EK405 - A380 MEL-SIN / New or Old A380?

[mashup88]

Flying F. I've seen a few reviews that say if you are in F but standing at the J bar they will sneak the good stuff back and top you up discreetly...

 

[Pushka]

Flying F. I've seen a few reviews that say if you are in F but standing at the J bar they will sneak the good stuff back and top you up discreetly...

Ok. You mentioned J in the post before. And have read the same.

 

[russ]

I have reviewed some photographs and trip-reports for the EK A380 and it looks like some of them have had a refresh. The main tell-tale for me is the handheld control for the ICE System. One looks like an iPad and one is quite old and chunky....

Perhaps that is the only change?

The newer F fit-out has a better video screen (larger and higher resolution) plus a couple of cosmetic changes (moved the lamp and a bit extra bling... after all, with EK, too much bling is never enough!).

Old fit-out:



New fit-out:

 

[Quickstatus]

So the question will be : do you want the bigger or smaller lamp.

 

[russ]

Ha! Actually, it's the same style of lamp; it's an oval shape and they have just rotated it by 90 degrees and (I think) moved it a bit

First thing I do after sitting down is turn off the bloody lamp. I have no idea why they thought anyone wanted a lamp shining right in their eyes.

 

[mashup88]

The newer F fit-out has a better video screen (larger and higher resolution) plus a couple of cosmetic changes (moved the lamp and a bit extra bling... after all, with EK, too much bling is never enough!).

Old fit-out:
View attachment 67127


New fit-out:
View attachment 67128

Excellent, thank you! I knew I had noticed some differences in photos etc.

 

[russ]

Anything else you want to know? I am about to board EK F in 20 minutes

 

[mashup88]

Just tell me how good it is and how I'm going to be a happy and drunk human being! Enjoy.

 

[TheRealTMA]

The newer F fit-out has a better video screen (larger and higher resolution) plus a couple of cosmetic changes (moved the lamp and a bit extra bling... after all, with EK, too much bling is never enough!).Old fit-out:View attachment 67127New fit-out:View attachment 67128

The new video screen has a much better resolution. Was very impressed with the quality while watching Ant Man at Xmas.Also the old touch screen hand controller is very heavy and clunky (and often unreliable). The new ones are smaller more like an ipad. There are also a different configuration of buttons for seat movement, door closure and privacy screen (middle seats).You can usually find the aircraft ID number then lookup the build date.

 

[Quickstatus]

Just tell me how good it is and how I'm going to be a happy and drunk human being! Enjoy.

Why don't you send us a trip report.

you will be flying in a metal or is it combo metal and plastic tube. And you are just self loading freight.

 

[russ]

I flew in the new fit-out yesterday. Here's a shot showing the rotated lamp

 

[Quickstatus]

Riss,

can an you find out which row number Y cabin starts with on your recent F flight

 

[russ]

Sorry, I have no idea how to find that information.

 

[Quickstatus]

Sorry, I have no idea how to find that information.

What flight number, date of departure, port of departure,

 

[TheRealTMA]

For reference you can find the plane registration and details from here https://planefinder.net/data/flight/EK405
And the seat layouts from here SeatGuru Seat Map Emirates Airbus A380-800 (388) Three Class V1

 

[russ]

Aha, thanks. It was A6-EEF.

 

[ReLoad]

Without taking it personally I think you need to lower your expectations a bit. EK F is great and and all that , but EK crew can be really hit and miss, and rather robotic (not like SQ though).

Even though you are in F just go in thinking it will be like any other flight and if anything awesome happens it's a bonus.

My only recommendation irrespective of new or old F is to have a shower - it's ace!

 

[Quickstatus]

Without taking it personally I think you need to lower your expectations a bit. EK F is great and and all that , but EK crew can be really hit and miss, and rather robotic (not like SQ though).

Do you think this may be due to the multilingual multicultural crew. I get that they can speak lots of languages and therefore have different experiences with service industries from their home countries. So the diversity (which is welcome) necessarily means a stricter adherence to the "scoresheet". Minimises any errors but the service becomes almost mechanical.

My experience was a interesting one: J. Was asked if I would like a drink. Said yes please a Coke Zero but no ice please. So I got a half glass of CZ without ice. Normally such a request would mean fill up the glass with beverage, but I think they are told to fill the glass a certain volume and then add ice. No ice no extra CZ!!!.
Can't blame the crew as they are under strict orders.

For me I prefer a casual attitude slightly detached but warm. But in the end you got to see it from their point of view. The cultural mix on an EK flight is probably my a lot different to a QF/VA flight as well and they have to cater to that. They are lowly paid and will probably never be able to afford a revenue J seat. So I cut them a lot of slack and the best way to do this is to have minimal expectations of crew service.

The ones I feel really sorry for are the 2 inflight bathroom cleaners who probably get paid even less and the Bangladeshi? contract cleaners who hover near the entrance when the plane disembarks.

 

[russ]

Do you think this may be due to the multilingual multicultural crew.

Nah, I think it's due to the fact that the crew are usually a bunch of young people who just want to see the world for a few years and they couldn't get a job at an airline in their home country.

Today I'm on A6-EDE with the old fit-out.

Small screen...


Low-resolution...


1980's controller...


Still, MUCH better than a QF 737!

 

[spudseamus]

I concur with the thinking that the multicultural crew does have a bearing on the level of service . Not in a bad way in particular but I do find that some European cultures are perceived as gruff or cold / offhand . My last experience on EY MEL to Dublin was very multicultural but was perfect for me . Sometimes I see travelers who give everyone a hard time on board and I'm sure I read their travel accounts in various forums lol! But I always say " I'm a mirror to your attitude ". A smile and a thank you goes a long way with most people .