Emirates airline provides a range of complimentary items and services to passengers across different cabin classes. These offerings vary based on route, flight duration, and passenger eligibility. The availability of these amenities is designed to enhance the travel experience, from comfort items to exclusive lounge access and family-friendly services.
Complimentary Beverages and Dining
Economy class passengers of drinking age can enjoy free alcohol on many airlines, including Emirates, Qatar Airways, and Singapore Airlines. Lufthansa and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines also offer complimentary beer and wine in economy. For Emirates specifically, economy passengers have access to complimentary beer and wine. In addition to standard beer, wine, and spirits, Korean Air offers a special selection of wines from around the world, curated in partnership with Marc Almert, the 2019 ASI (Association de la Sommellerie Internationale) World's Best Sommelier—a unique touch that further elevates the in-flight experience. Air France takes a similar approach, offering complimentary wine and Champagne (selected by the airline's head sommelier, Xavier Thuizat).
For premium cabin passengers, Emirates offers an elevated dining experience. Emirates has dine on demand in first class, and this really is as flexible as it sounds. Want a double portion of caviar? No problem! Want some caviar sprinkled on your omelet for breakfast? Sure! You can expect that most flights will literally be catered with dozens of tins of caviar, to ensure that the airline can deliver on its promise (and don’t worry, unused caviar just returns to the catering facility, so it’s not wasted).
Comfort and Amenities
Cozy extras like pillows and blankets can make a big difference when it comes to getting (and staying!) comfortable, especially on long-haul overnight flights. While these items aren't always guaranteed on every airline, they're often available on longer routes. Air Canada, for example, offers complimentary pillows and blankets on many of its international flights, though other airlines may provide them in limited quantities or only upon request. For your best shot at scoring a free pillow or blanket, Neugarten recommends waiting until the main service is complete and then asking politely. "Something like, 'If you have any extra pillows later on, I'd really appreciate it,' goes a long way," says Neugarten. "Flight attendants are way more likely to help if you're kind and respectful and not pushy or entitled."
Emirates provides specific comfort amenities for business class passengers based on flight duration. On flights of 9 hours or more, Business Class customers will receive the full set with loungewear top and pants, slippers and eye mask, while on flights that have a duration of 2 hours and 30 minutes or more, customers will receive complimentary slippers and eye mask sets. The launch of Business Class Loungewear forms part of Emirates' ongoing investment into elevating customer experience, ensuring customers in all classes 'fly better'. Recent investments have included a huge retrofit project of 120 aircraft with upgraded cabin interiors, creative new menus and new high-quality ingredients, exclusive champagne partnerships, a new hospitality programme for Emirates cabin crew, live TV onboard amidst a vast library of inflight entertainment, complimentary Wi-Fi attainable for all customers, luxurious amenity kits and a world-class wine list. The multimillion dollar investment into Business Class loungewear has been in development for more than a year, designed in-house by the Emirates team to be best-in-class for comfort, style and reusability. During the trial period on routes to and from New York and Boston, customers shared highly positive feedback on the loungewear, with sets being taken home by customers to be worn again.
Lounge Access
Emirates first class lounge in the airport offers exclusive amenities. There are more than two dozen Emirates lounges all over the world. The most exclusive is the first class lounge in Dubai, where only Emirates passengers flying in first class, those who have Platinum Emirates Skywards status or people who paid $250 or $300 for a day pass get access, so it's truly an exclusive experience.
The lounge includes Emirates' Timeless Spa, which provides first class passengers with complimentary spa treatments, such as face and body scrubs, massages and nail therapy. There's also a shoeshine service, private cigar lounge, children's area with arcade games, buffet dining, private Duty-Free shopping area and a dedicated Le Clos wine cellar. The lounge also offers typical lounge amenities, including free Wi-Fi and a business center.
The lounges outside Dubai are not that fancy, but they're a delightful way to relax and dine before your flight. That includes locations like the San Francisco Emirates Lounge, which still offers a robust buffet, plus workstations and showers. For all other lounges, first class passengers share the Emirates lounge with other business class passengers and Emirates elite status holders. Economy passengers can also access the lounge, but they must pay between $100-$300 for access.
