This time, we didn't book through the helpful Nick at 'Dial-a-Flight' as we had a few Avios available to get us an upgrade. Using miles is only possible through airlines directly.
Here's a basic bullet point review:-
The Positives
The seats at the time, didn't appear to be much different/better than the economy ones. However it wasn't until travelling this route again with Emirates in economy, we realised that the little extra space you get DOES actually make a difference. That little extra space helps take away 'reclining guilt' so you can actually get a little sleep. The seat is a tiny bit wider too. It all helps.
The extra kgs and luggage allowance always helps take the stress out of packing when you have 3 ladies in your life!
The service from check-in to arrival was good. The staff onboard were attentive and happy.
The seat looks a bit flat/thin but actually it was reasonably comfy. More so than it looks.
Food menu is good. Plates were cleaned by all, and snacks are available to order in between meals if you wish too.
The headsets supplied are of a decent standard, if you haven't already got your own then these are more than satisfactory.
Price was reasonable to buy at economy level vs other options at the time.
The Negatives
Using Airmiles is an art. There are a few cardinal sins such as using Airmiles for extra luggage, onboard spending or reducing the cost of your airline ticket instead of using the points to 'upgrade'. On this occasion, there were no reward seats available so I had to use a fair amount (over the odds) to credit £1000 towards the flight costs. I wanted to travel Premium Economy and the only way was to do that was to buy them outright, or outright and use Avios as to discount it as above. It's not the most cost-effective way to use points and this is often a downfall of BA opening up sufficient reward seats.
On arrival to Dubai, most non-Emirates flights gate-in at a different terminal or, the furthest away gate in Terminal 1. It's the perks Emirates have for themselves so when arriving on BA, there's probably 20 mins of extra travel time using the internal shuttle. Not a major issue, just a small negative.
As a summary, having re-written the end of this review having flown Emirates Economy, I would choose BA next time just to try their version of economy or, if we can't afford Business Class in Emirates (Which I currently rate better than BA's business class whilst they go through a severe upgrade), then certainly; British Airways Premium Economy is worth the bit extra whether that be cash or miles.
(We get no fees, rewards or discounts from anyone mentioned on this review)