 | Dubai Flights and Airline Tips | Tips 1 - 10 of 27 |  |
Dubai is so close to the UK you could almost go there for a long weekend! A flight from London is only 6.5-7.5 hours - a breeze if you are used to 24 hour flights to Australia as I am ; )
Around 80 different airlines currently fly into Dubai, making it an important transport hub in the Middle East. Our first visit to Dubai was a short one - just a couple of hours spent in the airport, on our way to Sydney. That time we were flying with Emirates, Dubai's international airline. On our first 'proper' visit to Dubai, in Dec 2007, we flew from London Heathrow with British Airways. As mentioned, the flight was very manageable at around 7 hours.
Upon arrival, although it was around 1am local time, we faced long queues at passport control. Yawn. At least that meant only a very short wait for our luggage. Exiting the airport after 2am, I was astounded by the number of people there to meet arrivals - the majority seemed to be holding signs from various hotels/tour operators. We were supposed to be collected by our hotel, and spent several minutes scouring all of the signs looking for our names or the hotels name. Hmph..... in the end I had to ring the hotel and they were most apologetic, apparently the car coming to collect us had broken down. Oh well, we jumped in a taxi (there were plenty of them) and the hotel reimbursed us on arrival.
Our return flight back to London didn't depart until 3am. We arrived at the airport around 12.30am and loved the fact that there was hardly any queues at all for check-in and security. Once through to 'airside', the duty free shops were packed full of shoppers, and we joined the throngs - I can never resist duty free lip gloss and chocolate.
The only negative thing about the airport on the departure side was that there were hardly any seats to sit on, unless you went through to your depart lounge. We had no choice but to sit on the floor for a while at around 2am, as our gate hadn't opened yet. Leave a Comment |
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LUGGAGE STORAGE:
You can store your bags at Dubai International Airport, Terminal 1.
Go to the "Arrivals" area, next to the taxi stand. There you will see an office called "DNATA Baggage Services". Price is 10 Dirhams (approx. 3 US Dollars) per bag for 12 hours.
For more information, call this number & ask for "Baggage Service":
Tel: +971 - 4 - 224 5555.
WHILST YOU'RE WAITING...
TIP: sit closely to any of the first class lounges (on the floor if you have to) and take advantage of the lounge’s WiFi Internet ;-)
--> News Article, Gulf News Aug. 2006:
"Dubai's Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) launched free wireless Internet service at Dubai Int'l Airport. The service allows passengers free access to internet on their laptops, PDAs & smart phones. Passenger can assess the system in select areas in both the Arrivals and Departures areas. The service is being expanded, and should be available through the entire airport by the end of the year 2006 & beginning 2007."
TELEPHONE NUMBER FOR FLIGHT INQUERIES:
Call +971-4-206 6666 to find-out about scheduled departures & arrivals.
UPDATE 2008: Short-Term PARKING now costs a ridiculous Dhs 20 per hour!
VIRTUAL TOUR:
Most of you will probably be looking for the infamous Duty Free area. Others maybe for the Irish Pub (at Gate 23). Prepare before your trip & have a look at the website's virtual airport map:
http://www.dubaiairport.com/DIA/English/MainMenu/Airport+Guide/Virtual+Tour-Terminal+Maps/
They also have some pretty useful "Travel Tips" to first-time visitors to the United Arab Emirates (i.e. distances, currency, emergency numbers, etc.) Click here: http://www.dubaiairport.com/DIA/English/MainMenu/Traveler+Tools/Travel+Tips/ Leave a Comment |
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Dubai International Airport is impressive, no doubt about it, and it has also grown and changed immensely since my initial arrival in 1998. It's huge, it's tacky, it's badly layed-out, it's designed to make you walk for miles in the hope that you'll buy something, and it's actually pretty cool if you don't have to stop-over too often. The initial wonder & amazement wears-off quickly, especially if you're waiting at passport control queues for over 1 hour!
VISAS:
Visit visas are issued to individuals intending to stay over 30 days in the United Arab Emirates. GCC nationals (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar & Saudi Arabia) do not need visas.
