nihonto

I have to chime in and concur.

T1 and T3 are like different countries and different cities. T1 is a free for all crowded old screwed up terminal and everyone is there. T3 is beautiful and clear.

Everyone is screwed together in T1, it's not anti-AC nor is it AC's fault. Everyone is jointly screwed. It is nondiscriminatory.

In both terminals though you will find that the priority lines are just signs. The worst offenders are the flights to/from Russia though those may be mostly empty now. But they will fill any available line, business class or whatever.

The staff, even in T3, don't care where you go. It's more work to them to try to get you sorted out properly so why bother, they don't get any benefit by working, they get benefit by doing as little as possible. Hence the free for all.

Mostly I've not had boarding announcements, just the gate is opened and everyone dashes for the plane. I haven't tried AC there yet but will shortly. In their defense, Euro/Russian/Asian subcontinent flights, the passengers won't listen to the boarding announcements anyway and will just do what they want.

So all of the above staff just give in, it's like trying to swim up Niagara Falls, I don't fault any of them for sitting there and doing nothing as the mass of humanity presses forward, unendingly, forever, every single one a miniature DYKWIA with a need to get on a plane fast for some reason real or imagined.

Arriving, yes you will get in line behind 100 people. You need to pick your line carefully, some lines feed into two kiosks and some into one, but where you arrive at it may be hard to see because it will be so far off in the distance.

The whole thing is ridiculous but about what you are signing up for and it's not within AC or Lufthansa's or anyone else's control. And probably EK wants it this way and chuckles itself to sleep every night.

Good info here about the services for speedy clearance, I will look into that for myself on my upcoming trip. Though you have to wade through so many crazy things on Flyertalk it's the gems like that that are so useful and valuable that make this site worthwhile between the flame wars and corporate fetishism.

drvannostren

Can't say I've been to DXB, I'd like to, but not yet. That being said that's a really disappointing report from a downline station. I really hope you tweeted AC/sent in an email explaining without getting angry the situation. You'd think they'd be on top of it, I'm sure they had some senior people there for a couple days, but if something so easy as the signage is being ignored, then clearly they need to go back and straighten that stuff out, which I would think they would. Because it sounds like this probably isn't an isolated event, outside of the check-in malfunction.

nihonto

It would be like trying to put a wall up to stop a hurricane.

You have no idea what it is like in some places in the world. Culturally the things that we respect are not shared by the majority of the world. If someone tells us to do something we will usually do it. If we are standing in line and someone walks up to the line they look for the end and go stand there.

These are not normal values elsewhere.

Normally you do what you want to do anyway in spite of what the signs say. You find an empty area on the floor closest to the place you want to be and stand there. it doesn't matter if that spot is in front of someone else standing in a line and it doesn't matter if it's at 90 degrees to the front of the line.

A lot of the world the philosophy is to take what you want and the stupid and weak will get stepped on by everyone else. So if you are indeed in line you need to defend your spot physically by making sure there is no gap. If you want to get onto a plane first, you stand up first and get as close as you can to the door, you don't get status or buy a more expensive ticket or anything like that.

If the culture does not hold these values as being important, then no amount of "tsk tsk" is going to be able to get people to comply. You'd need about 40 employees in constant conflict with a plane full of people pushing to get on board somewhere.

The priority lines are the responsibility of the airport and if those guys don't want to enforce it, AC making a complaint is not going to make any difference because they just don't care. From the top all the way down to the bottom.

If nobody at all in the entire chain from the head of the organization down to the lowest level of the organization cares, no amount of complaining will make a difference.

They honestly just do not care.

What you get is what you get. It's not Toronto. Polite letters of complaint will not even get you a 5% discount code.

plankton

I flew YYZ-DXB-YYZ for New Years. The outstation had no issues with check-in when I departed on Jan 1. Yes, T1 is a dump and the only *G priority line I could find was for AC check-in/bag drop. The lines at passport control and security were brutal. The Marhaba lounge, used by most airlines, Priority Pass, and Amex, was overcrowded and dirty. The only highlight was the duty free shops (the selection is pretty impressive and prices were good). The lounge is at gate C23 though and it's quite a hike to C5 where AC boarded. Boarding was a relief just to exit the terminal -- the 789 was a sweet ride in business class and I'd fly it again in a heartbeat. Great crew too.

westbeach

There should be a lounge by gate C9/C8 area if I recall correctly. We had a wonderful crew on our flight as well with SD Carol. Agree 789 is a good J product. Windows seat preferred.

rankourabu

That's not the one used by AC I guess, The lounge by C8 is indeed much better, but its not a Marhaba one, it does belong to Priority Pass though.

westbeach

Business Class ticket should get Plankton in though right?

rankourabu

Into C8? I don't think so unless AC issues an invite for that lounge, it sounds like they use Marhaba instead.

iluvcruising2

DXB is world class if you fly Emirates? Just sayin....

CanRulez

Wrong forum.

No need to rub salt in the wounds. I flew YYZ-DXB-YYZ in early December and and I would have to agree.

Terminal 1 is a dump. The city is world class though. I'll give them that for sure.

yqtyyz

Things seemed to have improved with the opening of Concourse D. It's a functional enough terminal, and the newness is always welcome.

Naturally, AC is stuck at the end D1 or D2, and it's a several minute walk towards the train which brings you back to T1's immigration gong show. I don't like how it disembarks and everyone is funnelled tightly into a cramped platform. Outbound, when you leave DXB immigration and security, you head straight up the escalators towards the train. It runs every 2-3 minutes towards Concourse D.

The LH Lounge has a Business and Senator's section. There's a shower or two and a small washroom near the front desk. The food offering was sparse; there was a fried noodle offering, Hungarian gulash, a few wraps and sandwiches.

I loved the M&Ms and gummy bears that were available. Forgot to ask if they were Haribo.

I only felt like taking 3 quick pics of the lounge:

escape4

If I only have carry-on, I check in online, print my boarding pass at the hotel, can I go through immigration and security at T3 to avoid the T1 mess? Then the walk will be longer, but I would rather walk from the T3 gates to the T1 gates rather than stand in line at T1 immigration+security screening?

escape4

To answer my own question above, it is not possible. I went to T3 in the company of someone flying EK at around the same time as I was flying AC from T1. Immigration would not let me through even though I was already checked in, only had carry on, and the fact that gates on the other side connect between T1 and T3.

This is clearly a way to make travellers' life more difficult if you choose to fly any airline other than EK. They make it more of a hassle to navigate through T1.

I remember a couple of years ago I had a flight with BA from DXB. I do not know if it was because I was flying J or because I was BAEC Gold, but a staff member accompanied me to the front of immigration line and then to the front of security screening. With AC, regardless if you fly J and/or if you are SE100K, you will have to go through the same immigration and security screening line as everybody else.