Author Topic: D93's Trip to LA on EK and EY F with a stop in DXB and AUH  (Read 17289 times)

Offline D93

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D93's Trip to LA on EK and EY F with a stop in DXB and AUH
« on: June 26, 2015, 09:58:48 AM »
Disclaimer: This TR is a little long, so i included a lot of pictures for those that don't like to read.

Route:
TLV-AMM-DXB-DFW-LAX
LAX-AUH-AMM-TLV

RJ343: TLV-AMM.
My alarm was supposed to go off at 5am, but I woke up late at 550am, jumped out of bed, called a cab and was at the airport by 645am, with no luggage to check I got my boarding pass and headed past security. Davened Shachris in the Shul in the terminal and then it was time for boarding.
Flying an empty a320 for a 30 minute flight sounds ridiculous to me, but the J cabin was a real J (although not lie flat) unlike all the European carriers that just have a blocked middle seat on their a320's.

Landed in AMM a little late at 920am, and I headed to the connections desk to pick up my EK boarding passes for the next 2 flights. With EK F boarding passes in hand, the party was on!!
Popped into the Royal Jordanian Crown Lounge which is located a floor above the main concourse and it over looks the boarding gates and duty free shops. After having some fruit to eat and a few drinks, I roamed around the duty free shops until it was time to board the next flight.

Flying over the Jordan River


RJ a320 in AMM


Lounge in AMM


EK902: AMM-DXB.
Boarding was at 1010 for my 1110am departure (It seems that EK always boards their flights early). As I'm walking onto the plane the stewardess introduced herself and took me to my seat. The first class seats on their a330-200 are very nice and comfortable, but not lie flat, so as hard as I tried to catch some shut eye, it was near impossible. Once airborne I was served my KSML which was from Bangkok, it was surprisingly edible (and thank God for that, because I hadn't packed any food for this trip). After trying for an hour to get some sleep but to no avail (maybe it was more due to my excitement than the angle-lie flat seats), I gave up and decided to just order a few shots.

Landing in DXB was a little late due to some airport traffic that caused us to circle in the air for about 10 minutes. After getting my passport stamped I headed over to the “Left Luggage” to drop my carry-on off there for the day while I toured Dubai.

I exited the airport and hopped into one of the awaiting beautiful black Lexus cabs to take me around Dubai. First stop was the 52nd floor observatory restaurant at the Marriot Harbor Hotel. It was a very hazy day out so the view of the Palm Island wasn't so good, but it was still very noticeable.

Afterward I drove around the Palm Island taking in the scenery and houses and stopping by the Atlantis for some pix. After that I headed to the Burj Al Arab (the 7 Star hotel), but I didn't realize that a reservation was required to enter, so I only got some pix of the outside while my cab driver waited for me. I then headed to the Jameirah Mosque, to snap some pix of the "most photographed mosque in the UAE"!

At that time it was already 645pm, and I wanted to be in the airport by 10pm, so I went to the Dubai Mall. And WOW! That mall is really something else, it is HUGE, all lit up, shining floors and walls, not a spec of dust anywhere (the truth is the whole city is like that). I roamed around the mall for 2.5 hours, with so much to see, it's really not a lot of time. The aquarium, waterfall, ice skating rink, 5 floors of stores, it's unbelievable. The water show in front of the Burj Khaifa (the tallest building in the world, which located right next to the mall) is probably one of the biggest tourist attractions in Dubai, especially at night when it is all lit up. (And I found a nice quiet corner to daven Mincha!)
It was then time to head back to the airport to get ready for the biggest part of my trip – EK F a380!

View of the Palm Islands from the Marriot Hotel


Dubai Harbor


Burj Al Arab


Jameirah Mosque


Atlantis


Dubai Mall






Aquarium


Dubai natives in the mall






Burj Khalifa


Water show in front of the Burj Khalifa







It wouldn't be a successful trip without this pic :)





Everything in that airport is run so efficiently, traffic moves, no honking, no waiting in lines by security, everything is perfectly clean, if only USA airports would learn from them. The walk from the entrance of the airport to the security is extremely long, I honestly wonder why they have so much “wasted space” there, but I guess you can't be the best if you're not the biggest :)
Anyway, I headed straight to the first class lounge, took a shower, got a massage, had some fruit to eat, had some drinks in the cigar lounge (every time I finished one drink, without even asking, I was brought over another one. Before I knew it I was buzzing – it was fun:)) The first class lounge is truly an awesome place to just roam around for a few hours. I stopped into the Emirates store to pick a souvenir – a model EK a380!

