Unsatisfied First-Class Passengers Contemplate Legal Action Against Emirates

A couple from Perth who splurged on $17,000 first class tickets with Emirates were left disappointed and angry after their flight turned into a nightmare. They claim that their seats were faulty, their entertainment system was broken and they were denied a refund by the airline.

Eamonn and Karen Gilmore booked return business class flights from Perth (PER) to London (LHR) after a family bereavement. They were then offered an upgrade to first class for an extra $4,800 each. They decided to take it as a treat for themselves.

However, their dream flight soon turned sour when they boarded Emirates’ flagship Airbus A380 aircraft. Eamonn told Perth Now that his entertainment system was not working properly and he had to use his own tablet instead. Karen’s seat was even worse: it got stuck in a lying position and could not be adjusted at all.

The crew managed to force the seat to a sitting position, but it remained stuck there for the rest of the flight. This meant that Karen had to sit upright for the entire 11-hour journey from Perth to Dubai (DXB), where they had a stopover. She could not recline, lie down or change the seat settings in any way.

The Gilmores were unhappy with their flight experience and contacted Emirates when they arrived in London. They asked for a partial refund of their upgrade fee, as they only had problems on the first leg of their trip. They requested about $2,600 back.

They said that they felt like they had flown in economy class and paid thousands of dollars for nothing. They also said that they expected better service and products from Emirates, even if they had not upgraded to first class.

Emirates responded to them weeks later, offering them 100,000 SkyMiles each as a gesture of goodwill. Eamonn said that he was disgusted by the offer and the delay in the response. He said that they did not want the SkyMiles because they would never fly with Emirates again after the way they were treated.

He said that he was considering taking legal action against the airline.

Emirates is known for its luxurious first class cabins, which feature lie-flat seats, showers, mini bars and other amenities. It is also one of the best airlines for business class and premium economy passengers.

However, not everyone is satisfied with Emirates’ service and products. In May 2023, a passenger sued the airline over its “disgusting” business class seats, which he said did not match the ads he saw. In March 2023, a passenger won $8,440 from the airline after his business class flight from New Zealand to the UK did not live up to his expectations.