Emirates – Finding Jennifer

With so many airlines flying in and out of our glorious country these days the traveller is spoilt for choice… massive choice.

Every day we are bombarded with ‘special rates’ (with conditions) that seem to be tempting us to book our flight now. But beware! Those ‘so-called’ bargains have fish bones in them. Seat and Bag only…One Way fare only…Add on checked luggage for more $$$. Pretty soon you’ve got what amounts to a very similar price to those airlines that offer full service.

That’s why I choose Emirates when I fly trans-Tasman. Everything’s included – no matter what class of cabin you are in. There are no hidden surprises. You don’t have to check to make sure there is a special little napkin on your headrest – indicating your “full works” booking has been received.

Emirates fly trans-Tasman four times a day out of New Zealand – three times out of Auckland (to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane) and daily out of Christchurch to Sydney…and beyond. All four flights are on one of the best planes for travellers ever built… in my humble opinion. The Airbus A380 – the ‘double-decker’ plane for the uninitiated.

For both leisure or business travellers alike the departure times out of Auckland are what attracts me – along with the renowned service. You can get in a full days work – head to airport for a late afternoon/early flight and be in your hotel in Sydney/ Melbourne or Brisbane relaxing by 9pm. Time to recharge and get ready for the following days ahead – whether for meetings, shopping or hanging out with old friends. The schedule also means that you can eat one of the sumptuous meals on board and not have to worry about dinner when you get to your hotel.

The return flights from all three Australian cities are quite early in the morning, and sometimes delayed by the inbound flights coming from Dubai, but you’re back home by mid-afternoon.

For me anyway, their business class is ideal. I have plenty of space to spread out, each seat has a power supply for laptops, an extra large table to work on and I am not constantly being asked to move because someone wants to go to the bathroom!

That said the economy cabins are also well attended by a bounty of Emirates staff ready to cater to your every need. The food is more than acceptable for a short three-hour haul, and much (much) better than a couple of airlines I have flown on recently.

If you’re travelling with kids, or like Jennifer Aniston in their latest commercial, you just want to be entertained then you can select from almost 1,500 entertainment, TV, movie and news channels on Emirates award-winning inflight entertainment system (ICE).

Personally, I like to enjoy a cocktail at the onboard lounge at the rear of the upper deck, chatting to fellow travellers. www.emirates.com/nz