Flying business class to New York is, in many ways, the ultimate executive trip. To travel from one growing world business centre, Dubai, to the hub of international capitalism on the island of Manhattan is surely the epitome of globalised corporate life in the early 21st century.
The now-abandoned Concorde, which for a few decades symbolised the glamour of transatlantic travel for the jetsetters who would be in New York for lunch and back in London for dinner, was the pioneer.
But since it was scrapped in 2003, airlines have had to come up with other ways to enhance the executive experience. Emirates Airline offers one response with its business class service on the Airbus A380. Direct flights come in at under 14 hours compared to the one-stop options Emirates offers via London at around 18 hours including wait time.
The direct trip to the eastern US is just long enough to take full advantage of the facilities on offer. If you’re doing the seven hours or so from Europe to America, it’s too short to appreciate it. Any longer than the Dubai-New York flight, and cabin fever sets in.
As it’s scheduled at the moment, you can leave DXB in the early hours, get some work done thanks to the full in-flight connectivity, watch a movie while sampling a restaurant-grade dinner and service, and still get a full night’s sleep on Emirates’ very comfortable flat beds.
You arrive refreshed and ready to go at JFK airport round about breakfast time, well prepared for a full day of business meetings. The Emirates chauffeur service for business class passengers might rob of you the initial New York yellow cab experience, but there’s plenty of time for that, and the waiting limo takes a lot of the hassle out of JFK arrival.
The return journey is a different matter, of course, where thanks to the time difference you effectively spend a day in the air. But there’s nothing even Emirates can do about international time zones, so it’s best just to sit back and enjoy it. After a hectic business trip, and the exhausting buzz of New York City, you’ve earned the downtime.
fkane@thenational.ae
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