The list below contains further countries that automatically obtain a free 60-day visa on arrival at an airport:
1. Hong Kong
2. Ice land
3. South Korea
4. United States
5. Japan
6. Australia
7. Malaysia
8. New Zealand
9. Brunei
10. Norway
11. United Kingdom
12. Ireland
13. France
14. Canada
15. Italy
16. Monaco
17. Germany
18. Vatican
19. Holland
20. Liechtenstein
21. Belgium
22. Singapore
23. Luxembourg
24. San Marion
25. Switzerland
26. Greece
27. Austria
28. Andorra
29. Spain
30. Sweden
31. Denmark
32. Finland
33. Portugal.
>> All others must apply for a visit visa BEFORE you arrive at Dubai airport.
UPDATE JULY 2008: new visa laws have been implemented from 29th July onwards. Please check the local news for updates: http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/08/07/25/10231692.html<br />
>> Check this link for essential regulations before travelling to the UAE: http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/tp/137842/
Click here for Flight Information Schedules: http://www.dubaiairport.com/DIA/English/MainMenu/Flight+Information/ Leave a Comment |
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Most of the world's international airlines have their regular flights for Dubai. The national carrier Emirates also operates regular flights from Dubai International airport to more then 70 destinations around the world.
Dubai International airport is really huge in size and passengers have to travel a lot in order to reach the arrival / departure terminals. But with the help of electronic walk ways it becomes easy to walk around.
The airport building is very beautiful and big decorated palm trees have been planted inside. Duty free shops, five star hotel, cafes, food courts, health club, business centre, internet cafes, business and first class lounges are also located inside this huge airport. Pint 19 bar, The Irish Village pub, Safar restaurant and Wings coffee shop are also located at departure levels of the airport.
Emirates, the national carrier is one of the world's best airlines. Their services, food, and aircrafts are simply excellent. That is why i always prefer to travel with Emirates. http://www.emirates.com Leave a Comment |
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- If your plane docks at one of the gates and you have children with you, I would advise to use one of the Emirates-strollers. You'll see them lined up in a cupboard on your left side as soon as you leave the gate and enter the airport building.
- Then follow the "Arrival" signs until you reach the lifts/escalators that take you down to the arrival tunnel. The arrival tunnel is approximately 500 metres long. You can either walk through it or wait for a ride on the small shuttle car that takes you to the end of the tunnel. If you have kids or seniors with you, I would advise to make use of that.
- At the end of the tunnel you'll see the visa-collection counters on your left. If you are visiting Dubai for less than 60 days and hold one of the "privileged" nationalities you don't need to wait at the visa collection, because you'll get a "visa on arrival" at immigration directly. Here's a list of those countries: http://guide.theemiratesnetwork.com/living/visa.php
Otherwise you'll need a pre-arranged visa which your sponsor should've deposited at the airport. You have to collect that from the visa-collection then.
- After passing the visa-collection, you need to go to the eye-scan counters, which are located right next to the visa collection. After that the lift/escalator takes you up to the main arrival area. Proceed to immigration where your passport/visa will be checked. If you have kids with you, they should give you priority.
- After immigration, go to the right side where your hand luggage will be screened. Then move on to the baggage collection. There are 10 baggage collection belts and you have to check the screens to see where the baggage from your flight is.
- After collecting your baggage, you pass customs. They'll only stop you there if you look "suspicious" which has never happened to me. :)
- Then you'll go through a small hall to reach the exit door. On the other side you'll see hundreds of people waiting. If someone is at the airport to pick you up, that person will be standing there. Otherwise just keep walking straight to the Taxi waiting area and take a cab. |
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Dubai airport is the airport to end all airports: as soon as you land you have a taste of what's lazing ahead of you... luxury. This airport is simply amazing, all shining and glittering - and it's also one of the best places to go shopping. Everything is tax fre and, it seemed to us, much cheaper than in town.
Worth of note: the souvenir shop... everything costs next to nothing. So i guess it's a good idea to buy your souvenirs at the very last second of your stay. Leave a Comment |
Air Arabia is the first Low Cost Airline in the Middle East and flies to and from Sharjah Airport which is between 30minutes and 1 hour from the centre of Dubai depending on traffic. Air Arabia serves destinations in India, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Bahrian, Yemen, Kuwait, Oman, Sudan, Russia, Khasakstan, Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia and Iran. If you need to fly around the region check them out, you could save some money. |
Dubai International Airport (http://www.dubaiairport.com/diainternet/) (DXB) is the largest hub in the Middle East and the home base of the UAE's flag carrier Emirates (http://www.emirates.com/). The airport is famous for its duty-free shopping (http://www.dubaidutyfree.com).
