Watch me fly business class on one of the world’s best airlines – with on-board cocktail bar and free designer perfume

EVER wanted to know what it’s like to fly business class on one of the world’s best airlines?

I recently flew to just about the furthest away destination from the UK: Australia – and if there’s one journey you really want to do in comfort, it’s this one.

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It costs upwards of a staggering £3,700 each way to fly from Heathrow to Sydney in business class with Emirates, though. 

So, you’ve got to have cash to splash if you really want to live-it up in luxury.

And what do you get for this small fortune?

Actually, it turns out, quite a lot.

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The lavish experience begins before you even step foot in the airport, thanks to the free “chauffeur” service (technically just a posh Addison Lee taxi) provided to all business class customers.

That saves me a solid £80 just there.

And it turns out that money doesn’t just buy you comfort, it buys you time too.

I was out of the cab, checked-in and through airport security, making my way to the swish departure lounge in a record-breaking 12 minutes.

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That was probably partly due to my quiet flight time of 1:45pm, but the ultra-speedy business class bag drop lane and fast-track security certainly helped.

The security staff are seemingly much more polite in this lane too.

With nearly three hours to kill, I made a beeline for departures lounge at Heathrow Terminal 3 where most weary-eyed business travellers hide before their flight.

It’s spacious and everything you’d expect from a Middle-Eastern airline hub with giant Rolex clocks on the wall showing the time in major cities — hardly a necessity when Siri can tell me the same information, but it makes the place feel fancy, so why not?

There are showers, a buffet-style restaurant with proper tables, plenty of drinks including champagne, coffee and a cocktail station and free mags and newspapers to devour from one of the many padded arm chairs.

Then there’s the food, which you won’t be surprised to hear, is fancy

You’ll quickly discover that champagne is acceptable at ANY time of the day when travelling business, so if you do one day decide to treat yourself to an upper class ticket, make sure you drink up.

It wasn’t until boarding when it struck me that business class passengers don’t brush shoulders with economy passengers at any point in the journey (of course, they couldn’t possibly).

Emirates lounges in Heathrow and Dubai, like most, are cleverly positioned so that passengers can board the plane straight from the lounge.

There was no need to “turn left” as I was whisked straight on to the upper deck of our two-storey Airbus A380 which is entirely occupied by business class and first class seats – which are, unsurprisingly, much more spacious than those in economy and premium economy.

If you’re travelling solo, you can opt for a window seat which comes in single rows while couples can opt for the duo seats in the middle – although, thanks to the partition you could completely avoid your partner and spend more time sipping champagne if you wished.

Most people know that the main benefit of flying upper, is not just the space but the ability to keep reclining your seat until it eventually becomes a flat bed, enabling you to get some proper kip on a long-haul flight.

The plush mini pillow, eye mask, blanket and thick “mattress” (essentially a padded topper for your seat), help too.

If you’re not kept busy enough by the endless movies, TV shows and games on the ICE entertainment system at your seat, head to the airplane bar (yes, really), hosted by an air steward that shook up a better Bloody Mary cocktail than many I’ve sampled in many bars back home.

You’ll quickly discover that champagne is acceptable at ANY time

There’s a huge number of drinks you can choose from to enjoy in the leathery booths on either side of the bar.

Separated by a curtain are the toilets, which come with a window and everything you’d need to freshen up – that is if you haven't already found it in your amenity kit.

Toothbrush and paste? Of course.

Mini deodorant? Roll-ons come in your kit.

His and hers perfumes? These free-to-spritz scents are designed by the famous fashion house and can be found in every toilet upstairs, naturally.

Then there’s the food, which you won’t be surprised to hear, is fancy – with three-course dinners and lunches served with proper cutlery.

There are other luxury touches too like the slippers and pyjamas you can change into.

But is all that worth the cost? Well, that’s up to you.

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I’m more of a ‘save on the journey and splash when you get there’ traveller, but boy is it nice to arrive feeling (somewhat) fresh after 24 hours of flying – and probably a little drunk too…

More champagne please!

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