[alainboy56]

SimonS1

I think after 23 years here and living, working and doing many other things with them over the years, I believe I am not a normal Brit, whom you will find in Jumeirah living in a ‘fantasy bubble’ .
There are Brits here (including my own brother in DXB), who hardly can speak a word of arabic, so of course, they will waive you by sir, and possibly mumble to his mate “another ‘stuck up Brit”, but I don’t think that applies to me – I know them too well by now — sorry.

[Ahmad]

I have adopted a different, albeit slightly more costly, solution when negotiating DXB T1 ever since I missed a flight back in 2014 due to the immigration chaos (yes it goes as far back as that when they started renovations). The Ahlan standard arrival meet and greet service only costs AED 115 and they take you through dedicated immigration counters. No hassles with queuing or faulty electronic gates etc. The only problem with them is if you book at short notice sometimes they decline due to being short of staff. If that happens, I simply book with Marhaba getting the same service but at a higher cost. On departure I use the Marhaba Service at AED 165. Agree with the general sense of the thread, T1 has become a bit of a nightmare unless you have extra time and arrive really early.

[onajetplane]

Based on this post, I got to DXB early tonight for the BA 135am flight back to London. 1112pm uber dropoff at terminal 1, 1131pm walking into the new BA lounge. Ironically one of the quickest exits out of DXB I have ever had given this was the one time I get here early for the fear of chaos.

[alainboy56]

sleak76

Update for you – departed T3 at AUH last Saturday 02/07 with EY to SEZ
they have something called ‘Smart Travel’ …. I do not know how to comment on this…. Anyway whilst you are in the queue there is a little ‘local’ guy who will scan your passport and photograph your iris/face whatever, and puts a sticker on your passport (rear) which says, and I quote ‘e-gate enrolled’ .. even though I did not tell him this … so it must be in the ‘system’! Anyway after check-in, the first check/barrier you meet is to use this passport scan and then move on until you meet another bank of these new machines (which look remarkably identical to those at LHR), so again passport and boarding pass needed and your ‘photo’ taken again, and when I asked a ‘local’ where are the e-gates, he told me ‘finished. khalas’ (over)….. so I removed it from my passport, and DID NOT THROW IT AWAY, but put in my briefcase…. AND on my return just 3 days later, lo and behold at the same airport, AUH T3 on entry — there are the e-gate machines and fully operational. (I even had an Air Seychelles Fast Track card ready in my other hand, but no the officer said to use the e-gate machines and everything was al hamdulillah.
Is this the answer to our woes? Probably NOT – stayed tuned, I am going to Casablanca on Saturday, we shall see how is the situation just 5 days later.

[alainboy56]

sleak76

Update for you on DXB/AUH Immigration entry — all valid July 2016.
DXB T1 (I think – not sure – don’t know DXB anymore – I still remember the first terminal before EK was born with 8 check-in desks and 5 gates downstairs and buses to the the ramp – anyone out there remember way back when)???? .. anyway …… arr by Turkish Airlines and still have e-gate machines in operation.
AUH T3 arr by Air Seychelles e-gate machines still in operation
AUH T1 arr by Alitalia – no e-gate machines – removed — only ‘NEW’ iris scan passport readers

[Author]

Posts