FlyDubai and Sheikh Saad private terminal
Feb 18, 2015, 3:20 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Kuwait
Programs: WoH Globalist
Posts: 601
FlyDubai and Sheikh Saad private terminal
As usual, for easier viewing go here: http://www.airliners.net/aviation-fo...d.main/262578/
Howdy folks!
I decided to experience the private terminal (Shiekh Saad Terminal) in Kuwait which is currently serving private jets and FlyDubai. The terminal is so small that it was designed to handle private jets only. I believe the terminal was built in 2008. Previously, the terminal was used by Wataniya Airways (which ceased its operations back in 2011,) and is currently being used by FlyDubai and private jets. The terminal has two entrances. The left entrance is used for business class passengers while economy class passengers check-in on the right door of the terminal. As I was a business class passenger, I entered through the left door, and to my surprise, the check-in, immigration, and lounge access are all close to each other (I’m not exaggerating when I’m saying from the check-in till I entered the lounge I walked approximately 20 meters only, if not less!) Since the terminal is so small everything is close to each other and I checked in, cleared immigration, and accessed the lounge within less than 5 minutes (I’m not exaggerating here as well.)
Lounge
The lounge used here is the Pearl lounge (which is the same lounge that is used by main terminal in Kuwait International Airport.) I asked about the eligibility for accessing the lounge and was told that economy class passengers wishing to access the lounge can do so for a payment of 7 KWD. I was told that economy class passengers wishing to access the lounge can do so by checking in the economy class section, then head towards the business class area and access the lounge for a small fee. You can also access the lounge if you hold certain cards such as priority pass and diner’s club. Of course one of the benefits of accessing the lounge is the separate boarding to the aircraft from economy class passengers (you can board with business class passengers at the front of the plane.) I was told that the food being served here comes from the Regency Hotel. Personally I think the 7 KWD is worth it to access the lounge. Upon entering this is how lounge looks like:
Left side of the lounge:
Right side of the lounge upon entrance:
Exploring the left side of the lounge, there is a bathroom, praying room, and a kids playing room.
Praying room
Kids area upon entering the room
Hanger in the room
Another view in daylight.
Corridor to the bathroom
Bathroom (with shower)
Now exiting the room and going back to the main room in the lounge this is the breakfast for morning.
Flight status monitor located next to the cornflakes.
A luxurious smoking lounge.
This is the main lounge. There are not a variety of TV channels so I do not recommend you use the TV to keep yourself entertained.
This is the last room in the lounge, which is located right next to the boarding gate. It has good views of the tarmac, has a TV as well, business center, hanger and bathrooms, and seats there are comfortable.
Daylight view of the room
Perfect tarmac view. You can actually spot aircrafts taking off or landing from here.
View from the right side.
View from the left side
Enjoying the exclusivity of the lounge
My aircraft is now reading for boarding
Flight: FZ-054
Seat: 03K
Cabin load: 3 / 12
I had to go through security check only once (as opposed to three times in the main terminal.)
As a business class passenger you get to access the lounge for free, get complimentary 40KG checked-in as luggage, 15KG of hand luggage onboard, complimentary food and drinks, complimentary use of in-flight entertainment with headphones, complimentary seat assignment, board at the front of the plane as opposed to the rear, and you also get a comfortable leather chair.
Generous amount of legroom and seats were comfortable.
Ceiling
Large in-flight entertainment screen.
Main menu for the in-flight entertainment.
View of the terminal from seat 03A prior to departure.
We did not have to wait long for take off. We waited for Etihad Airways to land on the runway before we took off to Dubai.
In-flight route map.
Browsing through the movies section, I decided to watch Fury for the flight. Unfortunately the flight was not long enough to watch the entire movie so I watched like 50 minutes of the movie. The screen was very fast and responsive.
Headphones for business class cabin.
Service after take off. It consisted of a hotel towel before serving the meal, then they served breakfast (which was horrible, so I opted for bread and croissant only.) After the meal I requested for another hot towel which they delivered to me.
Approaching Dubai
When I landed the exclusive shuttle for business class passengers was a regular bus (take a look at the business class shuttle for Emirates airlines and see the difference for yourself.) I was not given a fast-track immigration card onboard, so I assume that, unlike Emirates, there are no fast-track immigrations in terminal 2 (yet they charge high prices for flights to Kuwait.) The in-flight entertainment, although offering good selection of movies, was obviously no match to the ICE onboard Emirates.
I transited in Terminal 2 for two hours before catching my economy class flight back to Kuwait (economy class.)
Flight: FZ-057
Departure: 13:45
Seat: 23A
Perfect wing view
More private jets in Dubai than Kuwait
This is the in-flight entertainment in economy class. Unlike in business class for this time I had to pay to use it. The price was 15 AED for basic usage (watch TV, listen to Music, and play games) and 35AED to watch movies. Unlike in business class the in-flight entertainment in my seat (and the seat next to me) was slow and unresponsive. I can’t imagine someone’s feeling having paid to access the entertainment section, only to find the screens slow, freeze sometimes, and unresponsive! This flight time was too short, so I didn’t bother with the in-flight entertainment and just decided to enjoy the view from outside.
