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The Battle for London: Which Middle East Carrier's A380 Is Best in Economy?

June 14, 2019
2 min read
Mid East Airlines Combot seat feature
The Battle for London: Which Middle East Carrier's A380 Is Best in Economy?
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Following the success of TPG UK's four-class review of the same British Airways flight, the team set out on another mission to do another comparative review that would be useful for flyers. Since so many Brits (and Americans) fly the three major Middle East carriers (Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways) and their ideal geographical positioning to access Asia, India, Australia, Africa and more from Europe and North America, we figured it'd be logical to review each of the airlines on a flight from their respective hubs -- Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha -- to London. And the fact that they all operate the superjumbo Airbus A380 on these routes, it made the competition all the more appealing.

Since a lot of the team was already in the Middle East after their BA flight to Abu Dhabi (AUH), it was easy to fan out around the region to catch different airlines home. Since all the flights were in economy and on the same aircraft with the same 3-4-3 configuration, the stakes weren't as high when deciding who would fly each airline. We settled on the following:

Which Middle East giant should get your business? Well, the short answer is that they're all pretty good -- even in coach. Check out the video below, though, to see which one edges out the competition.

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4.5 / 5
Go to review

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5X miles5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
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  • Intro Offer

    LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles
  • Annual Fee

    $395
  • Recommended Credit

    740-850
    Excellent

Why We Chose It

The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)

Pros

  • The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
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  • Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
  • LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
  • Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
  • Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
  • With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
  • Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
  • Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
  • Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
  • Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
  • Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
  • This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month