Would you pay $975 to fly in Emirates A380 first class for 3 hours?

When it comes to the bucket list, how much would you pay to tick something off it? Once, I travelled across the Atlantic Ocean on Cunard’s QE2 as I’d always wanted to do it, and it turned out to be worth every penny. When you really want to do something, I guess price is no object, but in reality that often is exactly the thing stopping you.

In the world of flying, first class on an Emirates Airbus A380 is considered one of the most prestigious products in the sky. With superlative service, an on board shower, a bar and great food, it is a quality product. There is a price tag to match, with a return flight from New York to Dubai costing over US$20,000.

Would You Pay $975 For 3 Hours?

Emirates operates a fifth freedom route between Sydney, Australia and Christchurch, New Zealand with their Airbus A380. This is a flight of 3 hours and 20 minutes in total and first class is available to purchase.

From New Zealand this costs as little as NZ$1,586 which translates to around US$975. For that, you get all of the usual on board services, just in a much shorter timeframe, not to mention at a far more achievable price point.

It must be mentioned here that the one way flight in economy would cost $US185, so first class is about five times more expensive. There is also about five times more space as you can see on the seat map here, and that’s before you get the other amenities like the shower.

Unless you’re independently wealthy or have a vast stash of frequent flyer points, you’re probably not going to fly Emirates first class very often. Therefore maybe this kind of price would work for you, especially if you’re located in Australia or New Zealand, as getting down there from elsewhere is another expense altogether.

Overall Thoughts

So, what say you? Would you pay US$975 for just over three hours in Emirates first class? You’ve probably guessed that I am seriously considering it myself as a little jaunt when I am next in Australia. Having looked around online, it certainly looks like some experience and who wouldn’t like to shower in the sky?

For those people who have flown first class on Emirates, do you think this price is worth it? Would you recommend it or would you say save the cash for something else? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.

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Featured image by Shahram Sharifi on Airliners.net via Wikimedia Commons.
Seat by Lefterismakris2007 via Wikimedia Commons.