- You will be sitting at the premium economy today.
(exciting epic music plays)
- This one didn't go up all to my brain.
- It's been two years since I've been on a plane.
- This is the only flight on the departure board to Dubai.
- People just really really love A380.
- Our take-off weight will be 373.
- Take off.
- It is a message of hope and optimism.
- Just before this flight, I watched your video,
and now, I'm in your video. Woohoo!
- Mask on, man.
- Oh yeah, please.
- I mean we are all vaccinated.
- 2020, which was such a nightmare for all our industry,
- and 2021 is a recovery.
- I just want this flight to be like the old days
where we're all friends and you know,
we all had a great time on board.
- Oh, sir. Hello.
- Yay! Cheers!
- 400 people on board and having fun.
(upbeat music plays)
- Hey, good morning. I'm lining up for the test.
Really excited about the flight today.
- Before we get on this fully vaccinated flight,
we have to be retested here.
Okay. Go gentle please.
- Don't worry.
- This one didn't go up all to my brain.
- Yeah, it's better.
- Yeah, Thank you so much.
- Okay, I'm going to call you in ten minutes.
This is, looks like a hundred-nationality flight because,
in Dubai, we are so many, and waiting for the results,
I met Vivian from Brazil.
- How long you haven't travelled?
- Since I was two months old.
- Oh, no.
- How long you haven't travelled.
- Ah, one year.
- One year? - One year.
- Oh my God, you're going to have tears coming out.
- Where are you guys from?.
- Philippines.
- From Syria, yeah.
- Emirates' most loyal customer,
you even have the green pin, so I'll meet you on the flight.
- I do. I got it. I'm on the flight.
It's also very meaningful, right?
Being part of such a campaign to make sure
that people do the right thing and make the right choices,
so that we can get out of this together.
So, I'm excited to be part of it.
- Yeah. That's me. Thank you.
I hope it's a good report.
- Thank you.
- Thank you so much.
- We are good to go.
- We are good to fly. Let's go.
- Here's my vaccination certificate. Yeah.
- You see, when was the last one?
- January earlier?
- That's too early, yeah.
I think you were the first [inaudible 00:02:31]
- Oh, I was thinking like,
eventually I might need this to travel.
- True. So, Mr. Troy, you will be sitting in
the premium economy today. Boarding gate is at B15.
Enjoy your flight!
- Thank you so much.
- Emirates has always been second home,
and it's so good to be back in our second home.
- I'm vaccinated. I'm travelling after a long time,
so this is the best time to revive the family experiences.
- Whoo!
- It's been two years since I've been
on a plane and excited to be part of this milestone flight.
- Welcome
- Thank you very much.
- Please speak to a member.
- Oh no.
I got rejected from this.
I thought my face was my passport.
- Yeah. Exactly.
- Thank you so much. Thank you. Cheers!
- So as someone already pointed out,
this is the only flight on the departure board to Dubai.
It's like Dubai to Dubai.
That's the EK 2021.
Let's fly, guys.
- Hi.
- How are you?
- Good to see you.
- I follow you on YouTube.
- People just really really love the A380
Everybody's taking photo and video here at a window.
I have to say walking down the jet bridge to board
a plane is an amazing feeling every time.
Hi, how are you?
- Welcome aboard! How are you today?
- Hi, Here's my boarding pass.
- Thank you so much.
- Mr. Troy, welcome aboard.
It's going to be closest to your right.
- Very, very nice premium economy.
- Enjoy!
- And why I chose this seat is you will see later.
I think you've probably figured out this is a good seat
with a view.
- Hello, everyone.
My name is Captain Ahmad Labadely.
I'm flying today with First Officer Ramon Wild
and we have also Captain Ricky Garala.
Today, we are flying the A380
over the North airspace of United Arab Emirates.
So, we will be departing
from Dubai on a runway one to right initially.
And then we will be climbing to 13,000.
We'll be flying over the West coast of Sharjah and Dubai.
Then we'll be heading toward Ras Al Khaimah.
We'll be passing a Ajman and work our way in towards
Ras Al Khaimah.
And then, we'll be flying East to overfly Fujairah.
After that, we'll go South
heading towards Al Ain to overfly Al Ain.
And then we'll go West to our capital Abu Dhabi.
We're carrying 50.3 tonnes of fuel
and our take off weight will be 373.1 tonnes.
- I'm so glad that we're together.
[Troy] You took my seat. This is my seat.
- I did it purposely
because I know that we're going to be talking a lot
me and you today.
[Troy] Nice to see here.
How are you darling?
- I'm doing great. Thank you.
