Emirates Flight EK417 (Sydney – Dubai)

Emirates operates a daily service from Sydney to Dubai: EK417. Though it’s a redeye flight, passengers can connect seamlessly to Europe or North America from Dubai the following morning. This flight also codeshares with Qantas as QF8417, allowing you to earn Qantas Points and Status Credits on cash fares.

So if you’re eyeing a trip onboard EK417, here’s everything you need to know including lounge access, seating and how you can use points to book this flight.

EK417 flight time

Emirates flight EK417 takes off from Sydney at 9:10 pm daily. This allows ample time to make your way to Sydney via a connecting flight with Qantas if your journey begins elsewhere. A late departure also lends itself to some time in an airport lounge – we outline your options and eligibility below. But above all else, if you’re not a morning person then a late departure will be pleasing, too.

The total flight time to Dubai from Sydney is 14 hours and 20 minutes, with a next-day arrival at 4:30 am.

If you’re flying onwards from Dubai, this arrival time allows for a seamless connection to Europe or North America. For instance, EK1 to London departs at 7:45 am, while EK201 bound for New York’s JFK airport takes off at 8:30 am.

But if Dubai is your final destination and your hotel check-in isn’t until later in the day, you could book a hotel room just for the day to freshen up after a long flight.

EK417 aircraft type and seating

EK417 is serviced by a Boeing 777 with three cabin classes available – First Class, Business Class and Economy. Unfortunately Emirates’ new Premium Economy cabin is only available on A380s out of Sydney for the time being, though it’s expected to roll out across its fleet of Boeing 777s in the near future.

First Class on EK417

If you’ve ever perused any list of the best First Class suites, there’s a (very) high chance that Emirates’ First Class makes an appearance. As EK417 uses a Boeing 777, you’ll miss out on some of the mind-blowing luxuries of Emirates A380 First Class. Namely, there’s no shower onboard, nor a bar for passengers to unwind. But you’ll still receive a set of Emirates’ signature moisturising pyjamas – plus the bragging rights of flying First Class.

On this flight, there are eight First Class suites arranged in a 1-2-1 layout – that’s two rows in the First Class cabin. As expected, all seats convert into a fully-flat bed – a welcome comfort during the trek to Dubai.

Though there’s no walk-up cocktail bar, a range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages are available onboard. This includes Arabic coffee before takeoff, free-flowing Dom Pérignon, and an individual minibar adjacent to your seat.

As for dining, the entire menu is on demand. If you’d rather head straight for a snooze, you can simply reserve your preferred dishes for later, or request them once you wake up. But if you’re eager to tuck into the restaurant-quality menu as soon as you board, that can be arranged, too. Don’t forget that caviar is on offer for First Class passengers – you’ll want to save room for that.

Also read: Emirates Boeing 777 First Class (Dubai-Vienna)

Business Class on EK417

Emirates’ Business Class cabin from Sydney to Dubai is split across two smaller cabins with a galley in between. The 42 Business Class seats are arranged in a 2-3-2 layout. That means not every passenger has direct aisle access, and there is such a thing as the dreaded middle seat in this cabin. Though on the plus side, you’re not more than one seat away from the aisle – and that still beats Economy.

As for space, the Business Class seats are 20 inches wide and offer a pitch of 60 inches. And what about the length of the flatbed, you ask? Well… technically, there isn’t one. The Business Class seats on Emirates’ 777s are angle flat – which means they’re not exactly flatbeds, but close to 180 degrees.

There’s no galley separating the Business Class and Economy cabins. So passengers seated in row 11 – the last of the Business Class rows – may experience some noise from the busier Economy Class cabin behind. So choose a seat in rows 6 or 7 if you’re hoping for a quieter flight. But if your preference is a ‘window seat’, take note that the windows in row 7 – next to seats A and K – are misaligned.

Economy Class on EK417

Economy Class onboard EK417 has 304 seats, split across three cabins and arranged in a 3-4-3 configuration. The seats are 17 inches wide, with a pitch of 32 inches.

Extra legroom can be a game-changer, especially when flying in Economy on a 14-hour flight. So opt for any seat in rows 23 or 37 so you can stretch out. Selected seats in rows 24 and 38 also offer additional legroom. But be aware that many of the aforementioned seats are in exit rows, and the tray tables are stored in the armrest, so you may lose out on a bit of seat width. And if you can help it, avoid rows 49 and 50 altogether – you’ll be right up against the galley and the toilets, and seats in these rows have limited recline.

Lounge access when flying EK417

Passengers departing from Sydney on EK417 have a number of lounges to choose from, each with their own entry requirements. Here’s the rundown.

