available are among the best I have ever found aboard an airplane, the only flaw being that they are flush.
Free Wi-fi, illmited and on all devices thanks to the ticket of first, but recently Emirates has extended this service to all Skywards loyalty program members as well.
The first-class bus
Usually when I land and end up on a stand and not on the finger connected to the air terminal I am "altered", not this time. Ending up parked far from the terminal also allowed us to experience the bus set up specifically for first-class passengers.
Of course in Washington they have buses/lounge, but there is room for over 100 passengers on board, here instead there are seats counted for a maximum of 12 passengers, which is what you can find on an A380, we were only 4 and it was the best way to end the flight.
Not to mention that going around DBX you only see great cars.
The chaffeur hotel direction
Having passed immigration (almost) without standing in line and retrieved our suitcase, we headed to the area dedicated to Emirates' chauffeur service, being a paid ticket and not an award ticket you are entitled to be taken to your destination for free.
In our case we were in long layover, viz. we had a long connection e we thus took advantage of Dubai Connect, Emirates' free service that accommodates travelers who prefer to sleep in a real bed instead of camping at the airport in a series of select hotels.
In conclusion
At this price, it was a burglary., I am delighted with this experience and hope in the future to travel in this cabin again. As always though EK leaves you with that feeling of luxury for the masses, a standard product that must satisfy thousands of passengers every day.
If Singapore Suite is ahead in the rankings it is because of the product, but Air France is also ahead because of the serivice, exclusivity and passenger care that Emirates fails to give on the ground as it does on board.
Starting boarding knowing that there is a technical problem leaving passengers standing 40 minutes in the bridge should not be done. A first chair then cannot have a partially broken screen and non-functioning remote control. Then it is not possible that with 4 passengers on board, out of 6 available seats, there was only 1 hamburger available.
Pro
- The booth
- The service
Against
- The gastronomic offerings
- Remote control and touch screen KO
- Waiting in the finger
- No chauffeur in Tokyo