I took a round-trip flight on Emirates — one in First Class and the other in Business Class. After a less-than-impressive experience in First, I’m now flying back in their newly upgraded Business Class on B777.

We started in the excellent Emirates Lounge in Hong Kong before boarding. Emirates is suffering with 777X delay and has to refurbish their B777-300/ER to stay competitive. Business Class has seen a major upgrade to a modern 1-2-1 all-aisle access layout, and there’s now a small Premium Economy cabin as well. The Business Class seat is wide with a much larger footwell — center pair and window seat offer the best privacy.

It was a full flight. Every seat in First, Business, Premium, and Economy is taken — with 332 passengers onboard. The crew seems to handle the full house with ease, and the service was polished and not rushed. I was impressed with some amenities provided in Business Class, including pyjamas and a thick mattress on your seat.

Dining was a highlight of my flight; I had BBQ duck breast with vegetables. It was cooked to perfection. Unfortunately, Fiona discovered a hair on her cheese plate, but the crew managed the situation with professionalism.

Despite this being a full flight, it was a much better and more consistent experience than my empty First Class flight. I think Emirates is catching up in Business Class. There’s a discussion whether they went far enough or need to go further to install door and suites. The F&B quality was superb, and the overall product felt well put together.