A Miami Inaugural Flight I Couldn’t Resist!

Yesterday I wrote about how I typically don’t take inaugural flights. However, I decided to make an exception…

I’m taking Emirates’ Miami to Bogota inaugural flight

In the coming days, Emirates will launch a new daily flight between my home airport of Miami (MIA) and Bogota (BOG). As a fan of Emirates, suffice it to say that having such a fifth freedom flight close to home is incredibly exciting.

This new Emirates flight is kind of a big deal for Miami, even among non-aviation geeks. For that matter, I feel like I’ve seen an ad on every street corner for this flight in recent weeks.

I knew I wanted to take this flight at some point in the future. Yesterday I was just browsing award availability on this route for fun (as one does!), and was pleasantly surprised to find just how readily available first class awards were. For example, there’s first class award availability for two passengers almost every day over the coming weeks, with the cost being 60,000 Skywards miles per person one-way (plus around $100 in taxes and fees).

When I searched for award availability and saw first class award space on the inaugural, I couldn’t help myself, and decided I’d take the flight. I’ve reviewed Emirates first class a countless number of times over the years, so I’m coming at this from a different angle than my usual review trips:

• I’d love to get a first look at the experience, given that this will unarguably be the most luxurious flight from the United States that’s not a long haul (this is a flight that’s blocked at under four hours in each direction)
• I’m very curious to see what inaugural festivities will be like, given that this route is a huge deal for Colombia, as it’s the first of this type of service that Bogota is getting

If anyone else is on the inaugural, please say hello (though ideally before the flight and not after, for reasons I’ll get into below). 😉

My poor stomach & liver!

I was curious to see what the soft product would be like on this flight, given that we’re talking about a flight that’s only around 1,500 miles. Was Emirates going to match the soft product of its competitors in this market, American and avianca? 😉

Emirates usually publishes menus and drink lists in advance, but for the new route, I wasn’t able to pull it up prior to booking. Now that I’ve booked, the menu and drink list showed up in my reservation, so I can report back. All I can say is… wow! Emirates has its full first class service on this route.

That includes unlimited caviar…

…a variety of appetizers…

…several main courses…

…and of course dessert.

Perhaps more impressive is the drink selection. No airline invests as much money in wine as Emirates, and the wine list on this flight is leaving me speechless. Look, I don’t really drink alcohol at home, but I’ll make exceptions on planes and when traveling.

And I don’t want to suggest that wine being expensive means that it’s also exceptional, but there’s also generally a correlation between the investment an airline makes in wine, and the quality. Seriously, take a look at the below wine list, and the number of outrageously expensive wine options.

Of course as always, you have Dom Perignon 2013 (~$250/bottle), a staple of Emirates first class. But that’s not even the most expensive wine on the list, as that title goes to Opus One 2012 (~$500/bottle). Heck, the Dom Perignon isn’t even the second most expensive, as that would be the Chevalier Montrachet Grand Cru 2014 Louis Latour (~$375/bottle).

But those aren’t the only standout options. Then you have Château Valandraud 2008 (~$180/bottle), as well as Château Pape Clément Blanc 2016 (~$150/bottle).

So here’s a challenge for our resident OMAAT wine connoisseurs. Can anyone recommend how I can best try all those wines, and which dishes to pair them with? And I guess I should also have a glass of Hennessy Paradis…

On that topic, allow me to apologize in advance if there’s not a whole lot of blog content on Wednesday afternoon, and/or if I start just publishing random combinations of letters. If that happens, it’s Emirates’ fault.

While 60,000 Skywards miles for a one-way flight in first class might sound steep, when you look at the food and drink selection, it almost seems like a bargain. Heck, if you’re looking for a blingy Miami evening, this is cheaper than going to Papi Steak, or something.

Bottom line

Emirates is launching a new route between Miami and Bogota shortly. This will without a doubt be the most luxurious non-long haul flight departing the United States, so I’m thrilled that this is being operated from my home airport.

While I had at first intended to take this flight at some point in the future, I couldn’t help but book the inaugural when I saw that there was first class award space. Having now seen the menu and wine list for the flight, I’m even more excited about what awaits me onboard…

Anyone else plan on flying Emirates from Miami to Bogota?