Boarding was at 2am, which is done directly from the lounge with only 8 F class passengers, 2 boarding agents and the jet way which leads straight into the front of the upper deck, there's absolutely no waiting in line. Walking onto an EK F a380, I literally felt like a kid in a candy store!

DXB First Class Lounge




Airport Mosque


Boarding directly from the lounge



EK221: DXB-DFW
Upon entering the cabin I was taken to my seat (1A)  by one of the stewardesses and she showed me how every little gadget and button around the seat worked. Next, a different stewardess came to ask me what I wanted to drink, and then a 3rd stewardess to bring me all the junk an airline can possibly offer – pajamas, slippers, amenity kit, eye shades, and of course their famous canvas bag for you to carry all the goodies home in! Then the chef came to introduce himself and ask me how I would like to have my KSML prepared. Last but not least, the shower attendant came to ask me when i would like to schedule my shower, which I initially scheduled for after I finish my meal before going to sleep, but that changed pretty quickly once I was up in the air.
Before takeoff I changed into my pj's, which were very comfortable (and unlike EY pajamas, the pants had a pocket which is convenient). Wifi costs $1 for 500MB – which lasted me the entire 16 hr flight. Once airborne I was served again a KSML from Bangkok, but this time it was set up very nicely for me, wow – do they try hard to make that KSML look like real food! After my meal I headed to the bar which is located behind the J class, after a nice amount of drinks I decided there's no chance I’m taking a shower while being on the other side of the shot glass and then regret not remembering it, so I had my bed made, which was very very comfortable (at least from what I remember) and went to sleep for 7.5 hrs.
I awoke with a hangover which was easily removed with a coffee and a screwdriver and then it was time for the shower! I was done my shower after 3 minutes, but I stayed under the water for the remaining 2 minutes of water time to “soak in” the moment :)! There's nothing comparable to taking a shower at 39k in the air after a 7.5 hr sleep! Feeling like a new person, it was time to get the party started again, and I headed back to bar for some morning drinks. This time there were others at the bar and I got to meet some very interesting people. I was served breakfast and then it was time land.

We landed in DFW exactly on time at 945am and I went straight to the Centurion Lounge, but after coming from the First Class Lounge in DXB, I wasn't impressed. I got a massage, had some fruit and drinks and then went to board my next flight.



PJ's and amenities


Mini bar next to the seat




Bathroom and Shower






Bar


KSML






Flying over the North Pole


DL5707: DFW-LAX
The reason I chose to fly through DFW and not DXB-LAX direct was because the DXB-LAX flight leaves at 9am, which would require an over night stop in DXB and a 16.5 hour day time flight, as supposed to the DXB-DFW flight which is a red-eye flight.

Landed in LAX at 145pm, the plan was to meet a friend flying in from EWR and get a SilverCar together, but his flight was delayed so instead I hopped into the Westin Airport shuttle and got an Uber from the Westin (because UberX's aren't allowed to pick up from LAX) to take me to the SLS Hotel and my friend would get the SilverCar when he lands and meet me at the hotel.
The side point of this trip was for a wedding in LA that night.
With only 27 hours on the ground in LA, we didn't want to waste any time, so our day Wednesday morning started at 7am. We went to La Brea Bagel for breakfast, drove/walked up and down Rodeo Drive, biked along Santa Monica Beach and then went to Jeff's Bistro for Lunch (and the last normal meal I’d be eating until back in Israel Friday night).
The Etihad chauffer was supposed to pick me up from the SLS at 3pm for my 455pm flight, but he didn't show up until 320pm and it took him 50 minutes to get to LAX. I was now 45 minutes from departure and the security lines were very long, and the gate wasn't too close either, but I made it to the gate at 440pm!

