Transit Advice
 

Hi All,

First time using Emirates and I've booked economy seats for my wife and 4yr old son to travel from Brisbane to Manchester via Dubai in July.

Flights are EK435 connecting with EK017

Connection time in Dubai is 2hrs 15.

I've looked at the Maharba lounge as a possible option for my wife to stop off and shower and rest for a little while before the next flight as a 14hr flight from BNE to DXB in Y with a 4yr old has the potential to be an endurance test and a refresh in Dubai would be good.

Just wondering if any regular users of this route can advise if forking out money for this lounge is actually worth it?

Will there be enough time to make use of it after clearing security etc?

Any advice appreciated as first time she has flown long haul alone with our son.

Upgrading to J sadly not an option.

Thank you

I have not been to the Marhaba lounge in about four years. It is not a great lounge by any stretch of the imagination but for a couple hours it is fine. There's decent seating space but nowhere to lie down as such; it is designated a "no sleeping lounge." There are snacks and around 6am they will serve some hot breakfast items and have a full bar including alcohol. If I recall correctly, $40 got you 4 hours entry (I was allowed in free with my credit card so check if your wife is eligible), not sure what the child price is but I think you had to pay extra for the showers.

If a shower is important, might I suggest the International Business Class lounge in concourse B if it's still open. Last time I checked (again years ago), It was about the same price a Marhaba access and included shower facilities. Having said that, I have never personally visited this lounge so maybe there are some reviews on FT and elsewhere,or maybe someone else on here can comment on this.

Thanks for the reply.

Not so worried about time to sleep. The shower (happy to pay) and food would be nice.

More worried about how long it takes to actually get through security checks at Dubai and if they could make it to the lounge and have time to shower and eat given there is only a 2hr 15 connection time?

Is it likely to be more stressful rushing through the airport to get to the lounge then out to the connection gate rather then just heading straight to the gate and having a cleanup in the toilets?

Sorry, not a frequent flyer and have no idea of what to expect at Dubai.

2hrs 15 sounds a lot of time but i know from previous flights a lot of that time can be eaten up actually getting off the plane and moving through transit area.

Thanks again

Personally I wouldn't bother with the lounge, as you say the connection is only 2hr 15mins., bearing in mind you will have to be at the gate 40 minutes before departure of EK 17.

If you arrive at an A gate and your onward flight leaves from B gates that is another 20 minutes off the available time in the lounge.

I would just head for the nearest coffee shop to your departure gate and pitch yourself there :)

Great, thanks for the advice. I'll give the lounge booking a miss. ^

And the time taken to de-plane in Y and hordes in front to get through transit security.

That 2hrs 15mins will go by in a flash.

Safe & Happy Travels

S

I'm on EK 17 on 29 July in first and can guest two into the F lounge if the dates work...

Hi m3red,

Thanks very much for the kind offer, would have loved to take you up on that but unfortunately just 1 day out! Cheers.

Shall we pre-warn EK you are on this flight so they can load up a few extra bottles of Dom ;)

Please pre warn them of the 8th April EK 17 and 11 April EK18 too :D

It's a MAN flight, I would assume they have loaded Dom up to the maximum amount they can operationally get away with :D

Wouldn't bother me if they didn't load any at all ....!!

Most overrated item on the menu - IMHO of course .... :(

I have had varying experiences arriving at DXB at 5am, including coming off a remote stand gate (which can take ages) but getting through security and up to the gate level even when changing concourses never takes more than 30min. I suggest you have your wife play it by ear depending on how much time she actually ends up having, she can go to the lounge closest to her gate and see if she feels it is worth spending the money.

AFAIK, they also replace one of the fuel tanks with a big wine (read DP) chiller as you anyway don't need that much fuel to get to MAN...

It aint just overrated, it downright sucks...