We have just returned from trip to Maldives with Emirates. It was a bad experience. We normally fly Qatar airlines, and enjoy that, but this was grim

We flew out to Dubai on a Sunday afternoon. Had checked in on line. Boarded the plane, which was a 3-4-3 configuration, except at the back 4 rows which dropped to 2-4-2.

The seats did not feel comfortable, and my 6 foot 2 husband struggled with legroom. Didn't find staff very helpful, and on outbound legs found food only average.
Disembarking took forever on each of the 4 legs of trip, and its hard to see why.

On changing planes at Dubai there is a huge amount of walking involved at this ridiculously big airport, so everything turned into a rush.

The return trip was grimmer, both legs were late leaving. Food was appalling, and because we sat at back, they had run out of meal choices. We had been on the plane for 1.5 hours before we got a drink.....
Staff seemed totally disinterested and would have missed me out completely unless husband stopped them.
The entertainment system is ok, but not as good as other airlines.

I heard people at Dubai saying the level of service had fallen dramatically . I had great expectations, but none met. The overwhelming impression is of people who can't be bothered, and are living on old reputations.