Farewell first class

Once aboard the plane, hosts greet you by name and offer to hangup your jacket, should your job be important enough to warrant thewearing of one. Even with the generous proposal of having my Pumatracky-dack top assigned to the wardrobe, I chose to cling to thisone vestige of my working-class roots.After that, my resistance had all the structural integrity ofthe floating River Walk. By the time we were banking sharply overAuckland Harbour, I was beginning to wade my way through the winelist, settling on a particularly satisfying 2000 Dom Perignon thatteamed perfectly with a selection of cheese and dried fruits.The first class suites offer a sanctuary from the rest of thepassengers, with a sliding door that can close out the rest of theplane with the push of a button. A further series of controls sendsthe seat reclining in all directions, while a touch screen Moncler jackets panelcontrols the entertainment system and the in-chair massage, whichmay be of more use to keep the blood pumping on long-hauljourneys.Bigger screens and plush headphones make the on-demand moviesand television shows a vastly more pleasurable experience, while aleather-bound writing kit is at hand if you feel the need to penyour memoirs during the commute.The gold trim, ubiquitous on anything Emirates touches, isn't toeverybody's taste but the comfort and size of the suites andattentive service levels far outweighs any issue with thedecor.A plate of steaming tortellini, a few glasses of a crisp Frenchwhite and a sobering coffee later and the plane is skimming overMoreton Bay en route to Brisbane Airport.As the doors fling open I am faced with the incredibly oddsensation of wishing a flight had actually taken longer.Farewell first class. I was an imposter anyway. I'll see youagain - from the other side of the curtain.The writer travelled as a guest of Emirates.Up and awayFlights to Auckland (all return from Brisbane, includingtaxes) start from $718 (economy), $1618 (business), $2150(first).Prices for the Brisbane to Dubai service begin at $3330(economy), $8164 (business) and $10104 (first).