I flew on the most controversial Emirates flight in the world — here’s what it was like

Soon after the meal, we landed on time in Newark around 9:30 PM. Here’s my verdict.

Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider

With less space and fewer amenities with which to work, economy class is perhaps the most difficult of the in-flight products to perfect. Which means there’s a thin line between success and brutalizing your passengers.

Fortunately, Emirates is pretty darn good at what they do.

The food was top notch as was the airline’s selection of soft drinks and alcoholic beverages.

The 32-inches of seat pitch and relatively generous recline angle offered enough room to engage in some solid napping. Unlike many of the new slimline seats, Emirates economy seats are well cushioned and supportive.

ICE lived up to its billing as the best in-flight entertainment system in all the land for the past 13 years according to airline rating website Skytrax. The large selection of Western and regional films, television shows, and music has something for just about anyone.

Unfortunately, the screen at my seat was slow to react and didn’t deliver very good picture quality. But, it should be noted that our aircraft was one of the older planes in the fleet and did not have the latest screens, which are more responsive and delivers a much better picture.

There was one thing that did bug me, however. In January, I had the chance to experience no fewer than five different sets of Emirates cabin crew. Almost without fail, they were all incredibly professional, helpful, and a joy to deal with. Except the gentleman assigned to serve my section on the leg from Athens to Newark.

During the flight, he was terse, he snapped at passengers, and generally wore a dour expression on his face like he really didn’t want to be there. But apart from this little speed bump, everything else was great.

So what’s my final verdict?

As controversial as Emirates’ Newark operation may be in the airline industry, the customer experience, and overall service is outstanding.