Emirates going down the drains

[ZeeDoktor]

I've flown with EK between Australia and Europe a total of 9 times in the past 2.5 years. It was quite pleasurable in the beginning, but the last two flights (one in business) sucked badly. Not only is their service not up to scratch, their latest trick now is to sell tickets online without clearly telling you they're giving you the SYD-BKK-DXB instead of the direct one. Then in BKK they make you deboard the plane, walk up one floor, back through security into the cattle hold area until you can get back on.

After having forked out $2500 per ticket for me and my wife, they first claimed on checkin that there are no seats on the direct flight. I insisted they check again until they came back with an offer of $570 extra per ticket for an "upgrade" to the direct flight. I'm a silver member in their "club" with 100'000 miles that of course eternally will remain unused because upgrades never are available.

The next 23 hours I spent sitting in the bloody fricken center-center seat.

In short: I got tricked when buying the tickets, cheated out of my preferred seating and lied to by their staff. Consider that next time you buy with them.

Bye bye EK. The damage has been done.

[zed3]

How did you book the tickets ? internet or travel agency , whichever way you should have been informed - internet by seeing what you were booking or travel agency by being informed of the intermediate stop instead of the direct flight , surely 100,000 silver miles means something ? For info flew DUS-DXB-MEL and return (Business) in Feb/Mar without problems and zedminor is booked on the direct in July in Business , also without problems ( ok - at the moment )

[Monkeytoo]

If you are trying to book online with Emirates and they don't give you the flight options that you want - you can 'force' the site to reveal these by using the 'Advanced Search' or Multicity (I think it is) option. If you do it this way you will get shown all flights that have empty seats on it, it's a bit more of a phfaff to do it this way but the choice is definitely greater. Regarding the increased cost for the direct Dubai/Sydney flight - it has always been more expensive to fly directly and still the flights are generally always full. I don't know why you are having trouble getting up-grades from points - I have never had one knocked back :hmm:
I do agree with you regarding the customer service onboard - it has declined hugely over the years (while the prices have risen)...................and I wouldn't fly with them - but I have come so far with them that it is worth persevering as it's only for another 18 months (then I will be free of them):D

[Final 3 Greens]

Beware of weasel words with any airline.

"Direct" flights are not "Non Stop" flights

[Monkeytoo]

LOL F3G............no not 'weasel words' Emirates fly non-stop (340-500 Flt number EK 412) Dubai to Sydney - that, I think, is why the flight is more expensive............all the 777 flights stop in either Bangkok or Singapore enroute.

[ZeeDoktor]

I always buy directly on the airlines website. I don't believe in travel agents, although I know (and it irritates me) that I probably would get better rates (and service?) by haggling with an egyptian bazaar middleman.

An update: I moved the return flight, tried yesterday and was explained that "with the specially low internet tariff that I got, the non-stop flight was only available at $500 extra a ticket". Specially low my butt! I paid more than ever before for those two tickets. Fortunately, the wife threw a sh*tfit and I cancelled the changes yesterday, and called again today to make the same changes. Now magically today, they were able to book us on the non-stop flight without the extra $500.

They either read this forum (and know who I am), or it just happened to be one of those management by coincidence things. I'm still off emirates for the future, unless something really magic happens. Sad, considering we're talking $30'000 in lost revenue for them over the next 5 years.

For the money I spend on them, they should provide me with a personal travel assistant, and read every wish off my lips.

Still just Zee Doktor...

[Skintman]

I've flown with Em'rats a number of times and have always found them OK, but if something goes wrong, they are worse than hopeless. :eek:

They just do not have any customer service systems in place to sort your problem out, or they may so overwhelmed with problems that they cannot cope. Either way, they do not match up to their marketing hype. :ugh:

Unfortunately they are growing at a fast rate and probably do not care if they lose a few unhappy customers. :cool:

All any of us can do is vote with our feet. :E

The skintman

Skintman

[lm07]

the EK405 from MEL back to DXB is via SIN....the EK407 is direct

I couldn't get the 407 from any UK site but it was available from the Oz site (their own....when u reset the country of residence)

i guess they want to pack up the inferior flight before releasing the superior one.....

[slim_slag]

Sad, considering we're talking $30'000 in lost revenue for them over the next 5 yearsThe mrs spends well over that in one year on a certain airline, and they still treat her like she has a contagious disease. You need to spend a huge amount of money on most airlines before they make you feel warm and fuzzy, and even then it is a crap shoot.

[ZeeDoktor]

got yourself a high maintenance mrs... haha. well, i never quite understood. If I'm to spend more on travel cost a year than it costs me to wet lease a small business jet, I'm upgrading my rating and flying myself. F**k the airlines. At least that gives me the joy of flying into GA airports, avoid queueing, and it's my own damn fault if I stuff up and not some airline jockey's.

[larssnowpharter]

I have had two bad experiences on M Rats and will not fly with them any longer. I also take any opportunity I can to tell other potential travellers what a crap outfit they are.

First example: Flight from Dubai to Milan. Non stop. Yeah, right! 4 hrs sitting on a dispersal at Larnaca while they rustled up fuel trucks. Didn’t take a bloody genius to work out that they had combined flights. Not deplaned to transit lounge. Crew couldn’t find way from flight deck to supervise idiot bowser operator who did not connect earth (grounding lead) and his ‘help’ who sat in cab smoking. Only one set of sets to ac. Not a lot out of 10 for safety, chaps.

