Three Generations of the Emirates A380 Y Seat and More Barcelona Dining

[yflyer]

Earlier this year, at the end of February, I headed to Barcelona on Emirates. Now that SQ has stopped flying direct to BCN, a one stop option via DXB is as good as any, especially if you choose EK's A380 operated flights, rather than the 10-abreast 773ERs that Emirates also operates out of SIN.

I've covered Barcelona in a previous TR, but there is always more to do (and eat) in this Catalan city, as well as some old favourites to revisit.

On previous EK A380 flights, I noticed two different generations of economy product.

On this trip, I was pleasantly surprised to find a third, new generation Y product on my flight EK405 to Dubai. This flight was operated by A6-EUA (MSN 211), a one year old A380 sporting Arsenal FC livery.

As an FYI, the Emirates A380 that was involved in the wingtip scrape with a Scoot Dreamliner while operating the same flight number a month or so later was A6-EUB (MSN 213), another very new A380. A6-EUB likely had the same brand new interior product, although it wore the standard EK livery.

A close shave for Arsenal!

[yflyer]

The Emirates Lounge in T1 was closed for a much-needed renovation in late February. While I was a fan of the food in the Changi EK lounge, the decor was a little dated, so the make-over was very welcome.

As an alternative, premium EK pax were directed to the Qantas Singapore Lounge, which may have been a blessing in disguise. This is one of my favourite lounges in T1. It is perhaps even preferable, in my view, to the pre-makeover EK Lounge, and to me, better than the various SQ Business Class Lounges at Changi.

While the QF lounge serves sparking wine rather than proper champagne, they do have a decent wine and liquor selection (With a manned bar), and very good catering. (Some coverage of the Qantas Lounge here and here.)

[yflyer]

Emirates A380 A6-EUA at the gate, getting prepped for a 1.20am departure.



A better picture of this aircraft, adorned with beautiful Arsenal FC livery, after arrival in Dubai 7 hours later.

[yflyer]

The Emirates A380 has become such a ubiquitous workhorse on many sectors that I no longer feel any great thrill boarding one (Not in Y, anyway), but on this flight, I was delighted to encounter a new generation Y seat that I had not seen before.



This 3rd generation seat had a massive IFE touch screen, and a slightly slimmer seat profile than their 2nd generation product.



Comfort and recline were still state of the art, I would say on par with, but not superior to, the latest SQ Y seat on the 77WN.



Seat aside, the overall cabin ambience on this new iteration of the A380 Y cabin product was quite similar to previous generations: a roomy and spacious 10-abreast 3-4-3.





Restrooms with faux wood and metal trim...

[yflyer]

The biggest difference that pax would notice, compared to Y on other aircraft, is the huge touch/swipe enabled widescreen.



This system, which Emirates has named ICE, for Information, Communications & Entertainment, is of course full AVOD, with a huge selection of entertainment options. A/C power and USB charging are all integrated into the seatback.

There is also a handheld controller, itself sporting a small hi-res touchscreen.



Both Hollywood and international / regional movie selections...



A large selection of TV programs...



...and network TV as well.



Music selections included UK Chart hits...



Information pages...



Flight information (Including aircraft rego, and camera views...)...



Live news...





Headband-style headphones, which are not great, but better than SQ's cheap earbuds (The current SQ earbuds are poor to the point of being unusable).



I also like the fact that EK provides stickers that you can use to indicate whether you want to sleep, or whether you want to be woken up for meals.

[yflyer]

Inflight wifi is also provided at very reasonable prices. In fact, your first 10MB (or 2 hours) is free, and if you just use wifi to send a few text messages on WhatsApp, 10MB may be all you need.



I usually sign up for USD 1 for 500MB of data, which is exceptional value.

Actual internet surfing speeds are not great, and occasionally cuts out, but for that price, I think the connectivity is fine.

[yflyer]

Cabin service began with a round of drinks. Complimentary beverages on this flight, including wine and liquor, except for champagne (Which EK charges for).



Printed menus in Y...





On this late night departure, a snack service was offered after take-off...



...and a full breakfast served prior to arrival...



I opted for the Balinese coconut chicken with noodles (The other option was an asparagus omelette)...



Overall a good flight...



We landed on time in Dubai, where the fast track card given to EK (And QF) FF's gave us access to priority queues at both transit and arrival...

[yflyer]

I spent my time in transit in the EK Business Class Lounge in the dedicated A380 terminal in DXB.

I've covered this lounge in previous TR's. Essentially, this is a wonderful lounge which occupies an entire level of the terminal.





This lounge has a good F&B selection, offered buffet style, with a dedicated seating area for dining.

As I had just eaten breakfast onboard prior to landing, I was content to sample a little of the Middle Eastern cuisine offered in the lounge breakfast buffet, such as hommus and foules-madames along with Arabic bread.





I could not resist some of the wine on offer, though...

There are multiple buffet counters, and wine/liquor bars, throught this lounge, and I noticed that each bar had slightly different wine selections...



Paul Jaboulet Aine's Hermitage La Chapelle 1997? In a Business Class lounge? Were my eyes deceiving me?



