MANCHESTER

Hotel rates have gone nuts! I’ve booked FS DIFC as you get use of FS jumeirah…. Still 2 rooms (I’ve got kids) is running at £1500 a night for Oct half term… O and O the palm wanted about £19k for 5 nights 🤪🤪

Wozza2404

When you there, mate? I'm doing 1-11 Sept (with a stint in DOH inbetween). Coming to Brunch?

Duck1981

My friend who is a Director at Expo told me that Dubai hotels have internally announced that large group bookings are coming in to visit the Expo - this plus a lots of Brits now joining (and UK based Germans like myself) - so they are extremely optimistic about revenue per hotel room until spring next year....

DYKWIA

I would have been there 1-7 Sept... but BA cancelled the flights a couple of weeks back. So, doing a long weekend in London instead

I would have *loved* to do a brunch!

Next time...

MANCHESTER

Good luck to them ! If they can get the rates, they should ….. it reminds me that there is a lot of money out there !!

Duck1981

I think they do - a quick scan of the Marriott app has told me that the days of a AED390 company rate in the JW Marriott in October will be over for a while

Exsilver

I booked last February, for January 2022, in the hope that restrictions would be lifted, so I'm pretty pleased and I got a good rate at the Intercontinental too.

ermis177

By that time UAE will be on the pink extra plus list. It will be a list of countries that you will have to quarantine for 3,5 days when you return and you will need to take a test the first day after 18:00 and the third day just before midnight

Exsilver

I have already booked the required accommodation and tests to that exact schedule. 😁

vwboy88

Any thoughts on whether BA are likely to add an additional rotation over Q4'21?

Seems that all of the J&F availability is zero for the much of the Autumn and Winter period already

elbirchos

I'm due to be flying in F on BA105 on 18/09 LHR-DXB in a 787-9.

Looking at the Seat map I can see only 2 seats remaining available, however on Expert Flyer I'm still seeing 5 seats in F available for sale (F3 A2). Is this an indication that they may change plane to an A380, or that they're just happy to over sell tickets for the flight with expectations of passengers cancelling nearer the time?

Thanks

Neilgcal

There’s only 3 seats available at full fare and 2 at the cheaper fare bucket. But only 3 in total. I don’t think they will be reactivated that quickly, not even sure they will be in use before Spring 2022.

The _Banking_Scot

Hi,

Looking at the Dubai entry requirements and I am getting confused.

The emirates website suggests home testing kits are not vaild for entry to the UAE ( I had been thinking of a postal PCR test ) ( Timatic only suggests the test is done by an approved laboratory. So that leave a clinic test.

However none are local to me ( there is a boots test done in store but the trustpilot reviews are awful ( many state tests take 60hrs and having to do another test)

My next thought is :take an extra day off, fly down to Heathrow Thr night/Friday am, get a same day PCR test at one of the clinics or airport then fly out at 1250 to Dubai)

any experience with postal pcr tests for entry to dubai?

Maybe I'll just head to berlin instead ( no issues as I am double vaccinated and will get the Scottish NHS letter)

Mods- if in the wrong forum, feel free to move.

Many thanks

TBS

Schwann

Hi TBS,

Am out here now as you've gathered. I used ExpressTest for mine... it was administered by a member of staff (I could have done a better job myself but that's a story for another day), so that covers that base. They also have test sites at EDI and GLA, with results back by 10pm the next day hopefully. I'm not aware of anyone that can do a PCR test that quickly at Heathrow?

Probably best to stay on the side of caution and avoid self-administered tests, but the Randox one I did for a day two a few weeks ago had no mention that it was self-administered on the certificate so YMMV. I do not see any mention of self-tests on the IATA Travel Centre/TIMATIC either.

The _Banking_Scot

Hi Schwann,
many thanks for that.


I had been thinking of express test at edi but the last ba flights to lhr is at 1840 mid week and 1940 on friday which is very tight for me finishing work and getting to edi.

I thought I saw that the collinsons site at bath road and private clinics in london do same day tests so I could get these on friday morning.

However I was out jogging and was thinking that after t-72 (for a 1250 sat departure from lhr) on Wednesday evening I would make a special trip to edi via train and tram and do the test around 1830hrs then head home before flying to heathrow on friday evening and get the sat 1250 flight to dxb.

results should then be available on thursday evening so in plenty of time.

Regards

Tbs