Index
Day 1 - LAX-DXB
Day 2 - DXB-KWI
Day 3 - Kuwait
Day 4 - Kuwait
Day 5 - KWI-BAH
Day 6 - Bahrain
Day 7 - Bahrain
Day 8 - BAH-DXB
Day 9 - Return
Middle East
Started off the day with massive rolling mechanical delays on United's part, thanks to their geriatric fleet of 757's they still operate. The planes are old enough to vote but that's a digression-- after it became apparently my plane, which had even made it to the taxiway and almost to the runway before showing mechanical issues-- wasn't going anywhere soon, let alone in time to make my connection in Newark... managed to get customer service to rebook me on the non-stop Emirates A380 flight from Los Angeles to Dubai. Ended up in economy instead of premium economy, but sure beat losing a day of my trip.
Emirates does a solid job with economy class, although the interiors and electronics are definitely a few years old. 32" of pitch is quite nice for economy considering that's the only choice, there's no economy plus or premium economy available (premium economy is juuuust being rolled out on Emirates...). The tons of map views, belly camera, and tail camera are awesome, and the food, while still economy class food and not going to exceed that, is pretty solid, much better than the many meals of slop offered on other carriers.
Service was generally good, but EK 216 was empty enough it's hard to say how comparable. Passengers clearly kept the flight attendants busy in the galleys with snacks and juices. Had two empty seats in the middle next to me as well, which is also a significant factor in comfort, particularly in economy.