Emirates Lounge

With a number of daily flights out of Sydney, it’s no surprise that Emirates operates its own lounge out of the international terminal. The Emirates Lounge in Sydney aligns its opening hours with Emirates departures, so you can wander on in and help yourself to the hot buffet or a glass of Champagne before EK417 if you meet one of the requirements below:

• First Class and Business Class passengers (except when booked on a Business Class Special fare).
• Qantas Gold, Platinum and Platinum One frequent flyers.
• Emirates Skywards Gold and Platinum frequent flyers.
• Single-entry day pass from US$137.50 per adult.

Qantas International Business Lounge

The Qantas International Business Lounge in Sydney sees its fair share of traffic, attributed to its guestlist which extends to Qantas frequent flyers and eligible passengers on oneworld partner airlines. Though the space is large, it can fill up quickly – this includes the coveted window seats that span the length of the lounge. It’s still a decent spot for a shower, a hot meal and a place to relax away from the bustle of the terminal downstairs, so here’s how you can gain entry when flying with Emirates:

• First Class and Business Class passengers (again, except for those on Business Class Special fares).
• Qantas Gold, Platinum and Platinum One frequent flyers when travelling on an Emirates flight.
• Emirates Skywards Gold and Platinum frequent flyers when travelling on an Emirates flight.

If you hold a Qantas Club membership or Qantas single-entry pass, you’ll be unable to access this lounge unless you’re travelling on a QF flight number. In this instance, flight EK417 codeshares with Qantas as QF8417. The latter must be printed on your boarding pass in order to enter the lounge as a Qantas Club member or with a complimentary pass.

Note that the Qantas International Business Lounge aligns its opening hours with Qantas flights, and closes after the last flight of the day departs. Thankfully, this is after EK417’s departure, so you needn’t worry – but be aware that boarding calls for Emirates flights may not be made in this lounge.

Qantas International First Lounge

An airline’s flagship lounge serves up the best of the best – and for Qantas, this is its International First Lounge in Sydney. Widely regarded as one of the top lounges in the world, it offers an on-site spa, à la carte dining and marble-clad bathrooms to complete the First Class experience. And just because you’re flying Emirates, you don’t have to miss out on this stunning lounge. In fact, you’ll be granted entry before EK417 if you meet one of the below criteria:

• First Class passengers.
• Qantas Platinum and Platinum One frequent flyers.
• Emirates Skywards Platinum frequent flyers.

A single-entry Qantas First Lounge Invitation (available from the Qantas Premier Titanium Card) will also get you through the door, provided your flight is ticketed as the Qantas codeshare QF8417, and not EK417.

This lounge’s hours of operation are also aligned with departures on Qantas metal, which isn’t an issue for EK417. And if you’re prone to losing track of time before boarding, turn your attention to the striking split-flap departures boards around the lounge.

Booking EK417 using points

While Emirates has hiked up its reward seat charges, using points to fly to Dubai from Sydney is still economical if your goal is to save cash. Here’s how.

Using Skywards miles

If you’ve got some Emirates Skywards miles up your sleeve, you can redeem them for flights from Sydney to Dubai.

	Economy	Business	First
Sydney to Dubai	41,900	96,000	180,500

Using Qantas Points

Qantas Points are easy to earn in Australia. And thanks to the partnership between Qantas and Emirates, you can book Emirates flights with Qantas Points.

	Economy	Business	First
Sydney to Dubai	50,300	119,200	170,800

The points totals that we’ve outlined above are for Classic Flight Reward seats – a fixed number of points that provide excellent value for redemptions. Anything higher than these totals – even into the millions of points – means that you’re looking at a Points + Pay seat. Our guide to reward seats and how they work has everything you need to know to extract the best value from your points.

And if you need to top up your points balance to fly to Dubai, a credit card sign-up bonus could net you a healthy sum of points.

Alternative flights

If your travel plans don’t align with EK417, there’s no need to fret. You can also fly direct from Sydney to Dubai with one of the flights below:

• EK413 – Sydney to Dubai (this flight originates in Christchurch, and carries the same flight number via Sydney to Dubai.)
• EK415 – Sydney to Dubai

And if your journey commences elsewhere in Australia, Emirates also operates the following flights to Dubai:

• EK409 direct from Melbourne to Dubai
• EK407 direct from Melbourne to Dubai
• EK405 from Melbourne to Dubai via Singapore
• EK431 – Brisbane to Dubai
• EK435 – Brisbane to Dubai
• EK421 – Perth to Dubai

On the return leg, look for flights EK414 or EK416 for a direct connection from Dubai to Sydney.

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Featured image: Reiseuhu, Unsplash

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