[Troy] Nice to see you.
- Just before this flight, I watched your video.
Now I'm in your video. Woohoo!
[Troy] Thank you so much. It feels so great.
Nice to see you guys. Enjoy your Flight please.
- Let's take a selfie.
[Troy] Let's take a selfie, okay.
- Been awhile since 14 months,
a long time just to be on the ground.
[Troy] So 14 months that you haven't flown.
- Yeah, yeah.
[Troy] You're in the wrong seat.
You need a window seat, man.
I think you're going to
reduce the tears after you've flown.
And then you're going to say "Why I haven't flown earlier?
It took me 14 months to realise that you can fly now."
You're enjoying?
- Yeah, very nice.
[Troy] Mask on, man.
- Oh, yeah please. I mean we are all vaccinated.
[Troy] Yeah, exactly.
- So no need mask.
- I feLT the same way.
Like you, I was told by doctor,
- Okay.
The vaccine is not a hundred percent effective.
It's preventive but there's still chances
until we achieve pure immunity.
Then, we can take that mask off.
Right now, just too soon.
We're just at the beginning of this trial.
- Hi, sir!
[Troy] How are you?
- So nice to see you.
- You know, one of these flights is like a reunion.
- You have friends everywhere.
- I think it's been four years since we've seen each other.
- I'm the only guy knowing about 400 people on this flight,
you know?
- Wow, so nice to see you.
- You're gorgeous.
- Thank you so much.
[Troy] Oh my God.
Oh my God, we need a longer flight.
We need to take picture of everybody.
This is so fun.
Hi. How are you guys?
- Welcome back.
- I knew that eventually one day after all these 14 years
that I'm flying so far, I would get to meet you.
And I'm so happy to have you here on this flight.
- We're here. Thank you so much.
- It's actually him.
I've been following him since airliners.net days,
which was back in 2004, 2005,
he was flying all these exotic airlines
and promising trip reports on airliners.net,
and thanks to all of his experiences,
I've learned so much,
which I apply now today, every day.
- And now, we're flying together.
It's a pleasure.
(upbeat music starts)
(plane engine roaring drowns out speaker)
(upbeat music plays)
(plane engine roaring drowns out speaker)
- Now we are cruising at the flight level at 15,000,
we just overflew Fujairah,
and we are heading towards Ah Lain.
And we'll be circling in a pattern around the North
of United Arab Emirates for three times
for the passenger side to enjoy.
(speaking in foreign language)
- We had that message from the air traffic control,
telling us that they are supporting us
and therefore our goals.
(upbeat music plays)
- Best seat in the house.
- 2020, which was such a nightmare for all our industry.
And 2021 is a recovery for all of us.
And this is how you know, from now on,
people with travel vaccination is clearly the way
to end this pandemic.
So with this kind of flights, you know
with everybody vaccinated, this will be the start
of a new era, the post-pandemic.
- This is what we're doing.
This is what we're doing for a living.
And then you're do it with a passion, okay.
Pay attention to detail, as well.
And then also before they ask, to try to assume their needs
as well, too.
We're not here only because of our looks,
is it because of our heart, as well,
pouring them out and showing it to our customers, too.
Clear?
- Yes, clear.
[Troy] How's the food, guys? Enjoying the meal?
- Yeah. Yeah.
[Troy] What do we have today?
- So today we have a grilled chicken with tomato sauce,
mashed potatoes and the seasoned vegetables.
And the second option is the prawns
with the middle Eastern sauce and the aromated rice.
- Sir, you inspired me to book this flight.
- Really? Well, thank you.
Plus you're on board and you know,
I just want this flight to be like the old days
where we're all friends and you know,
we all had a great time on board,
and that's what we've been missing.
It's been a year and there's not much, you know
and nowadays, you've got a to flight, you wear a mask,
it's quiet.
You know, we need a lot of activities.
We need a lot of these special flights to celebrate,
you know?
(upbeat music plays)
- I'm everywhere today.
I'm floating around the whole cabin,
but I kind of appreciate how wide A380 cabin is.
There's nothing like a three, four, three.
It just the widest, the most spacious aeroplane.
[Troy] How are you?
- Fine. Thanks a lot.
[Troy] Where are you from?
- I'm from Dubai.
[Troy] How's everything so far.
- Everything is perfect.
[Troy] Yeah, you enjoy the view?
- Yes. Waiting for this moment.
- Fantastic!
- It's like we're back in the good old days.
Full of people now and are more lounged enjoying themselves.
- Oh, Sir! Hello.
[Troy] It looks like you really enjoyed the flight.
