Flying Emirates?

[scotfan]

Would appreciate some advice about Emirates. I'm planning my next trip in November and can save £200 by flying with Emirates. The only downside I can see is 6 hour stopovers at Dubai.

1. What are they like as an airline?

2. Is it worth booking an airport lounge in Dubai for the extra comfort?

I only ask cos £440 Gow-Dub-Bkk compared to £670 with KLM is a big difference (about 10 LTs!)

[old crust]

I've flown with them a few times. I get a mid week night flight out of Birmingham. There are only a few people who seem to use that flight, so you can stretch out across the middle row and have a good nights kip. Get to Dubai and have a liquid breakfast in the airport bar while awaiting your connection. There are worse ways of getting to LOS.

[Elvis]

traveling 18th june with emirates flown a few times with them seem really good .
never had queues but sometimes the layover can a bit long this time it will be three hours ..
inflight entertainment is good food ok and with flight landing at 12.25 in afternoon good time to get to pattaya so for me a good airline a good airline to me is one that gets me there safely so they have not let me down yet ...
and they do seem to be the cheapest for me in scotland :cheer3:

[scotfan]

Thanks guys, will be booking in next day or so with Emirates out of Glasgow. 3 hours doesn't seem so bad but I'm afraid I've got 9 on the way out and 6 on the way back. If I want to cut the stopovers to 3 hours each way it ups the price by about £150.

Dont want to sound like a tight fisted Jock but £150 = 7500 baht ish and you can have a really good night for that sort of cash in Pattaya.

[Elvis]

think i would just pay the 150 mate that time in dubai will be a bitch never any seats full to the brim in departure lounge

[Slacker]

I'm booked with them for November, but from Gatwick and layovers are thankfully shorter. Dubai's terminal certainly looks considerably better than other alternatives in the area (Doha, Abu Dhabi...). First time on the A380 too...First Class would have been nice with onboard showers !

[monkeyspanker]

will be on one in a few hours...:kickcan:
i use them as from bhx its a fast checkin without the heathrow bollox.
as Gildas says you now use T3 which has its own security and can be a total nightmare, not going to get any better with them now using the 380, shit loads of people to get through.
if your on a tight transfer tell them as you get off and they "should" help you through. couple on my last flight to south africa were close but they got met at the gate.
i have lounge access which helps, i have a long transfer this time and like you i could have paid a bit more and got it cut down, meant going to the airport at 930pm instead of 6pm.
can do online checkin so already done that, picked my seat etc.
for the £400 this cost it was a good deal i thought.
also Emerates have been having double mile promotions on so between hols and work i have upgraded my xmas flights to business.
the flyer program with them seems ok and i always get the full miles unlike star alliance, BA, malaysia who cut them at the first chance they get.
25000 gets you silver and lounge access and 32kg luggage.
will stick with them until they screw me over

[tom]

25000 gets you silver and lounge access and 32kg luggage.
will stick with them until they screw me over

I think it's 42 kg now. 30 kg for all economy pax plus 12 kg for silver membership. I'd consider using them but their biz class is crap compared to Qatar and Etihad.

[BigBadSi]

yes toms right it 30kg with economy on skywards,im flying with em at xmas for first time i have the 2 hour changeover both ways hopefully with it being early morning it hopefully wont be too busy

[monkeyspanker]

I think it's 42 kg now. 30 kg for all economy pax plus 12 kg for silver membership. I'd consider using them but their biz class is crap compared to Qatar and Etihad.

didnt know that about luggage, thx
i would use others but it would mean going to heathrow and that is something i hate doing.
be nice if some of the others added a few flights onto bhx instead of ldn.

[BigBadSi]

get some shots of the place MS, have a good one

[penetrator]

Flew over with them a few days ago, 1st time I've ever flown non direct but for £330 cant grumble. Flew on a 777 I think Gatwick - Dubai, food was a bit crap but service pretty good and the tv and music pissed all over Eva or BA I thought. Stop at Dubai went pretty ok but the free wifi was complete crap there although they do have charging points to plug your laptop into. Flew on an A380 Dubai - Bkk, massive inside, only problem I had was the telly was on the blink, the cabin crew turned it off and on again but still didn't work. Think I'll send an email of complaint to them and see if I can get any kind of compo from the ragheads.

[monkeyspanker]

new 380 great, got to walk through the upstairs bit and looks very nice, roll on xmas.
not a good day for dubai/Emirates

fire alarm went off about 6am in t3, something to do with a security door. an amazing noise that was still going on at 830am as i boarded..
2 hours later still on the ground, total failure of baggage system and grounded 100 planes the capt said over the tannoy. eventually left but not with full luggage. i was lucky but i reckon about 30 people didnt get theres.
landed at bhx 2 1/2 hours late and then they couldnt get the tunnel to move to the plane. 30 mins fucking about and finally got some steps to the plane. baggage took another 45mins, not the best return trip.