If I could give zero stars, I would. I have never experienced such a combination of operational incompetence and blatant disregard for premium customers in all my years of international travel.
I was connecting from Bangkok to EK001. Despite a minor 20-minute arrival delay, I reached the gate while boarding was still in full swing. I joined the queue, only to have the ticket machine fail. The supervisor, Heidi, informed me that because my inbound flight was "late," I—and several others—had been summarily offloaded and rebooked on a later flight (EK029).
Here is the kicker: I had upgraded to Business Class in Bangkok.
I was forced to stand at the gate for 20 minutes watching other passengers board the aircraft I had a confirmed seat on. There was no "choice," no "incentive" to move, and zero effort to rectify a system error that clearly flagged us as "no-shows" before we even had a chance to scan in.
It is blindingly obvious that Emirates either has a system that cannot handle real-time logic or, more likely, they overbooked the cabin and used a 20-minute delay as a convenient excuse to dump premium passengers.
A "world-class" airline should know that if a passenger is standing in front of you at an open gate, you let them on the plane. To treat a Business Class customer like a logistical inconvenience is horrendous. If you value your schedule and your sanity, look elsewhere. Emirates has become a masterclass in brand arrogance and operational failure.
Date of travel: 5th February 2026
Flight: EK001 (DXB to LHR)
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