SLS Hotel






EY170: LAX-AUH
Upon boarding I didn't experience anything as close to what I got from the EK service, there was only 1 stewardess and a chef to serve the 6/8 F passengers. The seat isn't as comfortable as EK but it's a lot more spacious. When it was time for turn down service and I asked for a 2nd pillow, they didn't have any extra. I'm still amazed how they charge F passengers $23 for wifi! If I take EK F out of the picture, EY F is very solid hard product, although the service could have been a drop better and a little faster, there was a 15-20 second delay from pressing the call button until the attendant showed up vs. EK which was a 3 second delay. But overall I was very happy with the flight, and they had a great selections of drinks to choose from, which I happily tried to taste every single one they had on the menu!

EY F 77L




Bathroom






Landed in AUH a little late at 9pm (Thursday), but I was out of the airport with in minutes and grabbed a cab to take me to the Sheikh Zeyad Mosque. As I was walking in, the security at the mosque asked me if I was coming to pray and without thinking I said “yes” - and it's a mighty good thing I said that. The mosque is breathtaking, it's HUGE, all lit up, massive courtyard, gorgeous chandeliers inside. It was amazing to watch 1,000 Arabs praying and prostrating. After about 5 minutes and 50 pix later, a security guard came over to me and asked very nicely to leave because they don't allow tourists during Ramadan at night (It was a good thing I said I was coming to pray, or else I wouldn't have been allowed in in the first place). I headed back to the airport to spend some time EY's Premium Lounge, got a massage, had some fruit and some drinks and then boarded my next flight.

Sheikh Zayed Mosque













EY511: AUH-AMM.
Recliner J seats, wifi costs $12, nothing to write about :)

Here's where it got a little sticky. I landed in AMM at 3am Friday morning, when I booked my ticket there was no availability on the 8am RJ flight to TLV, so I booked the 1030pm one hoping it would open and I’d switch it, but unfortunately it never opened. I went to connections desk and the RJ rep refused to put me on the earlier flight or even standby as he said “It's an AA ticket and we're not touching it”. So I paid for a visa and took a cab to the King Hussein Bridge boarder. I got to the boarder at 430am, but it doesn't open until 8am, so I sat outside on the road of some Arab town waiting. This was the only time throughout my trip I felt a little nervous about being in a Muslim country. Finally at 730am they allowed people to come in. The terminal looks like it was from the times of Mesopotamia, bugs everywhere, has a really bad rotten stench, etc. At 9am we were bussed to the Israeli terminal and I was finally back in Israel!
« Last Edit: June 26, 2015, 10:10:42 AM by D93 »

Offline TimT

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Re: D93's Trip to LA on EK and EY F with a stop in DXB and AUH
« Reply #1 on: June 26, 2015, 10:04:17 AM »
Nice TR, thanks for taking the time.

Offline dealfinder85

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Re: D93's Trip to LA on EK and EY F with a stop in DXB and AUH
« Reply #2 on: June 26, 2015, 10:09:30 AM »
nice
this isnt meant to be a negative about all the other pics, but i thought the north pole was cool :)
nice around the world trip

Offline Moishebatchy

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Re: D93's Trip to LA on EK and EY F with a stop in DXB and AUH
« Reply #3 on: June 26, 2015, 10:10:33 AM »
Nice TR! 👍

Offline DMYD

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Re: D93's Trip to LA on EK and EY F with a stop in DXB and AUH
« Reply #4 on: June 26, 2015, 10:12:03 AM »
Amazing stuff and beautiful pics!

Offline benjie1305

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Re: D93's Trip to LA on EK and EY F with a stop in DXB and AUH
« Reply #5 on: June 26, 2015, 10:13:44 AM »
Sweet.

How much was the cab in DXB for taking you around to all the different places?
Work hard, Play harder!

