Well, I think it's already been established that you are not completely normal when it comes to flying. You'd prefer to fly EK Y than EK J on a B777 - fair enough, that's your prerogative.

You now seem to be encouraging the OP to try and find a cheaper Y flight by going via another country (without the benefit of connection protection etc.), rather than use their currently booked J class with Dubai Connect. I'd suggest that 99% of people would think you were completely bonkers for suggesting this.

Dubai connect is unknown in the circumstances.

There are plenty of flights possibly even within Germany that provide a better connection.

There are plenty of people who think the 777 J product is terrible, but I guess if all you do is fly MAN-DXB once a year on an a380, one wouldn't know.

I've done plenty of flights in J on the B777 thank you very much. Not the best, but perfectly reasonable. You can stick to Y and keep on pretending you enjoy it

Having flown CPT-DXB-FLL in J on EK 77Ws and for a healthy average sized human it is a rather pleasant experience, I had a marvelous time and one must be pretty isolated in one's bubble of luxury if one thinks this is such a terror.
​​​​​​

Being objective, not really an �unknown�� the worst thing that can happen is that the OP�s wife will have to shell out around $250 for a room at the airport hotel. From the sound of it, this doesn�t seem like a trip where travel time (length of trip) is of outmost importance. Under such circumstances, I would pick EK J with a long layover (with a good sleep in a comfortable room) any day, rather than a 11hr sector in Y plus connection.


Worse than Y? It�s a genuine question, as in my view it seems the �row to myself = comfortable flat bed in Y� concept is being a little too overhyped these days. It puzzles me. It is not that comfortable, no matter how much blanket and pillow padding one adds (it reminds me of my New Zealand-to-UK monthly commute many moons ago, when I certainly couldn�t have asked my employer for business class�).

The flying economy option came about due to the Op saying all other J tickets were now too expensive. I have done DXB-MNL on a 777 in J and yes without doubt if I had the option to avoid a 21 hour layover I would fly economy. I would rather get to where I need to be instead of waiting 21 hours just to fly on a 777 business class seat.

a couple of quid under 2,500 GBP actually.

So, after all the to-ing and fro-ing. And remembering she is travelling J.

We chatted with Emirates before she flew to clarify this point. And in the chat we mentioned that if she is provided with a hotel through Dubai Connect, as a traveller to the Philippines, she cannot leave the terminal. We’ve screenshots of that chat.

We will take care of it” they said. “Don’t worry”, they said.

She gets to DXB and they want to take her to Le Meridien, off terminal. She cannot have a room at the International Airport Hotel. (It’s actually full now, so we can’t even get one ourselves).

So, as a J passenger who can’t leave the terminal, something that Emirates know full well, she is as I write sitting in one of the Biz lounges, for 22h. And to remind all you avid readers, she didn’t book 22 h of layover, she booked 4h.

Is there any wonder why We are just a bit miffed?

At the very least, she should be asking to be placed in the F lounge where she could go and get some sleep, have more privacy and have a shower with better amenities and a better meal. This is a ridiculous outcome.

This was also correct. Emirates said they had it covered, but in fact, they didn�t and they haven�t.

Should I be surprised?

The airside hotel seems to be bookable via their website. Maybe book and then try and claim back from EK?

That will be a great conversation to have with Mrs AF. �Hi, just pootle on down to the hotel in the terminal and get a room as there are rooms available on the internet (because Emirates told you a bunch of lies, it�s not full).

Yep, that will go down real well - light the blue touchpaper and retreat to a safe distance. She�s pissed and I get it.

There comes a point when you know and understand what cards you have been dealt, and those still in your hand. More importantly, you know when it�s time to fold them. And all you have to decide whether or not you want to join this particular expensive game again. Mrs AF most definitely won�t, and I don�t blame her.

Good, innit? Not���

I am not sure where we are at in terms of time served in the J lounge but I would really push to get moved to the F lounge if she still has a long wait and has not got anywhere with a hotel option. Whilst in normal circumstances I am not too fussed about the lounges, the food is a lot better in F - she can get served a la carte, the showers are better and generally it is a pretty quiet place to be. This is probably one of the very few occasions where I would even consider paying to enter to F lounge if there was no other option.

Is she familiar with DXB and the different concourses?

Sorry for trying to be helpful...

Agree with the comments saying ask to be given access to F lounge. I had this happen a few years ago on a missed connection in J meant a 9 hour wait for the next flight. I asked for F lounge and after a few phone calls i was happily provided. It really did make all the difference. Much quieter, place to sleep, nice shower, a la carter dinner, and the 9 hours flew by. In your position i would even consider paying for access to F lounge