No they were not! Yes, this was indeed La Chapelle 1997...



This was an outstanding Rhone wine, with a 93 point Robert Parker rating...

Despite it being morning, I could not resist a couple of glasses of this intense, fruity Syrah....



Quite a find, and one of the nicest wines I have had in a J lounge.

[yflyer]

I boarded my connecting flight to Barcelona directly from the lounge.

This was EK185 DXB-BCN, operated by A6-EDW...



This was an older A380 (5 years old, MSN 103) with the earlier generation A380 seat.

This aircraft had seats and IFE screens which were broadly comparable with SQ's current A380 product.



This was still comfortable, but not quite at the same level as newer generation Y products.

[yflyer]

The menu on this flight...



A continental breakfast to start...



...and barbequed chicken for lunch towards the end of the flight...



A tasty starter...



...and a satisfying main course as well...



...accompanied with wine served in individual bottles...



Chocolate-orange cake with passion fruit sauce made for a sweet ending...

[yflyer]

This was a 100% full flight in Y (And I suspect F and J as well), but the large and roomy A380 Y cabin made the overall experience quite comfortable.



Final approach into BCN, as viewed from one of 3 camera views available...



At the gate at Barcelona's El Prat Airport...



I spent the week in Barcelona, mostly at work, but I did have time to go on several runs in very pleasant spring weather, check out several eating places, and watch FC Barcelona play Sporting Gijon at Camp Nou.

To skip straight to my return flights and a brief comparison of the different generations of EK's evolving A380 economy hard product , click here.

[yflyer]

Once again, my hotel in Barcelona was the Silken Diagonal, a small designer hotel next to the Torre Agbar, not far from the Sagrada Familia.



I was upgraded to a Club Room, which, at 30 sq meters, was more spacious than the regular rooms at 21 sq meters.





My room at partial views of the Sagrada Familia in the distance.



This is a very pleasant hotel to stay in, whether for work or a holiday. While not in the most central location, it is just a short metro ride away from Las Ramblas and other attractions, and is not far from Rambla del Poblenou, a shady tree-lined boulevard with eateries. The beach front is also an easy 2km jog/walk away. There are other hotels along the same stretch of Avingudo Diagonal, including a Four Points Sheraton.

[yflyer]

As usual, one of the first things I did in Barcelona after checking into the hotel was to go for a long run, starting at the Silken Diagonal, heading down Rambla del Poblenou to the beach....



...first heading south, past Port Olimpic, with its yacht harbour and seafood eateries...



...and then past the casino and and Frank Gehry's El Peix, a golden metal sculpture resembling both a fish and a Spanish Conquistador's helmet...



...before reaching the sail-shaped W hotel...



...and doubling back along the beach back towards the north...



A beautiful day to be outside...the sun was up, yet it was cool and breezy.

Once again a long run proved to be the best jet lag cure. With the obligatory run out of the way, I joined my colleagues for drinks and dinner at Sagardi, a tapas bar in the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona...

[yflyer]

Sagardi is tucked next to a small square along a narrow road in the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona, not far from the Picasso Museum.

It has both indoor and outdoor seating (If sitting outdoors, do beware of wandering street vendors: some are authentic trinket sellers, but there are others whose real intention is to steal your belongings, whether phones, purses or whole laptop bags from under your table...)...

The lively tapas bar itself is setup with a stupendous selection of bite-sized tapas...



...which you help yourself to and bring to your table...



...the tapas were varied and delicious...



The billing system at Sagardi is quite unique.

Each tapa is fixed price, and comes with a toothpick. You keep the toothpicks, and at the end of the meal, the waiter will count the toothpicks and bill you based on the number of toothpicks.

An honour system, and a very elegant one at that!

[yflyer]

Another tapas bar I checked out was Quimet y Quimet...this was a tiny, and very traditional tapas bar. The first time I headed there was in the evening...it was completely jam packed -- our party could not even get in and so we diverted to an alternate dining venue instead...

But I was determined to sample the food there, so I headed there again the next day, this time during off-peak hours during the day...



Shelves along the walls groaning under the weight of different bottles of wine, whisky and liquor...



Standing room only...



A long menu of different tapas...



I ordered a selection...razor clams, anchovies with olives...tuna and sea urchin on bread...



Just amazing. I was very well looked after by the warm and friendly staff, who despite being busy, were able to pay close attention to all patrons...



Olive, anchovy and red pepper on a lightly toasted piece of bread, one of the so-called montadito's (small open-faced sandwiches) that this place was famous for. The bread for each montadito was ideally light and crisp, a wonderful base for the different toppings on the menu...



When my clumsiness resulted in the large olive rolling onto the floor, the friendly staff member behind the counter immediately scooped a small dish of large olives from the serving bowl and handed them to me as a replacement. What a nice gesture!

The sea urchin and tuna montadito was also tasty...a combination of flavours and textures that worked well...



Quimet y Quimet is definitely worth a visit when in Barcelona, but like almost all the popular tapas joints in Barcelona, go early or off peak, or be prepared to spend time either queuing to get in, or packed into a bar like anchovies in a jar...