Family-Friendly Services and Activities
Even the littlest economy passengers can take advantage of fun freebies. "Airlines like Air Canada offer activity kits for kids, including coloring books and crayons, to help keep them entertained during the flight," says Neugarten. "The key is asking nicely and ideally when the crew isn't in the middle of a service rush." Other airlines that offer activity packs for kids in all cabin classes include Air France, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, Emirates, United, and Qantas.
Emirates provides specific family-oriented complimentary services. The new bags have just launched onboard and you can collect the backpack, the crossbody and the duffle bag if you're aged 7-12 years, as well as a separate selection of bags and toys for younger kids. Make travel memories with your fam irl, as Emirates cabin crew capture moments onboard with an instant Polaroid camera. Keep the pic in Emirates' limited-edition photo frame as a souvenir.
For families traveling through Dubai, Emirates offers several complimentary amenities. If your little bro or sis is bothering you – tell your parents to grab a complimentary Emirates-branded stroller at Terminal 3, Dubai International Airport (DXB) and give that baby a rest. Emirates is adding more than 1000 new, Maxi Cosi strollers for complimentary use in T3 Dubai International, allowing tired toddlers and babies to relax and enjoy the sights of the airport. Speaking of DXB, Emirates even has a dedicated family check-in area during busy travel periods so you won't have to wait long in a queue. Travel through DXB on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday between 12 and 6pm, and scoop a free Emirates ice-cream for the whole fam. Until 20 July, Emirates will have 4 ice-cream carts around the Departures areas giving free mango, chocolate or strawberry ice cream, or a passionfruit or raspberry sorbet. A W is a W. In the First and Business Class Lounges of DXB - Concourse A & B, the kids play areas have arcade quality games and PlayStations.
For the ultimate flex - Emirates offers a Unaccompanied Minors service to children aged 5-11 years who are travelling alone.
Baggage Allowance
Emirates baggage allowance is based on a total weight concept for your bags rather than a piece concept for all routes, except when traveling between the Americas and Africa.
General Tips for Accessing Freebies
When asking for freebies, remember that a little kindness and patience go a long way. As English notes, "The most important thing to remember is that most airlines aren't overstaffing flight attendants on each flight, so they have a pretty heavy workload, especially during boarding, getting ready for takeoff, and landing." With that in mind, those probably aren't the best times to make requests. Instead, wait until after the main service has finished and the cabin has settled down—that's when flight attendants are most likely to have the time (and bandwidth) to help.
Similarly, Neugarten adds that "international routes almost always offer more perks than domestic ones." Additionally, English points out that "full-service airlines like Delta, United, and American are going to be the most generous with freebies in economy." On the other hand, both he and Neugarten tell Travel + Leisure that budget carriers tend to be far more limited in what they offer, which makes sense, given their focus on keeping costs (and ticket prices) as low as possible.
For activity packs specifically, the key is asking nicely and ideally when the crew isn't in the middle of a service rush. That said, you may need to create a free frequent-flier account to take advantage of these offers.
Conclusion
Emirates offers a comprehensive suite of complimentary services that distinguish it as a premium carrier. From unlimited caviar in first class to complimentary loungewear for business class passengers on longer flights, the airline invests significantly in passenger comfort. Families benefit from specialized services including complimentary strollers at Dubai International Airport, activity packs for children, and even free ice cream during peak travel times. The airline's first class lounge in Dubai represents the pinnacle of these offerings, with complimentary spa treatments and exclusive amenities. While economy passengers have more limited complimentary options, they still benefit from free alcoholic beverages and access to activity kits for children. The key to maximizing these benefits lies in understanding eligibility requirements, timing requests appropriately, and maintaining a courteous demeanor with flight attendants. As Emirates continues to invest in customer experience, passengers can expect these complimentary offerings to evolve and expand.