Do you think these delays and the fact that passenger traffic is getting too much for DXB to handle would mean an EK move to DWC earlier than planned? I'm not sure if this is correct but EK have said that they would complete their move to DWC by 2025? Is this correct?

No way will EK move any time soon....

They will move everyone else out first!

I completely agree...the ground service for EK F is a complete disaster. There should be private airport trolley transfer service to the gate, lounge, or immigration lounge for all transiting or arrival F-class passengers.

The shambles that is the ground experience at DXB really detracts from the First Class product Emirates offers.

Just had one of those half an hour bus rides this morning. EK405 arrived and must have parked at the most remote corner they can possibly found from the airport. I timed the bus ride and it was literally half an hour. Just went on forever. The F bus was comfy but it was a long ride. And still, there was a long walk to the immigration. And a long wait for the luggage. And not that smooth chauffeur operation.

That's not just poor design, that's also poor maintenance - that's the backup train in case the main train has a problem...which it does seem to have a lot of recently...

Agreed - from the point of view of a passenger anyway - F really stops and starts at the aircraft door with EK

I sympathise to an extent with EK, considering the wide deployment of F across the fleet, with potentially over a thousand F pax wandering DXB during the midnight peak, but I don't think it is beyond EK and Dubai Airports to have at the least a better separated security area dedicated to F (and possibly J, but probably not) instead of the poorly policed line at the transit security checkpoints.

They have a dedicated security point between B and C concourses that comes up to an unused gate for those requiring WCHR assistance, why not do another for F pax when they bring Concourse D online?

For immigration - DXB T3 is pretty quick already (e.g. from the front door to the lounge takes me 5 minutes) and it's straight up into the lounge, so that isn't a problem, imho, just the transit experience, which is distinctly average.

Would it ease your suffering a little bit to know that, instead of the "comfy" F/J bus with actual seats, Y passengers have a half-hour of standing while the driver takes the starts, stops and corners at speeds designed to knock them off their feet? Or that, as a woman of average height, I have to extend my arm full length to reach the overhead support?

I really really really hate arriving in Y at a remote stand.

Oh dear, RadioGirl. I can really really really hear the pain in your voice

And I don't blame you.

When I myself last experienced the dreaded remote stand fiasco described by yourself & SingaporeJoe, it came at the end of around 14 hours non-stop from MEL. For me, the flight itself was fine because I was travelling in F, but any sense of luxury ended instantly on arrival. And I do mean instantly. There was a long (easily 15 minutes) delay even before we could begin to disembark. Apparently neither the necessary steps nor buses had been allocated/made ready in advance.

Finally we made it off the A380 and onto buses. Ok, so it was the 'comfy' one for those of us in F. But IIRC our journey to the terminal even exceeded the crazy 30 mins mentioned by SingaporeJoe ; and a couple of us pax were pretty sure that the driver actually lost his way around the complex at one point, if only because we passed certain buildings twice (am not making this up). Oh how I would have loved to have had Tim Clark sitting next to me on that bus, when I could have asked "Well, Sir Tim, I wonder why we don't see this particular special treat featured in the nice glossy brochure describing what you can expect when booking First with Emirates ....." *

RadioGirl, I really hesitate to attempt to reciprocate your "would it ease in your suffering" point. BUT .... it might, just might, be of some consolation if - the next time this happens - you tell yourself that at least you haven't splashed a whole load of cash on an F ticket in the hope/expectation of receiving a truly first class experience on the ground and not just in the air ....!!!

(*but of course there would have been a car sent for him OR the aircraft would have been allocated a bridge, so would have avoided the whole remote stand nonsense anyway)

I was thinking about that. I'm 194cm tall and the normal procedure of banging my head on everything on the bus while everybody else keeps stomping my feet isn't that great, either. Even short rides are miserable and the thought of a half an hour ride doing a sardine imitation in a regular bus is enough to send me seeking for a piece of rope and a strong tree.

Besides, it hurts my elbow that someone is banging his/her head on it constantly throughout the ride.

If that ever happens to me when flying economy (which itself happens fairly often) I will stick to my strategy reserved for unmanageable situations: I'll just throw myself on the ground and scream and kick until an acceptable solution is provided.

I don't deny that the Y bus trip is more intolerable than the F and J bus trips (although they pack the J bus these days so much if you aren't on relatively quickly you're still standing) - however, the fallback strategy for the Y bus is to use other people as cushions I am quite familiar with the Y buses - I did get my shiny EK card from mainly Y flying after all!

I haven't got so jaded/infected by my time on Flyertalk that I get a perverse sense of pleasure to know that there are other passengers in worse comfort than me!

Here's my Y-bus "horror" story from DXB: landing at Charlie stands down by the flower center, right on the western edge of the airport. Late, full Y bus. The bus has to drive slowly behind baggage convoy and Concourse D construction traffic - no, the driver is as impatient as we are and does some crazy overtakes into oncoming traffic - it still takes 30 minutes. We survive and are dropped at the B/C security point, rather than central bus arrivals. Connecting flight is at Concourse A, which by now is close to final call. Rush through security, rush to the train (just about make it), get to the next gate - which happens to be right at the end of the terminal, naturally, which is close to closing: it's another bus gate. Off we go in a packed Y bus in the morning sun to Golf stands, which are on the far eastern end by Transguard's terminal and one of the private jet operator hangars.

90 minute transit - 1 hour on a bus, 20 minutes running

I'll survive - it's all part of the job. Close my eyes and think of the miles

Speaking of which ......

I have long felt that any flights into DXB which end up involving a remote stand + dreaded airport bus tour should be eligible for additional miles.

Time methinks that the on-line Skywards calculator tool was modified to reflect this, wouldn't you say ? A simple asterisk should do the job.....

That could backfire spectacularly: EK might decide to give fewer miles to reflect the additional costs for buses and staff for servicing a remote stand!

You guys are really ready to trade off a DXB bus tour for a few miles ?!? No thanks.

EK should really look into AF or LH, and provide private car transfer for F (at remote stand). This would really put F airport service .... skywards ! ^

I think subject2load was tongue-in-cheek referring to the distances travelled on bus tours are so great they should be eligible for mileage accrual

I don't think F car service at DXB is feasible - the airside roads are already so congested at peak time, so to replace 14 seater buses with 4-5 cars or a minivan or 3 (3/4 additional vehicles per plane basically), is going to cause misconnects and knock on delays across all classes - imagine if short transfer bags can't be delivered in time because of a queue of F cars!

I'd rather make my connection than be in an S class, and as a regular traveller would not be amused if the weight of airside traffic composed of F pax makes me regularly misconnect (or cut down on my lounge time!!)

The 14 seater bus is a good compromise IMHO

Oh, all right. My bad.

Just for the curious, photo of the F transit bus.
RadioGirl, you'll notice that the seats aren't reclining for such a long travel, which is unbearable.