Flying Emirates’ first class from Miami to Bogota

A ticket in Emirates’ first class might seem out of reach for most travelers. After all, a long-haul flight in the airline’s over-the-top suites can cost north of $10,000, depending on the route.

Even if you have Emirates Skywards miles to redeem, the airline often levies high taxes and surcharges on award tickets that can make them prohibitively expensive, too.

Looking for fifth-freedom flights

Luckily, Emirates operates a number of “fifth-freedom” flights on which first-class fares and awards can be reasonable. Fifth-freedom routes are those operated by an airline between two countries, neither of which is the airline’s home nation.

Fifth-freedom routes tend to be tag flights between two destinations with a lot of traffic that are designed to optimize the use of an aircraft’s time. Though these routes are typically on the shorter side, many are still operated by long-haul aircraft with swanky international premium cabins on board.

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Emirates, for instance, operates fifth-freedom flights between Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and Athens International Airport (ATH), John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP), Colombo Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB) in Sri Lanka and Velana International Airport (MLE) in the Maldives, and Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) and Hong Kong International Airport (HKG), among others. It utilizes its mainline Airbus A380s and Boeing 777s to do so.

One of Emirates’ newest fifth-freedom flights from the U.S. is the three-hour leg between Miami International Airport (MIA) and El Dorado International Airport (BOG) in Bogota, Colombia, which began operating daily in June.

Shortly after the route launched, cash fares for first-class tickets were holding steady at about $3,200 to $3,500 each way, or $4,860 to $5,400 round-trip.

However, there was (and continues to be) plentiful award space nearly every day — not just in first class, but also in business and economy — throughout the schedule. First-class awards will set you back 60,000 Emirates Skywards miles plus $105 to $186 each way (depending on which direction you fly). That’s a lot of miles, but you are still getting over 5 cents per Skywards mile in value when traveling one-way.

Keep in mind that Emirates Skywards is also a transfer partner of nearly all the major credit card programs with transferable currencies, including:

So it’s very easy to stock up on the Skywards miles you need, even if you rarely (or never) fly Emirates.

That’s why I decided to book a one-way flight from Miami to Bogota in late August and see just how much of the Emirates first-class experience I could squeeze into a relatively short flight.

Flying Emirates’ first class between Miami and Bogota: The experience

My flight departed MIA at 12:05 p.m. and was set to land at 2:55 p.m. in Bogota. Though it was scheduled to be three hours and 50 minutes, the flight was actually just shy of three hours.

I got to the airport at about 9 a.m. to give myself extra time. Thanks to my first-class ticket, I was able to use the designated check-in counters for first-class passengers; there was no wait, and I received access to the Turkish Airlines lounge.

It was fairly crowded but a nice enough place to sit for a half-hour while enjoying some coffee, fruit and pastries and sending a few work emails.

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ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

Because it was a 15-minute walk from my gate, I left the lounge about 75 minutes before my departure time and was the first to board, thanks to my ticket.

Emirates flies a Boeing 777-300ER between Miami and Bogota. Most of these planes have the airline’s older, but still luxurious, first-class suites on board — sort of like the ones you’ll find on the airline’s Airbus A380s. The gate staff in Miami told me that the airline had actually flown the 777 with its newer, game changer, first-class suites on board several times, including once earlier that same week; however, I had no such luck on my journey.

Despite having flown these suites a handful of times, I was still wowed when I stepped on board. This particular first-class cabin configuration had just eight seats: two rows of four seats, each laid out in a 1-2-1 configuration.

These suites felt ultraprivate, thanks to substantial doors that closed at the touch of a button. My window seat, 2K, measured 48 inches wide from the cabin wall to the closing privacy door.

The leather chair was 24 inches across between the armrests, and it lowered to a lie-flat bed measuring about 79 inches long.

Across from it, the 24-inch high-definition screen was loaded with the airline’s entertainment content, including hundreds of movies, television shows, albums, games and more. Passengers received Bowers & Wilkins noise-canceling headphones to use with it. I kept my screen on the map function, though, since this was going to be a short flight.

While other passengers were boarding, the flight attendant looking after me (there was just one other passenger in the cabin) came by to show me the functions of the seat. She showed me how to control it using the docked tablet on the armrest and explained its fun features, like the in-seat minibar and the vanity under the entertainment screen that popped up to reveal an amenity kit of Byredo products.

Then she took my lunch order and offered me Arabian coffee, dates and my choice of beverage. I ordered sparkling water, holding off on anything stronger until we were up in the air, when they would open the Champagnes I knew were on board. (I’d checked the food and beverage menus of my flight beforehand on Emirates’ website.)

She came back with a handy tote bag, inside of which were a set of slippers and a pair of the airline’s moisturizing pajamas. These are probably my all-time favorite airline sleepwear.

Just minutes after we were airborne, the flight attendant was back to offer me another beverage. I decided to try both Champagnes on board — a 2008 Dom Perignon rose and a 2013 Dom Perignon regular release. I settled on the rose for a quick snack course of olives, nuts and chips. The airline offers dining on demand in first class, but there was no time to waste on this quick flight.

I wolfed down a double portion of caviar with accompanying blini and fixings. Then, I moved on to an appetizer of poached prawns in leche de tigre paired with Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru Louis Latour 2012 white Burgundy.

Next up was pan-seared red snapper with spicy gazpacho dressing, avocado, mango and chili salsa accompanied by sauteed kale and pickled shallots. The portion was elegantly presented and delicious.

For dessert, I tucked into chocolate marble cheesecake and tried the Chateau Valandraud 2008, a grand cru from Saint-Emilion in France’s Bordeaux region; it was luscious and rich but not overpowering. The meal ended with the presentation of a box of chocolate bonbons, but I was too full to indulge.

After all that food and wine, I was understandably a bit sleepy, so I asked if I could have my seat made up into a bed. The crew actually turned down the middle seat across from me since no one else was in my row. I didn’t bother changing into the pajamas, but I was able to take a 20-minute power nap before we started our descent into Bogota. Unfortunately, the airline’s 777s don’t have showers like its A380s do, or I might have had just enough time to squeeze in a quick rinse instead of a snooze.

Before landing, I swiped a few snacks and sweets from my seat’s minibar, including white chocolate-covered hazelnuts, to take to the hotel with me. Then, I freshened up with the Voya skincare products in the lavatory.

The crew members, and my flight attendant in particular, did everything they could to make sure I had the full Emirates first-class experience, even on this relatively short flight. They seemed to be having almost as much fun as I was fitting it all in.

Bottom line

While redeeming 60,000 points for a three-hour flight might seem extravagant, this is probably one of the most economical ways to experience Emirates first class. This is especially true considering the low taxes and fees as well as the widespread award availability (meaning you don’t have to be that flexible with your dates).

You could even try looking at seat maps across a variety of dates to see if you might have a shot at one of the newer aircraft with the latest first-class suites aboard. Even with the older ones, though, this remains one of the most fun, rarefied ways to fly. It’s great to have another way to experience it from the U.S.

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