Emirates Reviews

After paying in full and formally escalating the matter, the only response received from Emirates was “we regret the inconvenience caused,” with no explanation, accountability, or compensation offered. Had this been just one inconvenience, I would not have pursued it further. Unfortunately, the cumulative experience caused unnecessary stress and chaos during the entire journey. This response has resulted in a complete loss of confidence in Emirates—not just for us, but also within our family and professional circle. Based on this experience, I would strongly reconsider choosing Emirates in the future.

The best was Virgin where the tea was served in a proper teapot on a tray with some cookies. I was not alone in my observation as another passenger expressed that the economy class had better service than business class. The relaxing journey was not so. The crew on my return journey on 14th of October, EK 0225 was better with a more attentive crew. Another surprise was I was given complimentary lounge access on my first flight but denied lounge access on my return. The Emirates staff in Delhi would not budge. Since it has never happened before, how should the customer know that this could be an issue? I had very high expectations but at the price of ticket there are alternates.

We were a family of 4, 2 adults and 2 children, 2 males and 2 females. The compensation offered to us (not negotiable) was $50 and 1 overnight 'pack' for an adult male. We questioned this as a single passenger in front of us, who also had delayed baggage, was given the same $50 and overnight adult male pack. However, as stated, it was non-negotiable. We took it and left and spent the entire amount at a local coffee shop on beverages for the 4 of us.

I wonder how a family of 6, 2 adults and 4 children, 5 being female would have managed with that same amount ($50) and the 1 overnight travel pack for an adult male. In summary, Emirates, great planes, great staff, great food, good entertainment but your customer service when bags get delayed or lost, needs looking at unless you are confident that you can eliminate it from happening in the future.

After all, they are still developing nation in the Middle East with poor human rights record. They don’t know how to deal with problems, because they suppress opposing opinions. I saw limitations in their growth. No wonder I heard only overly positive opinions about Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum in Dubai because people are so afraid to speak out. If they do, they get what we got. 

Emirates can’t even compensate a few hundred dollars for what the company did wrong to our disabled son. We were not asking much, only a refund of our upgraded seats but the service we did not receive. The incident was reported to the Captain in the middle of the flight and even a voucher was issued, still Emirates refused to accept their fault and refund our upgrade fees.

We exhausted our efforts to communicate with unresponsive customer service department as well as their headquarters in the UAE and offices in USA with pictures of water dangerously dripping on the electric component of my seat, not to mention on my clothes. I personally stood on my seat and put towels in the compartment to stop water leaks temporarily. Please see some of the same photos I sent to them. We were forced to stand during the flight for an extended time while the water kept dripping. A lead flight attendant forcefully took my phone away when I was recording the incidents and yelled out loud that it’s illegal and he would notify security.

The entire scene was displayed in front of our son and frightened him. We suggested the Emirates customer service to interview the passengers around us so they would learn exactly what happened. Instead, they only told us that an alternative seat was offered to us but we declined. Of course, we declined because our autistic son who requires attention and medication couldn’t sit by himself if I moved to another seat, which was by the way not an upgraded seat we paid for and far from our son.

I just had a great experience with another airline that upgraded me from a Premium Economy to Business from Japan to San Francisco when they didn’t do anything wrong to me, they just overbooked the Premium Economy. Another airline refunded me within hours a seat upgrade I made because a flight was delayed and I had to settle for a less desirable seat, even though the delay was not their airline’s fault but a connecting flight by a different carrier. Airlines in Europe and North America have stricter rules and therefore, they compensate for their mistakes. Emirates is still second-tier or lower. When they make mistakes, they can’t make it right. I appreciate you all for reading, and I sincerely hope you won’t have to go through what we went through. Please do not fly with Emirates. You deserve better.

My first flight was booked from Hong Kong to NYC with a stated layover in Dubai. Upon checking in, I was shocked to discover a sneaky, unannounced additional layover in Milan. This was never mentioned at any point during the booking process. I specifically paid a premium for a one-stop flight, not two. Other two-stop flights were cheaper, but Emirates charged me more and delivered an inferior, longer product.

The return trip from Rio to HK was even worse. After Dubai, the plane landed in Bangkok for 1.5 hours. We were held captive on the sweltering, hot aircraft without being allowed to disembark. When I politely asked to get off to use the WiFi and stretch my legs, I was refused.

Upon returning to my seat after this ordeal, I discovered that the cleaning crew had already removed all my personal belongings! My jacket, my wash bag (which they claimed they "don't provide," despite me having just received it on the prior Emirates flight from Rio!), and my specific charging cables were gone. While the staff retrieved my jacket, my wash bag and original cables were lost forever. Their "solution" was to hand me a bunch of random, mismatched cables, essentially admitting they just grab lost property from other passengers to placate complaints.

Emirates' core failure is dishonesty. They advertise and charge for one-stop flights but secretly add unannounced stops. This is a blatant bait-and-switch. Coupled with the horrific experience of being trapped on a hot plane and having my belongings effectively stolen by their own crew, I strongly advise anyone booking a flight to avoid Emirates unless you enjoy paying for a premium product and receiving a substandard, deceptive service.

I was also promised reimbursement of expenses upon arrival. I had a large presentation the following day, and none of my expenses for that meeting were covered. I also had a very rude driver getting to the airport. Don't trust the airline, and definitely don't trust their layovers. It's really too bad - I was looking for a new primary airline for business travel, and it certainly won't be Emirates.