First time on a A350-900 (Passenger)
As an avgeek, nothing could be more interesting than flying aboard an A350-900 in 2026. Having heard oodles of praises from fellow travellers and fellow avgeeks “You can’t miss this!”; I was excited to experience the A350-900 first hand on Emirates.
At first glance, the A350 comes across a very modern Airbus. The black-painted “goggles” around the cockpit instantly gives the 350 a ‘cool’ and modern look. Once inside, you’ll be greeted with a wide body having two aisles. By the time you find your seat and settle down, it’s time to take off. While rolling down the runway for V1, you barely feel pushed back into your seat. The aircraft is speeding and fast. But you don’t feel it. After V2 and when the wheels are off, you’d expect the familiar stomach-dropping feeling. But you won’t or at least it would be mild at best. Immediately after takeoff, the AoA seems very gentle.
The best bits of this flight as a passenger are the IFE. Not only does it feature a completely new UI, but also new features. My favorite is BYOD. You can pair your headphones/wireless earphones with the IFE through Bluetooth. I, for one, find the headphones supplied during the flight to be very uncomfortable even after a short while. The audio fidelity of those don’t help either.
So, for me, using my Airpods felt like a natural choice. Pairing it to the IFE was a breeze. I started playing the “Billions Club” playlist on Spotify. I started reading the news, and then it hit me.
Pairing your Bluetooth headphone/earphone is surprisingly simple
The sound stage was wide. The instruments had a nice wide separation. The bass was tight. The vocals were crisp and I could feel the rasp in the voices. The song I was listening to was Chandelier by Sia. And until the end of the flight, I found myself enjoying track after track, like I do in my living room. The BT DAC inside the IFE is genuinely impressive!
[OC] Image taken on my flight