Second example: Party flying from Joburg to Dubai split up when some members bumped. Supervisor related to Hitler refused hotac. Two days to get party back together again. Some members flew back on another airline at own expense. Info from MRats non existent. Letters of complaint unanswered. Took nearly 1 year just to get unused portion of tickets refunded.

I now drive with bumper sticker ‘Don’t Fly Emirates’.

[Akubra]

Can I have one of those bumper stickers?

There was A time when I recommended them to anyone who asked, sadly not now days.
You can donate your unused points to charity, check their website. Sure beats letting them expire!

[essouira]

I seem to have been uncommonly lucky then !
I have managed to upgrade using miles/money at 24 hours notice.
Customer service staff have always been really helpful.
Economy to Dubai is consistently rubbish but their "combination deal" of economy to Dubai and then business to Sydney cost me less than £1300 return last time I flew and the lounge at Dubai provided hot meal, shower, champagne, internet etc
I have been recommending them to everyone for longhaul.
I certainly would not to continue to fly with them if I had some of the experiences described above.
Good service should never be a matter of luck .......

[tezzer]

I use them, but not as often as I used to. Just about to do MAN- DXB-JNB-DXB-MUS-DXB-MAN.

What has hacked me off abot this trip is that the "free Rugby World Cup tickets" promotion went in the website the day after I made my booking. I phoned and emailed them asking for tickets, but was told that my booking wasn't eligible !

Gits !

[ExSimGuy]

You need to spend a huge amount of money on most airlines before they make you feel warm and fuzzy

I fly long-haul 2 or 3 times a year, and probably average around a dozen or so short-haul sectors a year. Not exactly your "Gold" Frequent Flyer. However, I have quite often been "bumped forward" to where the seats are comfy and food is good.

This is with GF - I have flown around the Gulf with most of the local outfits, and I prefer the GF experience, so I tend to stay with them. Had some "breakdown delays",but I don't think there's any airline in this part of the world that has an exceptionally good on-time record!

[gdiphil]

essouira
"Combination deal"?? How do you get hold of that? The price you quoted sounds excellent. I travel to Sydney at least twice a year in Y, although never as yet with Emirates but to have some comfort on the long bit to and from SYD would be good. I've looked on their website but cannot find it. Any help you can give would be most appreciated.

[zed3]

Must say that EK from Europe and then the direct DXB-MEL or SYD is a briiliant way to travel to Dunnunder and that the A345 in Business Class is no problem at all , a great way to travel . HOWEVER , the popularity of EK seems to have overtaken the planning . The Business Lounge in DXB is far too small and one is very lucky to even get seating in the smoking area when in transit , given the traffic flow pattern , sorry , not good enough . Although renewed 3 or so years ago , it needs expanding , urgently - keep the customers satisfied , should be the motto . I will still fly with them , for the moment ( paying my own fare ).

[tezzer]

Not yesterday they weren't. Took a MAN - DXB then on to JNB with Emirates. Sat in 1F, and seemed to be last for everything, drinks, papers, hot towels. So, then it came to food choices, the lamb and chicken were gone, leaving prawn curry or Halibut. Not being a fishy person, I was stumped, until a crew meal was offered (steak) without having to ask.

Take a bow, Alison (EK018) last night, your kindness is a credit to the airline !

[Cuillin]

My parents flew LGW-DXB-KUL a couple of years ago and arrived in DXB 8 hours late. Everything was late as they had suffered fog in Dubai for a couple of days before.

Their transit time in DXB was sheer hell as they queued at the third world transfer desk for six hours and tried to avoid the fights that were breaking out. Emirates customer service was nil.

They were eventually put on a Malysian flight and arrived in KUL 20 hours late.

They were vowing not to fly Emirates ever again but I suggested they put their (perfectly reasonable) complaint into writing.

Within a couple of weeks they had been given two complimentary return tickets LGW-DXB-KUL which they used the following year. That trip everything went on-time.

As someone said - Emirates are OK until something goes wrong. That is when an airline gets tested properly.

[essouira]

Hi gdiphil -
I looked at the travelmood website to get the current offers. They quoted £1200 to fly economy to Dubai and then business to Sydney. I was due to come back business to Dubai then the last leg in economy.
The best thing was that I was in Sydney long enough for the miles from my outward flight to be posted to my account so I had enough to upgrade the final stage of my return flight.
It's worth keeping an eye on these offers. At the moment, for example, they have a combination of business to Dubai and then First Dubai/Sydney for £1800. Bargain !
They also have a THAI combination of economy outbound and business return.
Good luck.

[gdiphil]

essouira
Thanks very much for your help. I'll pay much more attention to that site than hitherto and I'll pass on the tip to family and others.

[tezzer]

M'rats are crap wen things go wrong, heard it before on here, and sure enough.

Idiot girl on check in at Jo'Burg yesterday checked my bags through to Muscat, even though I had a 22 hour lay over in Dubai. No problem, I can wear the same clothes for 36 hours. However, I got a call this afternoon, saying my fligh had been put back 3 hours to 00.40, and therefore my car pick up had been put back till 10pm. Ok, so at 21.55 I went downstairs, and no car, but by 22.30 I was begining to wonder where it was. So I called Mrats, and the flight had been cancelled for "operational reasons".
No one told me, so there I am stood outside the hotel, checked out, and in the clothes I put on at 3 am yesterday.

Checked back in, and phoned the airline, and was advised to ring the customer service desk. Given the number, and cut off. Phoned the number, to get a recorded message letting me know the office hours !

:mad: :mad: :mad: