Emirates v Air France - opinions please

Ems!

becominganobsessivesaver wrote: »

Here's my thoughts having spent my entire maternity leave planning a trip to Mauritius.

I booked flights directly through BA (as I had tesco points to covert to BA miles and could then upgrade.)

I found that a lot of the online agents (Tropical Sky, DreamTicket, Destinology etc.) offered accomodation only, so haggled a bit between these for that

I've booked private transfers directly with a company in Mauritius

You may find this a cheaper way to do it - our holiday's coming in about £600 more than the travel agents quoted for the whole thing - but we paid for premium economy flights with that (and of course got our Tesco upgrade to Club free:j ).

Not sure if this is any use and if you want any of the websites I used feel free to PM!

Out of interest where are you looking at staying?

Thanks, I'll send you a pm in a min, would be interested in those websites. I want to to stay at the legends on all inclusive.

Hope you have a great holiday - sounds like you did tons of planning!

Ems!

thatsfabulous wrote: »

I think you need to look at what does £800 mean to you?

It seems Emirates is the populour choice however you can not say Air france are not a good airline.

From the comments made:
If you want newer planes & happier crew, and want Dubai stop then go Emirates.

If your not bothered about a 'newerplane' and would not be too bothered if your crew are very cheerfull however they would be helpfull then go Air france...

There doesnt seem to be an £800 difference in my opinion so id fly Airfrance but if you think it is woth paying more for them little extras then fly Emirates.

Yeah I tend to aree with what you have said here, clearly , the consensus is that flying via cdg is a pain, and that emirates are superior, but probably not £800 superior! And £800 does mean quitre a lot to me, I know this is an expensive holiday but its not the type of hol we on on every year and we certainly couldn't afford to do it every year!

thatsfabulous

I can see why would you would ask for opinions, it is an expensive holiday and of course you want to enjoy every aspect of your trip.

Knowing id saved as much as £800 id prob have a lovely meal one night on holiday or order champagne onboard/ at airport. For me that would make the difference (but without spending £800 )

Have a lovley time,whoever you chose to fly with....

Voyager2002

thatsfabulous wrote: »

I can see why would you would ask for opinions, it is an expensive holiday and of course you want to enjoy every aspect of your trip.

Knowing id saved as much as £800 id prob have a lovely meal one night on holiday or order champagne onboard/ at airport. For me that would make the difference (but without spending £800 )

Have a lovley time,whoever you chose to fly with....

One of the plus points of Air France is that you get good champagne (as much as you can drink) in economy. So that is one less way to spend your 800 pounds.

Sergio1982

My only personal experience of AF was good but we had been upgraded so that did influence it a lot. My dad used to fly with them a lot and him and his French colleagues refer to the airline as 'Air Chance' due to the times they have arrived without their luggage!

Sorry to hijack slightly.

I'm supposed to be planning my honeymoon and wondered what people's opinions were on BA v Emirates? Flying to Cape Town from LHR.

BA £550
Emirates £610

Not a great deal in price but pros for BA is direct and shorter duration, cons 31" seat pitch v 34".

VfM4meplse

Emirates are good (the vege menu was partcularly good) but be warned here are differences in the specs of the planes. I travelled in 2 different types, one with more leg room and facilities than the other to Sydney and back from Auckland. All flights are routed through Dubai airport which is comfortable but v. busy. Still the huge shopping corridor gives you a great chance to stretch your legs.

Even so I wouldn't shell out £800 extra for the privilege!

omelette451

Sergio1982 wrote: »

I'm supposed to be planning my honeymoon and wondered what people's opinions were on BA v Emirates? Flying to Cape Town from LHR.

BA £550
Emirates £610

Not a great deal in price but pros for BA is direct and shorter duration, cons 31" seat pitch v 34".

Have you tried South African Airways?

Sergio1982

omelette451 wrote: »

Have you tried South African Airways?

I was just about to ask about them; I've never flown with them. I spoke to Rainbow Tours this afternoon and they use SAA. Are they any good?

Gosia

Hi

I flew to Cape Town via Dubai with Emirates in December. Emirates were excellent - their service really was good, comfy seats and large screens with lots of choice. On the way to Cape Town we had an 8 hour wait in Dubai!!! On the way back the stop over was only 2 hours. The total journey there took about 24-hours!

I am going back to South Africa again in August / September but this time flying South African Airways. The flight is direct and it only cost £490!

Thus in truth even though Emirates are excellent - I would still always try to go for the cheapest, quickest and most direct option.

The only way I would fly to SA with Emirates again - via Dubia is by doing a 3-day stop over in Dubai. Apparently Emirates offer special hotel rates if you stay three days.

omelette451

Sergio1982 wrote: »

I was just about to ask about them; I've never flown with them. I spoke to Rainbow Tours this afternoon and they use SAA. Are they any good?

I've never flown with them but I've heard favourable reviews from people who have. I do know that in order to join Star Alliance (of which SAA is a long-standing member) airlines have to pass fairly strict rules on quality of service, and as I've never had a problem with any SA airline, I wouldn't hesitate to use them - assuming, of course, that you get a decent fare.