My Birthday Flight to Nowhere: Part 1 – Flying to Dubai

Emirates First Class

In December of 2021, I did a bit of flying to nowhere… Let me explain…

One of my travel goals for 2021 was to fly in Emirates First Class. I made a booking to do this late in December 2021. What makes it even sweeter is that it’s a little bit of a birthday gift to myself  since it occurs a day after my birthday!

In order to maximize the flights, I got “creative” with the booking and ended up with three flights on one itinerary. It’s a bit of a roundabout way to get back to Canada. But flying in what many consider the world’s best first class three times seems worthwhile. At the end of the day, my flight would start in Dubai, fly to Zurich for a short layover before flying back to Dubai. The next morning I would then fly to Toronto before taking an Air Canada flight home to Vancouver.

The “Rest” of the Trip

As the flight draws near, I start planning a trip around it. With the pandemic slowing, the original plan is to travel around Europe, head down to Dubai and take the flights. However, in November of 2021, the Omicron strain of COVID is discovered and the world starts to get a little scary again. New restrictions get put in place, and out of caution I end up cancelling the European portion of my trip. I did keep the week before the flight in the UAE in hopes that I could salvage a “trip” and not just the flight. However, with the discovery of Omicron so close to my travel dates, governments are constantly changing travel restrictions. I eventually end up also cancelling the UAE portion of my trip. I didn’t know if I would be able to transit and arrive without issue into Dubai. Ultimately, all that was left of this trip was the flight to get to Dubai, and the three flights to get back to Canada.

I would be away from home for less than 72 hours. I would remain “in transit” the whole way and not “enter” any country on this trip. But, I’d still get to fly in style!

Before long it was time to start my whirlwind trip to nowhere. My flight to Dubai will be through Frankfurt on Lufthansa. So, after getting dropped off at the airport, I check in at the desk. As this is an international flight during the pandemic, there is some extra scrutiny on my travel documents. Thankfully, all my vaccinations and tests are in order and I’m soon through security and in the familiar departures side of the airport.

YVR Maple Leaf Lounge

As I am travelling in business class and Lufthansa is in the same alliance as Air Canada. (Hey, it IS my birthday after all!) I am able to access the Maple Leaf Lounge. Oddly enough, in all my travels, this is one of the few lounges in this airport I’ve not visited. It’s a nicely appointed lounge, with some great views of the tarmac. With it being the pandemic, things like the buffet aren’t operating. Instead they have QR codes at each table that takes you to the menu. You simply order what you want and they will bring it to you. So, I settled in to do a bit of plane spotting with some warm chill.

Lufthansa Business Class – Vancouver to Frankfurt

After a short while, it’s time to make my way to the gate. Normally, midday at YVR is fairly busy, but I guess the emptiness in one of the main concourses serves as a reminder that there is still a pandemic going on.

Oddly, enough the gate area for my flight is actually quite busy. While not a full flight, it’s a far cry from some of the empty flights I’ve heard about in the early days of the pandemic. Thankfully,  I’m able to board first and get settled for the ten hour flight to Frankfurt.

The Flight

I’ve never flown Lufthansa before, and I’ve heard mixed reviews about them. The seats are a little dated especially compared to some of their competition. But, it’s still a business class seat with the ability to lie flat for the Trans-Atlantic journey. So I’m not going to complain about it!  Soon after being seated, the flight attendant comes around with a welcome drink in the form of sparkling wine and warm nuts. Cheers!

Soon after, the doors are sealed and we are off on our whirlwind 72 hour trip to nowhere!

The Food

One of the things I did enjoy very much on this flight are the food offerings. This flight across the Atlantic serves dinner after take off and breakfast prior to landing.

For dinner, my starter consisted of smoked duck, prosciutto, grilled asparagus, grilled peppers and kalamata olives. The main course is a braised beef brisket with baby carrots, roasted shallot, grilled green zucchini and mashed potatoes. Dessert is a Petits Choux with strawberry and whipped cream.

For the breakfast meal, I opted for the potato cheddar frittata with Canadian bacon, spinach and sauteed leek and mushroom.

The Northern Lights!