As you can see, seats in economy class are uncomfortable, and my knees will almost touch the seat in front of me.
On the way back, I wanted to have a meal onboard and asked to pay by credit card. When I gave them my credit card the transaction kept getting declined. To my surprise the credit card was rejected numerous times due to the fact that the credit card machines they have onboard are for only old-style credit cards (the ones where you can pay by swiping your card only.) My credit card is the new credit card (with a security chip installed) so they were unable to charge my card to purchase the food. There are many merchants and hotels around the world that have the new credit card machine, and when a famous low-cost carrier like FlyDubai does not have such a device onboard, then I find that to be embarrassing and shameful, especially when they are a low-cost carrier. Not only was I unable to purchase food to eat, but also I believe that I couldn’t have swiped in my credit card to purchase the in-flight entertainment package. This experience has definitely made me reconsider flying with FlyDubai in the future.
Farewell FlyDubai. Thank you for flying me back home (view from the first floor after clearing immigration in the arrivals hall.) Upstairs there are two restaurants. On the ground floor there is a Starbucks coffee.
Conclusion:
I was satisfied to experience the private terminal which people in Kuwait keep positively talking about. Although the procedures for departing and arriving in Kuwait were fast, however, there is not much to do to keep yourself entertained, and once you enter the lounge you can not leave it, so if you arrive early at the airport and want to spend some time in the lounge, but end up getting bored, you’re stuck at the lounge until boarding commences. Personally I don’t mind standing in lines and seeing people at the main terminal and listening to the public announcement (which is my favorite part in the airport) than having my procedures finished quickly, do not get to listen to airport public announcements, and do not get to see a lot of people at the airport.
Regarding FlyDubai, I was unhappy with my overall experience, as I don’t believe that I got what I paid for. As I previously mentioned the lounge in Terminal 2 is not exclusive for business class passengers, the private shuttles for business class are regular in appearance compared to Emirates shuttles or the business class shuttles in Jeddah, no fast-track immigrations card were distributed onboard, and there were no desserts in my meal. I don’t mind paying a little extra to fly with Emirates business class to get all these exclusive perks which unfortunately FlyDubai lacks. In addition, my credit cards were denied onboard, so neither I was unable to purchase food, nor purchase in-flight entertainment to keep me company. I definitely would not recommend flying with FlyDubai and I definitely would be less likely to be flying with them in the future.
Howdy folks!
I decided to experience the private terminal (Shiekh Saad Terminal) in Kuwait which is currently serving private jets and FlyDubai. The terminal is so small that it was designed to handle private jets only. I believe the terminal was built in 2008. Previously, the terminal was used by Wataniya Airways (which ceased its operations back in 2011,) and is currently being used by FlyDubai and private jets. The terminal has two entrances. The left entrance is used for business class passengers while economy class passengers check-in on the right door of the terminal. As I was a business class passenger, I entered through the left door, and to my surprise, the check-in, immigration, and lounge access are all close to each other (I’m not exaggerating when I’m saying from the check-in till I entered the lounge I walked approximately 20 meters only, if not less!) Since the terminal is so small everything is close to each other and I checked in, cleared immigration, and accessed the lounge within less than 5 minutes (I’m not exaggerating here as well.)
Lounge
The lounge used here is the Pearl lounge (which is the same lounge that is used by main terminal in Kuwait International Airport.) I asked about the eligibility for accessing the lounge and was told that economy class passengers wishing to access the lounge can do so for a payment of 7 KWD. I was told that economy class passengers wishing to access the lounge can do so by checking in the economy class section, then head towards the business class area and access the lounge for a small fee. You can also access the lounge if you hold certain cards such as priority pass and diner’s club. Of course one of the benefits of accessing the lounge is the separate boarding to the aircraft from economy class passengers (you can board with business class passengers at the front of the plane.) I was told that the food being served here comes from the Regency Hotel. Personally I think the 7 KWD is worth it to access the lounge. Upon entering this is how lounge looks like:
Left side of the lounge:
Right side of the lounge upon entrance:
Exploring the left side of the lounge, there is a bathroom, praying room, and a kids playing room.
Praying room
Kids area upon entering the room
Hanger in the room
Another view in daylight.
Corridor to the bathroom
Bathroom (with shower)
Now exiting the room and going back to the main room in the lounge this is the breakfast for morning.
Flight status monitor located next to the cornflakes.
A luxurious smoking lounge.
This is the main lounge. There are not a variety of TV channels so I do not recommend you use the TV to keep yourself entertained.
This is the last room in the lounge, which is located right next to the boarding gate. It has good views of the tarmac, has a TV as well, business center, hanger and bathrooms, and seats there are comfortable.
