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After hearing incredible things about the likes of Emirates, Etihad and Qatar airlines, I’ve always wanted to test out one of the Middle Eastern airlines. Plus, the airplane nerd in me wanted to finally experience flying on an A380.
But with no plans of heading to Europe in the near future, which is where the majority of Australia-based travellers fly to with those carriers, I thought I was out of luck – until I discovered that some of the Gulf carriers’ New Zealand-bound flights stop over in Sydney.
Spending the break around Christmas and New Years on a road trip around New Zealand’s South Island, I flew with Emirates from Sydney to Christchurch, a short three-hour jaunt that was packed with the perks of a long-haul flight.
Flight Details
Route: Sydney to Christchurch
Duration: 3 hours, 5 minutes
Dates Travelled: 25 December, 2017 - 2 January, 2018
Class: Economy
Flight Number(s): EK412, EK413
Aircraft Type: A380
Frequent Flyer Program: Emirates Skywards (Also, Qantas Frequent Flyer)
Definitely. My flight was comfortable, the entertainment options were plentiful and my wine glass was full. While I can’t say what exactly happened with the pre-booked seat, the only other fault with Emirates was a weather delay that was out of the airline’s control, and they dealt with it perfectly.
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