After dinner, I put the seat into lie flat mode and proceeded to get a few hours of sleep. I did wake up in the middle of the flight and noticed the flight attendant looking intently out the window. Curious, I did the same and to my amazement, the Northern Lights were clearly visible outside our plane. We were literally flying through the Northern Lights! I’ve only seen the Southern Lights and wanted to check the Northern ones off my list. I didn’t expect it to “accidentally” wake up and see them halfway through a flight! But what a happy accident it is!

Lufthansa Business Lounge (Frankfurt)

The rest of the flight went smoothly and soon I find myself in Frankfurt Airport. With a few hours to kill, I navigate to the Lufthansa Business Lounge and settle get comfortable. The lounge is fairly large and spacious. There’s a fair bit of seating and a buffet area for food. While I didn’t have any trouble finding seating during my visit, I can imagine that when travel returns to normal, this lounge can probably get quite packed.

Lufthansa Business Class – Frankfurt to Dubai (Queen of the Skies!)

While the Emirates flights would still be the highlight of this trip. I am quite excited for this next flight aboard a 747, the Queen of the Skies! Not only do I get to fly on this iconic plane, I’ll be flying on the upper deck! With these planes becoming less and less common in favour of more efficient planes, being on one for a travel geek like me is a treat!

Upper Deck!

As fun as it is to “turn left” upon boarding a plane, it’s even cooler to walk up stairs! I’ve never been in the upper cabin of a plane before, so I was soaking in every minute of it! Practically though, I will say that if you’re not planning to “geek out” on this plane. You might be better served picking a seat on the first floor. I’m sure you can see in the pictures, the cabin is a bit more “snug” at the top as it follows the curvature of the air frame.  I personally didn’t mind it, but it might be something to keep in mind.

The Food

As this is only a six hour flight only one meal was served, but boy did I enjoy it!

For the starter I had the spiced salmon with avocado and parsley mousse, tomato and herb oil

My main course was Cod wrapped in smoked salmon with stewed leek and venus rice.

Unfortunately I was too full for dessert and opted out of it!

After dinner, I let things digest a little before conking out for the rest of the flight. I think the excitement of being on this plane and the previous day’s travel had caught up to me. Soon after waking up, we would be landing in Dubai!

Emirates First Class Lounge

After landing in Dubai, while most of my fellow passengers head towards customs and immigration, I am one of the few that take the exit to connections. I’m not intending to enter the UAE, but instead plan on spending the night in the airport. My plan is to avail myself of the Emirates First Class lounge and enjoy all the amenities it offers!

These lounges are something else! I’ve read stories about them but I didn’t quite appreciate it until I arrived. Not only is it very nicely appointed, its HUGE. While most lounges I’ve visited over the years are “largish” rooms and halls. This one spans what seems to be the entire length of the terminal! Not only that, there is a separate business class lounge on the floor above. So, this entire floor is only for first class passengers!

Within the lounge itself are all manner of amenities. There is a spa that offers free 15 minute massages to all passengers. There is a large dining area with a la carte and buffet dining. The lounge has its own dedicated duty free store. There are shower facilities. There is an area for children and even a quiet area where people can catch a few Zzz’s.

Dining at the Lounge

After exploring for what feels like hours. I decide to grab a quick bite. It’s really hard to say no to a wagyu beef burger and a lovely bottle of wine! I must have been hungry because that burger disappeared almost as quickly as it arrived at the table!

Spending the Night

So not only is the lounge massive, but there are THREE first class lounges in this airport. Upon arriving, I headed to the nearest lounge which is by the B Gates. However, my flights the next day would be departing from the A Gates. So after my exploration of the B Gate lounge, I make my way to A lounge where I intend to freshen up and get some rest. Every lounge has shower facilities which I make use of. Having flown for about 17 hours, a hot shower is just what the doctor ordered.

Feeling human again and relaxed, I find the quiet area. This is intended for travellers that want to nap and relax a little. There are different loungers in the area that each have their own blankets and pillows. I find a small corner to tuck away in and settle in for a few hours sleep. Tomorrow will be the day I get to check flying first class of my list!