Flight check: Auckland to Dubai on Emirates

The thought of a 17-hour flight might be daunting but Emirates' Auckland to Dubai (pictured) route is convenient. Photo / Getty Images

Patricia Greig flies EK449 from NZ to the UAE.

Plane: Boeing 777-200 LR

Class: Economy

Flight time: We made it in about 17 hours.

My seat: 26K. I was getting nose bleeds every time I thought about this long-haul flight but luckily I was early and managed to nab an exit row seat. Thank you Emirates Auckland ground staff.

Fellow passengers: No babies as far as I could see. I sat next to a Scottish couple who didn't speak to each other the entire trip - perfect.

Food: Dinner and breakfast are served on this flight. Dinner was pasta salad with pesto and pastrami, butter chicken with beans and roasted pumpkin - of which I ate none because it tasted like salty, tender mothballs. Breakfast was strangely fluffy scrambled eggs, hard potatoes and a sausage. My advice is to bring snacks.

Service: Classic and classy Emirates

Entertainment: Emirates' ICE system, meaning everything from The Revenant to BBC World news live updates - I only switched on my screen with about four hours to go. The rest of the trip I read and imagined a reality TV show called The Only Way is Emirates, which would be about the airline staff and what they do in Dubai when they aren't working.

Toilets: Clean, but tired. No nasty surprises.

Luggage: Emirates allows 30kg for economy passengers - if you're travelling on further be sure to check the allowances of other airlines.

Would I fly this again? Absolutely. Although 17 hours is a daunting prospect, it's much easier to avoid Australia, having to clear security there and wasting time in an airport waiting for the next leg.