Daylight view of the room
Perfect tarmac view. You can actually spot aircrafts taking off or landing from here.
View from the right side.
View from the left side
Enjoying the exclusivity of the lounge
My aircraft is now reading for boarding
Flight: FZ-054
Seat: 03K
Cabin load: 3 / 12
I had to go through security check only once (as opposed to three times in the main terminal.)
As a business class passenger you get to access the lounge for free, get complimentary 40KG checked-in as luggage, 15KG of hand luggage onboard, complimentary food and drinks, complimentary use of in-flight entertainment with headphones, complimentary seat assignment, board at the front of the plane as opposed to the rear, and you also get a comfortable leather chair.
Generous amount of legroom and seats were comfortable.
Ceiling
Large in-flight entertainment screen.
Main menu for the in-flight entertainment.
View of the terminal from seat 03A prior to departure.
We did not have to wait long for take off. We waited for Etihad Airways to land on the runway before we took off to Dubai.
In-flight route map.
Browsing through the movies section, I decided to watch Fury for the flight. Unfortunately the flight was not long enough to watch the entire movie so I watched like 50 minutes of the movie. The screen was very fast and responsive.
Headphones for business class cabin.
Service after take off. It consisted of a hotel towel before serving the meal, then they served breakfast (which was horrible, so I opted for bread and croissant only.) After the meal I requested for another hot towel which they delivered to me.
Approaching Dubai
When I landed the exclusive shuttle for business class passengers was a regular bus (take a look at the business class shuttle for Emirates airlines and see the difference for yourself.) I was not given a fast-track immigration card onboard, so I assume that, unlike Emirates, there are no fast-track immigrations in terminal 2 (yet they charge high prices for flights to Kuwait.) The in-flight entertainment, although offering good selection of movies, was obviously no match to the ICE onboard Emirates.
I transited in Terminal 2 for two hours before catching my economy class flight back to Kuwait (economy class.)
Flight: FZ-057
Departure: 13:45
Seat: 23A
Perfect wing view
More private jets in Dubai than Kuwait
This is the in-flight entertainment in economy class. Unlike in business class for this time I had to pay to use it. The price was 15 AED for basic usage (watch TV, listen to Music, and play games) and 35AED to watch movies. Unlike in business class the in-flight entertainment in my seat (and the seat next to me) was slow and unresponsive. I can’t imagine someone’s feeling having paid to access the entertainment section, only to find the screens slow, freeze sometimes, and unresponsive! This flight time was too short, so I didn’t bother with the in-flight entertainment and just decided to enjoy the view from outside.
As you can see, seats in economy class are uncomfortable, and my knees will almost touch the seat in front of me.
On the way back, I wanted to have a meal onboard and asked to pay by credit card. When I gave them my credit card the transaction kept getting declined. To my surprise the credit card was rejected numerous times due to the fact that the credit card machines they have onboard are for only old-style credit cards (the ones where you can pay by swiping your card only.) My credit card is the new credit card (with a security chip installed) so they were unable to charge my card to purchase the food. There are many merchants and hotels around the world that have the new credit card machine, and when a famous low-cost carrier like FlyDubai does not have such a device onboard, then I find that to be embarrassing and shameful, especially when they are a low-cost carrier. Not only was I unable to purchase food to eat, but also I believe that I couldn’t have swiped in my credit card to purchase the in-flight entertainment package. This experience has definitely made me reconsider flying with FlyDubai in the future.
Farewell FlyDubai. Thank you for flying me back home (view from the first floor after clearing immigration in the arrivals hall.) Upstairs there are two restaurants. On the ground floor there is a Starbucks coffee.
Conclusion:
I was satisfied to experience the private terminal which people in Kuwait keep positively talking about. Although the procedures for departing and arriving in Kuwait were fast, however, there is not much to do to keep yourself entertained, and once you enter the lounge you can not leave it, so if you arrive early at the airport and want to spend some time in the lounge, but end up getting bored, you’re stuck at the lounge until boarding commences. Personally I don’t mind standing in lines and seeing people at the main terminal and listening to the public announcement (which is my favorite part in the airport) than having my procedures finished quickly, do not get to listen to airport public announcements, and do not get to see a lot of people at the airport.
Regarding FlyDubai, I was unhappy with my overall experience, as I don’t believe that I got what I paid for. As I previously mentioned the lounge in Terminal 2 is not exclusive for business class passengers, the private shuttles for business class are regular in appearance compared to Emirates shuttles or the business class shuttles in Jeddah, no fast-track immigrations card were distributed onboard, and there were no desserts in my meal. I don’t mind paying a little extra to fly with Emirates business class to get all these exclusive perks which unfortunately FlyDubai lacks. In addition, my credit cards were denied onboard, so neither I was unable to purchase food, nor purchase in-flight entertainment to keep me company. I definitely would not recommend flying with FlyDubai and I definitely would be less likely to be flying with them in the future.
