m3red

I thought all these were packed?

JTXC

904 used to be packed all the time, but last time it was only about 75%. Tourist numbers are down in Jordan.

CalFlyer

So why are they cancelling the third Frankfurt flight which leaves Dubai at 0355am and returns at 1915? Both are not really busy times at DXB airport.

CalFlyer

EK reduces 30% of their flight capacity in May/June. That must be a financial disaster for them.
What do they do with all those pilots, flight attendants etc?

SandWraith

I wanted to update you after hearing from EK, apparently in my case the 904 flight will be availabe on Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, so maybe the other flights that have been reduced, do operate on some days.

SandWraith

DXB is the most popular destination from AMM, according to QAIA authorities!

safari_7

Hello,

I understand that the runways in DXB are being upgraded over the next couple of months. Do we expect to see flight delays etc etc., over this period? I do know some flights have been cancelled for a short period ..... but, flights that do run - what can we expect?

Thanks......

Ozziebob

I just got an email from EK. It looks like you have to allow more time to the terminal, but no other issues:

Dear Mr Ozziebob,

Runway upgrade works start at Dubai International from 1st May, to create more capacity and a better airport experience for you. You can still connect to all our worldwide destinations during this time, but we’ve changed the timings of some flights and we’ll fly less often to some places.

We updated our timetable a few months ago, so any flights you’ve already booked won’t be affected and any flights you can see online are available to book. You’ll still fly in and out of Terminal 3 and continue to earn Miles on all flights. When you fly out of Dubai, allow plenty of time to reach the airport as traffic will be busier than normal. We’ve also updated our Chauffeur-drive timings to make sure you get there on time.

We’ll do everything we can to minimise any inconvenience and we aim to be back to our usual schedule from 20th July.

You can keep an eye on the latest updates and check your flight times on our website.

airbus3888

A few notes on the runway closure:

Day two and so far so good - reports from crew friends suggest that delays at peak times are no worse than normal - indeed most reports are that the holds have been shorter or non existant.

Remember Dubai almost operates as a single runway airport even with both runways available as the runway spacing does not allow independent operations - there is less ATC disruption than might otherwise have been the case.

Approximately 20-22 aircraft will be parked at any time during the runway closure; mainly the A330/340 fleet and some of the 777s.

Some cabin crew - those not qualified on the A380 - have been offered unpaid leave for up to two months.

The airline will use the time for cabin refurbishment and maintenance of planes taken out of service; and also for crew training.

The A380s will be heavily utilised - for instance the six flights a day to BKK are reduced to four flights - 3 of them flown by A380s.

EK estimates that its revenues will be hit to the tune of AED1 billion. The impact on the bottom line will likely be far less significant.

Probably worth adding that the runway work was unavoidable. The northern runway is near the end of its design life and requires resurfacing and other modifications. The financial crisis ended any hope for an early construction of DWC which now will not be fully operational until (best guess) mid 2020s.

EK is taking check in times very seriously; enforcing a one hour closure for check in and a 20 minute closure at the gate - some pax were refused boarding on our flight yesterday after arriving late at the gate.

airbus3888

marconess

It would be really great if they took the time to upgrade the poorly products of the A330s/40s.
TheEKSource.com is showing some planes already flown and parked at DWC for the closure.

m3red

Those planes are not being upgraded. They are old and will be replaced over the next few years. I actively avoid those routes where possible.

marconess

Sorry, yes I meant those sentences to be completely separate. First sentence is my wishful thinking. Second is fact.

livefromtuscany

Having experienced DXB yesterday during the runway closure, I'm surprised how well they are coping with the reduced capacity. No holding or departure delay at all.

Only issue was that although there should have been sufficient gate space with all the cancelled flights, both flights (EK 88 and EK 318) had open stands in front of the hangars. This meant a 30-minute bus ride along the whole airport perimeter, past the catering facilities, low-cost terminal, flower center, concourse D, C and finally to B. And it was a really slow bus ride in rush hour traffic, held up by lots of container transport vehicles.

I enjoyed the experience though. (De-)Boarding an A380 or a B777 'open air' is quite an experience.

Turicus

I don't know why, but EK 88 gets remote parking really often. I've had to bus to that flight at least half a dozen times in the last couple of years. But not two weeks ago during the runway closure.

Apart from that, my experience was similar. No delay.

Edit: As pomkiwi says below, boarding and gate close are earlier now. My last flight started pre-boarding at 90 minutes out, and was on last call about 50min before departure.

pomkiwi

Last week caught a mid afternoon flight. Traffic to the airport was light and no delays at J check-in or security. Only difference is that boarding started early and final call went up at t-40. By t-30 almost everyne was boarded. Got away and arrived on time