It's like we're back in the good old days.
- I've missed this lovely lady who's part Italian.
[Troy] Can you make a Mimosa for me?
What's a Mimosa?
- Champagne and orange juice.
- You can see why I can never be crew.
[Troy] Yay! Cheers!
(Upbeat music starts)
- I think it was something that excited us every time we got
on the aeroplane and they just added little touches
around the side that are beautiful.
You know, headrest here at the top, this little, extra bit.
It's just so comfortable.
I suddenly realised when, when we were sitting
down on the plane and when we boarded, I'd been
on the plane for about 30 minutes without adjusting the seat
Being someone that's six foot massive tall,
normally, the first thing I try and do
is adjust the seat, but I was so comfortable.
I just sat down and enjoyed it.
So amazing, amazing comfort.
And I cannot wait to fly this plane around the world
as we open up and start flying again.
(upbeat music plays)
- We've been 36 years in Dubai.
And we're on this flight because I saw it in the newspaper
late at night, and I told my husband
I think we should go on EK 2021 because we're leaving
on the 18th of May to go back to the UK.
So he jumped out of bed,
and went to the computer and booked the flight.
And here we are.
[Troy] How do you feel?
- Well, you know, look at how the Emirates has changed.
I mean, it really, has been a remarkable airline.
It really has been remarkable and the quality is good.
And I know my cousin was with British airways
for many years.
He was a head of the Concorde flight.
And so, I have a bit of airline blood in my family,
but this is very, very good.
The more people take the vaccination,
the more we will see some countries
relaxing some of the entry protocols.
With these relaxation of the protocols,
we will be able to launch more flights,
and obviously more people to travel.
It's a great way to go forward.
- This flight is clearly demonstration that people
want development.
People have purchased tickets to be on this flight.
and we need to balance between health, economic
and social life.
It will be a busy schedule in the summer
and there will be a higher number of people travelling
in the summer.
[Troy] What kind of food do you have? Are you a vegetarian?
- Yeah, I'm a vegetarian.
[Troy] So show me, what did you, what is this?
It's with (indistinct).
Yeah, and this is with cauliflower on some rice and
mango pickle and peanut salads.
[Troy] Are you a frequent Emirates flyer
that's why you get on this plane?
- Yes, I'm a frequent flyer.
[Troy] And you enjoyed Emirates before?
- Really, and this particular flight, yes.
(upbeat music plays)
- It's a great opportunity to be in this flight,
and of course,
we made sure that the crew of aircraft controllers
managing the flight are also fully vaccinated.
- It is a message of hope and optimism and a key component
of that message is the vaccination effort.
The global vaccination effort, really,
and it's really critical and important to make sure
that we all come together to make vaccines accessible
and available to everyone
not just in the UAE, but across the globe.
That's the fastest way for us to get through this together.
[Troy] Where are you from, Ashley?
- I'm from Korea, EK 2021.
[Troy] Okay.
(speaking in Korean)
- You know, I'm the last person eating here
because I was busy filming everywhere.
- Alright.
[Troy] I just almost finished this prawn Machboos.
- You choose the right choice.
- This one is flavorful.
- Absolutely.
(upbeat music plays)
- Currently at 17,000 feet flight level 170.
Cruising at a grand speed of 218 knots,
so about 340 miles per hour.
And we're on our last leg of pattern here.
We're just about to cross into Al Ain,
and down to Abu Dhabi for our last leg, prior to landing.
The three of us, we all still remember the first time
we flew this aircraft.
It's a wonderful aircraft to fly on.
Also the airlines around the world
are probably putting this into storage.
We here at Emirates,
we're looking forward to flying our fleets again,
and having you on board.
(upbeat music plays)
- Time really flies while you met so many people.
400 people on board and having fun.
I think it's one of these events.
It created an opportunity
for us to be together, to share stories, to laugh together,
to enjoy the time together.
And I'm looking forward.
I'm very confident in looking forward with more fascination.
The normal travel will be back and we all will be flying.
(upbeat music plays)
(aeroplane engine roars)
(passengers clapping)
[Troy] How was your flight?
- The flight is absolutely amazing.
Especially over Dubai,
we generally don't see the sky as beautiful
as it is right now.
[Troy] Do you enjoy the flight?
- Yes, very much.
[Troy] Okay. Take care. nice to see you.
Take care.
Nice to meet you. Take care.
Thank you. Take care.
Thank you.
Thank you for the good cause.
This is behind the scenes now.
Now there's so much fun on this flight.
If there's only one airline gave me so much love
and gave me all the passengers love,
that has to be Emirates.