Mark Morgan and his wife paid around €12,000 for two first class seats from Auckland to London in August. But the surgeon, who was expecting the luxury experience advertised by Emirates, was met with a disappointing experience.

In his statement, he pointed out that although Emirates advertises fully reclining leather seats, he actually had to sit on worn out seats. Entertainment system also not working.

Emirates argued that when buying tickets, it makes clear that reality can differ from promotional photos and that everything on board can never be guaranteed to work, “so the company can operate efficiently in the complex world of air travel”.

Withdrawal

The judge rejected that argument and ordered Morgan’s tickets returned. “Emirates marketing materials were used to lure customers away from other airlines with a service that did not actually exist,” the judge said.

Morgan hopes the case will encourage other customers to file complaints as well. “It’s just a drop in the ocean for a company like this,” the man said.