Good things happen to those who tip their driver.

I'm have an upcoming f award ticket where I have a few hours in DXB where I plan on leaving the airport. While award tix don't include chauffer service has anyone had any experience with just going up to the counter in DXB and getting a ride downtown? a few years back I was on a paid business ticket with a long layover and they did it for me even though DXB was not my final destination so curious if anyone has had any success with this.

A few years ago, yes, but a colleague tried recently, and was declined. I think it’s much more difficult, if not impossible. The CD service in Dubai used to be fairly relaxed, but has been pared back the last three years.

Someone on here did say that you can pay at the counter, c.$30, for a ride into town and back, but not sure if this is available to reward ticket holders.

I figured as much. I'll just grab a taxi or take the metro

To be fair to Tristar, I’ve never had anything but S-class in London (flying paid F) even in the past when I was averaging at least one trip a month… Last month I rang them as I was concerned the bags might not fit (long vacation with the wife…), so I suggested they send a V class. They insisted they’d still send the S-class plus a van just for the bags… I was tempted but seemed a real waste, so insisted on getting just the V class. But consistently good service overall.

I only started flying EK around 2018/2019, but until now I’d had E classes in paid F across LHR, LGW and STN for both departure and arrival. Perhaps I got exceptionally unlucky or perhaps status factors into it too. Either way, I hope it continues!

LGW arrival this winter was particularly bad as I think I posted here before, car wasn’t even properly clean.

No, they won't -- tried 3x in the last 6 weeks, once on award, once on olci paid upgrade, and once on opup, no dice on all 3. Even feigned ignorance and just gave them my J boarding pass.

For paid business, you can sweet talk your way -- I had a 5 hour layover and was able to convince them to give me a chauffeur to send me home to do my laundry, even though they initially refused and it's likely against every rule in the book. Same chauffeur picked me up 1 hour after dropping me home (although he's already done another airport run in between)

What was actually reported somewhere upthread was that for some fee (maybe it’s $30) you can change your connection in DXB into a stopover which will them entitle you to CD. Of course this would not work for any type of award flight or upgrade as these don’t qualify for CD (anymore). How exactly this change from connection to stopover is done I don’t know, I’m sure the call centre needs to be involved.

Why not try the Dubai Metro? Its only 8 Dhs and 30 mins to Dubai Mall from T3. The metro gives you far more flexibility about when/ where to go and come back than a car pickup.

Likely will, I have a nol card from my last visit, just need to top it off

I think that I know the answer, but I am trying to get confirmation on using the CD perk. The wife and I will be traveling to DXB next spring with one paid ticket in Business and one award ticket in Business. I know that the award ticket does not receive the CD, but the paid Business does. My question is if we book the CD that comes with the paid Business ticket, is the other passenger able to "share" the ride or do both passengers need to be on a paid Business ticket? Thank you in advance.

You can share the ride.

Thank you. I guess we will take advantage to the CD "perk". This is our first trip on EK and to DXB, so learning as we go.

I had a SIN-DUB F flight recently and used CD.

CD out of SIN was ok, Emirates used Blacklane. I got a Merc E-class, even though F is supposed to get an S-class. First world problems, indeed. Perhaps if I complain, I can get a free bottle of Dom or something :p

CD from DUB was interesting, because I arrived at peak Emirates timing, and got to see an overwhelming sea of luxury cars at the airport (I wonder how big the Dubai fleet is) - I think it was mostly BMW 7-series. As was mentioned, F and J don't seem to be separated much, except that I got to cut the line of J pax (saving me probably 5 minutes). Instead of putting me in the first available 7-series, the dispatcher brought me down the line to the 3rd or 4th one - it seemed like the same model, just a bit shinier, so I don't know if that meant anything. I was tired and didn't look carefully, so it could very well have been that the first few cars already had pax loaded. The 7-series was a little more tired-looking than the E-class I had in SIN, but I still preferred it for the legroom.

Perhaps one day, we'll get lie-flat seats in CD as well :p

An S Class is only booked for IO passengers - E Class is booked for everyone else outside DXB