Offline Mech

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D93's Trip to LA on EK and EY F with a stop in DXB and AUH
« Reply #6 on: June 26, 2015, 10:13:58 AM »
Awesome TR! Was patiently waiting for it for a while

Offline Marco Polo

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Re: D93's Trip to LA on EK and EY F with a stop in DXB and AUH
« Reply #7 on: June 26, 2015, 10:14:04 AM »
Great TR. I can't wait for my upcoming EK and EY flights.
Quaerite et Invenietis.

Offline Chapshnell

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Re: D93's Trip to LA on EK and EY F with a stop in DXB and AUH
« Reply #8 on: June 26, 2015, 10:17:13 AM »
Amazing stuff and beautiful pics!

I cant believe he didnt know the you cant just go into the burj al arab  ;)
very nice TR, good pics!

Offline D93

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Re: D93's Trip to LA on EK and EY F with a stop in DXB and AUH
« Reply #9 on: June 26, 2015, 10:18:20 AM »
How much was the cab in DXB for taking you around to all the different places?
180 AED (50 USD)
Great TR. I can't wait for my upcoming EK and EY flights.
If it's an EY 777, I hope you take that BEFORE EK a380.

Offline Marco Polo

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Re: D93's Trip to LA on EK and EY F with a stop in DXB and AUH
« Reply #10 on: June 26, 2015, 10:21:55 AM »
180 AED (50 USD)If it's an EY 777, I hope you take that BEFORE EK a380.
Yes. I have the A380 for the way home.
Quaerite et Invenietis.

Offline moish

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Re: D93's Trip to LA on EK and EY F with a stop in DXB and AUH
« Reply #11 on: June 26, 2015, 10:34:04 AM »
there was a 15-20 second delay from pressing the call button until the attendant showed up vs. EK which was a 3 second delay.
#firstworldproblems

thanks for the write up

Offline Dywert

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Re: D93's Trip to LA on EK and EY F with a stop in DXB and AUH
« Reply #12 on: June 26, 2015, 10:36:42 AM »
 Thank you for the nice TR, Umm, did it ever occur to you that you might have a problem with alcohol addiction?

Offline sammy n

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Re: D93's Trip to LA on EK and EY F with a stop in DXB and AUH
« Reply #13 on: June 26, 2015, 10:39:21 AM »
Awesome TR!! Sounds very tempting!

Offline @Yehuda

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Re: D93's Trip to LA on EK and EY F with a stop in DXB and AUH
« Reply #14 on: June 26, 2015, 10:52:04 AM »
Nice TR, although not my cup of tea. On the PC so I can't use the proper emoji, but you know where I'm going. ;)
Very, very nice pics and flight reports! You probably could even be a blogger.

Offline D93

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Re: D93's Trip to LA on EK and EY F with a stop in DXB and AUH
« Reply #15 on: June 26, 2015, 10:53:34 AM »
Umm, did it ever occur to you that you might have a problem with alcohol addiction?
Only when it's cheaper than water!

Offline Emkay

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Re: D93's Trip to LA on EK and EY F with a stop in DXB and AUH
« Reply #16 on: June 26, 2015, 10:54:35 AM »
The first class seats on their a330-200 are very nice and comfortable, but not lie flat, so as hard as I tried to catch some shut eye, it was near impossible.

 there was a 15-20 second delay from pressing the call button until the attendant showed up
you sound like you have an extremely hard life   :D

Offline AharonInIsrael

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Re: D93's Trip to LA on EK and EY F with a stop in DXB and AUH
« Reply #17 on: June 26, 2015, 10:54:35 AM »
Thanks for sharing! Glad you're back here safe :-)

Offline Hershelsdeals

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Re: D93's Trip to LA on EK and EY F with a stop in DXB and AUH
« Reply #18 on: June 26, 2015, 10:55:17 AM »
Excellent TR!

So if you had a choice between EK A380 F and EY 777 F which one would you take?


Offline Proisrael

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Re: D93's Trip to LA on EK and EY F with a stop in DXB and AUH
« Reply #19 on: June 26, 2015, 10:55:53 AM »
Thank you for the nice TR, Umm, did it ever occur to you that you might have a problem with alcohol addiction?

That was the main thing I got out of this TR... :P :P