Emirates First Class — DXB to JFK

I've been flying through Dubai for fifteen years and I finally upgraded to Emirates First Class on the A380 to New York. Twelve hours and fourteen minutes from Dubai to JFK in a private suite with a closing door, a minibar, and a bed that is six feet eight inches long. The shower is not a gimmick — you book a 5-minute slot, the hot water pressure is excellent, and arriving into JFK having showered at 30,000 feet is one of the stranger and more pleasant experiences in modern travel. The Dom Pérignon is poured before takeoff. The on-demand menu runs to forty dishes; I had the Arabic mezze and then the slow-roasted lamb with saffron rice at hour four and slept for five hours on a real bed. The crew in first class on Emirates operate on a completely different level — attentive without hovering, present without announcing themselves. The catch: this suite costs around $8,000 one way. Business class on the same aircraft is $4,000 and 85% as good. I'm telling you about First anyway because you should know it exists.