Considering flying First Class Australia-Rome on Emirates. I live in Brisbane but the departure city doesn’t matter. The reason being is a “once-in-a-lifetime” flight on an Emirates A380 and the shower, taking my Mum. As I’m taking my Mum the amount of points is the issue and I want to limit the amount of points used. I have enough Qantas points to cover the whole one way trip for 2, First Class the entire way from East Coast Australia, but is it possible to fly perhaps only the Australia-Dubai leg in First Class, then Business Class the Dubai-Rome leg, and is doing so really viable points wise? The surcharges are the same for Business/First so is it worth worrying about? I mean do I save that many points? I considered it the other way, that is flying Business Class Australia-Dubai then First Class Dubai-Rome but if you want to fly on an A380 Dubai-Rome the flight times don’t match up with flights originating from Australia. Is anyone smarter than me to work out the viability of different choices? Other option is fly from Perth, but it needs to be an A380 not a 777. It’s all very confusing. Or has anyone worked out a way to fly to Europe (any European city not necessarily Rome specifically), flying part Business/part First on an Emirates A380? And one last thing, is there any way to fly the WHOLE way on an Emirates A380, or will the second leg always be on a 777? (Ps. The return journey I will be doing with Velocity Points on Qatar)
Hi @graham,
My thoughts inline below:
Considering flying First Class Australia-Rome on Emirates...
a “once-in-a-lifetime” flight on an Emirates A380 and the
shower, taking my Mum.
How lovely! It will be a fantastic experience for you both to share.
First Class the entire way from East Coast Australia, but is it
possible to fly perhaps only the Australia-Dubai leg in First
Class, then Business Class the Dubai-Rome leg.
Definitely doable. There are a few options to consider… if your prime goal is to enjoy the experience of flying Emirates First Class on the A380 with the shower/spa, then I would be looking for routes that can satisfy this requirement.
With this in mind, the way I’d view it would be to find the longest A380 route so that I can enjoy all the offerings for as long as possible (but that’s me!). Yes you could fly from East Coast Australia (BNE → DXB is a bit over 14hrs), but availability is potentially going to be your biggest constraint. Not to mention 2x 1st Class reward seats too.
The Perth options is always good. I’ve done this many times, both as a solo traveller and with my wife. There are 2 daily flights to Dubai, but only 1 of them (leaves nightly around 10:30pm) is on the A380. Alternatively look at hopping to one of many South East Asian cities that Emirates services with A380 flights.
Use the Emirates Route Map to see fliying times and what planes they use on each route. (Be aware that they can swap aircraft at the last minute too).
https://routemap.emirates.com/english#flights/BNE/DXB
I’ve flown many times from Perth to Kuala Lumpur (both economy & business class using points and cash) and then hopped on a Classic reward 1st Class seat to Dubai on the A380. Some cities have multiple flights a day. For example Kuala Lumpur has 3 but only 1 is the A380. Bankok has up to 5 daily flights depending on the time of year, but usually only 2 are A380’s. Singapore has 4 daily flights with 1st Class and 2 are A380’s. Also look at options from Japan, Vietnam, China and Phillipines too. Some of these cities have way more reward seat availability than most Australian cities too, which is what makes them very attractive as your 1st class launch pad!
Note that Emirates has some A380s on certain routes that DO NOT have 1st class! These fly to Bangkok as well as Bali too, just as an example.
is doing so really viable points wise? The surcharges are the
same for Business/First so is it worth worrying about?
Great point… (no pun intended). Personally for me, if I have the points and there are seats in 1st class available, go for it. It’s a no brainer really, unless you are wanting to save the points for another trip. It kinda hurts knowing you’re paying the same fees and taxes for First as you do for Business. It’s the one thing that does leave a sour taste in your mouth about Emirates. But, having said that, it is Emirates 1st class! (I’ll be the first to admit I’m a fanboy for them too. Others may disagree regarding the value they deliver for this level/cost of redemption)
Has anyone worked out a way to fly to Europe (any European city
not necessarily Rome specifically), flying part Business/part First
on an Emirates A380?
Yes I’ve done this. I’ve found Frankfurt to be a good option with reward availability. I’ve flown 1st class into Dubai from both Perth and Kuala Lumpur on the A380, and then swapped to a 777 in Business class (yes, the dreaded 2-3-2 one) as well as on the A380 as well. Also done Dubai to Amsterdam in 1st then hopped over to Bristol in the UK on KLM. A nice route that avoids Heathrow.
So look for those kinds of options into Europe… Milan, Nice, and there could be domestic options to Rome or trains perhaps even? Maybe even Barcelona and a short hop to Rome?
As for the long layovers depending on arrival times in Dubai and your connecting flight to Europe… I tend to view it as part of the whole 1st class experience. It’s both in the air as well as on the ground. Dubai’s first class lounges are simply amazing. The food, service, showers, sleep/quiet rooms, complimentary 15min massage options all make the time not even a factor (in my opinion). My record so far is 21hrs in the lounge. It was awesome. But maybe that’s just me! hehehe 
And one last thing, is there any way to fly the WHOLE
way on an Emirates A380
It’s definitely possible to do… but will all depends on availability of 2 x reward seats, time of year, etc…
Set to work in the Qantas Multi-City search tool, Emirates Website (route maps, then search availability), combine the two, plus I use Google Flights for quick searching.
Searching for flights using the Emirates mobile app is super quick and easy too, especially when jumping back and forth between different cities. I also use Seats.aero to help with reward seat availability. This can be quicker than using Qantas website, which can be slow, cumbersome and buggy (quite often) unfortunately.
As for how many points it’s going to cost you?? About 300,000 for 2 Adults in 1st Class is you were to fly from Kuala Lumpur - Dubai - Milan. The Milan flight is an A380. It will cost you about AUD$2,650.00 in fees and taxes for the 2 of you.
I’m sure if you hunt around some more you would be able to find both legs on an A380 as well. It just takes some patience and determination.
Oh… and remember that Classic Reward redemptions will cost you about 20% more points come August this year too. So if you’re travelling after the “price hike” you’ll be looking more around the 360,000pts for an intinerary like this. As for any hike in the fees and taxes… I can’t find anything yet specific to Emirates, but Qantas has indicated that they will be increasing taxes on various routes ranging from approx 35% up to a whopping 91% (Melbourne - Dallas in Business class).
Anyway, all the best, and I hope you can find a suitable route to enjoy and amazing 1st Class experience with your mum.
See you front! 
