modularmayhem

what time was your arrival into DXB?

IntrepidAfrican2

arrived around 0440 from memory. Very early for that flight, and arrivals was quiet.

iFlyMoreThanYou

Smart gates have reopened but only for passports, not EID.

WoodlandCreature

The Emirates webpage on the test on arrival seems to imply that the test is available only to those arriving from the UK, Germany, and states adjoining the UAE. Is this really so, or when transiting through DXB can I take the test voluntarily (and isolate in the airport hotel for a day or two waiting for the result), even if arriving from elsewhere, in order to satisfy the requirements of my subsequent destination? For me, this might be easier than testing at my point of origin. What experience have others had?

(Details: Soon flying MEL-DXB-YYZ. The Canadian government has just announced new and incompletely specified requirements for a negative test result no more than three days before *arriving* in Canada. Travel time alone eats up half that window.)

IntrepidAfrican2

I think that is referring to the free test. You can (or could, in October) test airside and stay at the hotel. Tests are done in the same place as arriving passengers. I can’t remember the cost now, but it was not oppressive, and I received a text message to collect my results from an EK desk about seven hour later.

You might have to get insistent that you are willing to pay for your test. I was initially told it was impossible.

WoodlandCreature

Thank you for this.

ft101

My immediate thought was if your staying in DXB for a day or two you'll be treated as a stopover passenger in Dubai, not a transit one, when you leave MEL so make sure you comply with Dubai requirements. But if you stay airside how will EK check your admissability to Canada if you don't check in at DXB? Worth an email to them I think.

IntrepidAfrican2

Yes, thinking back now, I do recall there being an issue with a long layover. My solution was to put back my British passport, and whip out my South African passport, and all of a sudden I could not enter the UAE without a tourist visa (I have a UAE residence permit in my British passport, but didn’t disclose this), so no risk of going landside.

Also showed them my airside hotel booking, and an email from EK confirming that I could test at DXB for onward travel. It was a 15 minute discussion, but I was allowed to board.

iFlyMoreThanYou

For those curious, the line for residents on arrival in Y was about 90 min this morning (Sunday, 6am)

DYKWIA

There was a report on the BA forum that all UK arrivals are being forced to take a test on arrival - even if they've had one prior to departure.

If true, that won't help things.

There's nothing on the EK Covid-19 page that reflects that as yet.

ElJudioErrante

Maybe that specific info is being deliberately avoided.
A few, weeks, ago, I arrived DXB from European hot-spot (not UK or Germany) and all arriving pax (not transfers) were obliged to take tests even though we had to present neg test results before boarding in Europe.

iFlyMoreThanYou

I flew in from cpt, also home of the "dangerous" strain but we didn't hear anything about this on arrival; it was just one big mess. Pax that had a test were let through without having to take a new one on arrival. Perhaps lhr is different.

ElJudioErrante

On my flight arriving DXB there were quite a few pax exiting there, also from LON that number/% percentage would be I believe higher than those pax arriving from CPT. Maybe that's the deciding factor... or maybe its one big mess!
However UAE/Dubai seem overall in general to have their act together. I'm very impressed!
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saaveraward

Has anyone used the EK referral to get a discounted PCR test for travel to your next destination? Specifically, has anyone tried:

Al Tadawi Medical Centre

• Located at Al Masood building, Airport Road, Port Saeed area, Deira.
• The test costs AED 130 per person. Home or office testing within Dubai costs AED 240 per person. Test results will be available within 24 hours.

I would want them to come to my hotel and want to make sure they arrive on time and actually process tests within 24 hours.

modularmayhem

Yes i did exactly this. There were 4 of us travelling so we got them to come to the hotel. I had been in contavt with them on whatsapp and got a call to confirm the hotel and testing day/time. They came in a little van and arrived 15 minutes earlier than i had booked, 1 driver and 1 lady dressed in medical scrubs. They had an issue with hotel security not allowing them to come up to our rooms to do it (i think this may have been because the hotel had been trying to get us to use their own testing partner which was double the price).
We did the swabs outside the hotel, gave passport and phone number info. Results came back exactly 16 hours after the swabs were taken (certificate was emailed to us individually)