When flying from Dubai, travellers should be aware that security is very tight, with up to three baggage screenings before boarding. The baggage-handling system has also been known to break down on occasion, causing considerable delays.
Emirates passengers are also required to be at the gate lounge 30-35 minutes before departure, in order to ensure that the flight departs on time. Late arrivals at this point can and will be offloaded from the flight.
The Dubai International Airport was built in 1959 by order of the late ruler, Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, and was the first airport to be built in the UAE. At that time, the airport only contained one runway, which length was 1.8 km (1.12 miles). The airport is 4 km (2.5 miles) south-east of the city center and is positioned at latitude 25° 25 N, longitude 55° 36 E. The Dubai Airport is the fastest growing airport in the Middle East and has been nominated the best airport in 2002 and 2003 by a survey carried out by IATA (International Air Transport Association).
Airport Facilities
The Dubai Intl. Airport is continuously developing and currently has 2 terminals and accommodates 100 airlines, which connect to over 140 destinations. The airport has a meet-and-greet assistance service known as Marhaba Services [(4) 224 5780].
Terminal 1 (Sheikh Rashid Terminal or Concourse 1)
This terminal is the main heart of the Dubai Airport and was reopened in April 2000 as the second stage of the airport expansion program, which began in 1997.
Terminal 2
The terminal was built to reduce the congestion of Terminal 1 and was opened in May 1998. Leave a Comment |
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Unless you are blessed with wealth, you will probably enjoy most of your travels across the world in Economy – also know as “Cattle Class”. The best airline in the world for those reasonable airfares is EMIRATES.
Why Emirates are better:
· Best Flight Crews in the air
These people pride themselves on being friendly. They are happy to be there, happy to see you and it shows. No request is a problem.
· Comfortable seats
The interiors are always new, you always get a pillow and a blanket, and seats are plush.
· Free Unlimited alcohol
Anything you want and the crew don’t hassle you if you want to drink a lot of cold beers, wine, whiskey, whatever you choose.
· In-flight entertainment
You can watch about 10-15 brand new movies and you can pause movies so you can go on your travels inside the plane. Also have the forward and underside cameras to watch takeoffs and landings just like you were in the cockpit
· Hot face towel when you get onboard.
Really nice if this is not your first flight of the day
· Good food
No airline has great food, but everything is good and the food is recognisable.
· Company ethos
The whole airline is based on the Arabic concept of hospitality. You are treated like a Prince or Princess regardless of how much you paid.
Emirates flights are sometimes $30-100 more than other airlines roundtrip prices, but the service you get is priceless and the rest you get makes your first day of holiday that much better.
EMIRATES. The best. The end. Leave a Comment |
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Dubai International Airport's new departure terminal is an architectural tour de force. Long layovers don't seem so long when there is so much to look at.
The building is not only beautiful, but easy to navigate and very plushly appointed. You might even find yourself substantially richer if you buy a chance in either the million dollar raffle or one on a luxury car -- and by luxury, I'm talkin' Lamborghini or Porsche or Bentley or even a Rolls Royce. Such cars are won every month. Chances on the cars are good, too: only 1,000 tickets are sold at about $125 each.
Dubai International is served by at least 60 airlines, and, if you're a plane-spotter, you'll see all kinds of exotic companies represented from Air Viet Nam to Kazahstan Airlines. This is a major air hub, and you can get from here to almost anywhere in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia on a non-stop hop. Emirates, Dubai's own carrier, has non-stops to New York, several European capitals, East Africa, South Africa, East, Southeast, and South Asia, as well as Australia. They are supposed to be offering nonstops to Los Angeles soon, too.
N.B.: If you're transiting through Dubai and have not received your onward boarding pass, the transit desks are located on the arrivals level. Make sure you're certain you are in the correct line (queue) because it's often crowded, especially between 10pm and 2am when the airport is the busiest. After obtaining the document, go through security and down the escalator to the departure level. The vast duty free shop is on the next level below. Leave a Comment |
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