Sure, completely coincidental that after the fuel tank hit, all foreign airlines were banned, long haul flights need to depart from an alternative airport, or have to make fuel stops because there is not enough at DXB to fully fuel them. So now your flight can be cancelled or delayed for hours or days at any time due to airspace closures, it may or may not operate to/from the airport it from which it was originally scheduled, you may have to stop at another airport enroute to get enough fuel to make it to your final destination but nothing to see here, and may need to dodge a few missiles or drones. Otherwise everything is just fine.

Reading all of this stuff makes me more and more scared to open the news…

I don’t think the unthinkable would be a 9/11-like event for the industry globally, but it would set the industry back years and the Gulf carriers decades.

You simply don’t continue to operate in a war zone, and when your hub was hit 3 times in a matter of weeks. This is so irresponsible.

Whoopsie forgot to screenshot the source of the foreign airlines ban:
https://www.cnbctv18.com/world/dubai...l-19869652.htm

And: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/.../129614698.cms
Might be handy as evidence for refund / changes/ reasoning etc....


Another interesting source for gaining insights about EK's handling of the situation are by the reports submitted on Trustpilot: https://www.trustpilot.com/review/www.emirates.com


Obtuse.

Everything is not fine. I am resident (although was happily caught away from Dubai when it started) and have friends and colleagues there. People are understandably worried, but there is enough going on without anyone having to make stuff up.

The fire was not kept from anyone and was reported, by official sources and the press, to whatever extent that’s independent in the UAE. Your claim was false.

Presumably safety precautions meant if a fuel tank was on fire fuel flow would stop. That’s not a fuel shortage, and there’s no evidence there is one.

Apart from the evidence that some EK flights are popping into Saudi airports, presumably to refuel.

I'm going to make an attempt at keeping this thread from being moved into OMNI -- I've successfully completed my first leisure trip out of DXB (to MXP) since this all began. I would appreciate if we kept this thread informative for those seeking assistance on Emirates / DXB related developments; I would expect most visiting this thread are already aware of the risks involved with DXB travel at the moment, and therefore there is no need to hash it out.

To answer some common questions I think many will have:

Before you Fly

• Speaking with an agent is the fastest way to resolve something -- they've more or less been empowered to make whatever changes are necessary within the guidelines.
• Be proactive -- whenever you get a flight change e-mail, it will say "accept change". If you do not like the change, contact EK immediately. If you do not contact EK or click "accept change", you will not have a confirmed booking ! I tried to select a seat once before clicking "accept change" and the app said my reservation had not been ticketed yet.
• Currently, the full schedule for EK is still loaded starting 29 March. [My personal conjecture, pure speculation based on what I saw in previous weeks] is that starting 23 March, they will take a decision on flight modifications. Normally they would do this 1 week before (22 March) however this is both a Sunday and the long weekend of Eid, so I expect nothing will be done.
• I have noticed that cities with multiple frequencies pre-conflict that are currently operating on one flight a day (e.g., MXP, KUL, CGK, CDG, ZRH, BCN, etc.) that get schedule-changed, are changed according to the old schedule timings. E.g., if EK 101 (overnight to MXP) gets cancelled and moved to the afternoon, it becomes EK 91, and if it gets moved ot the morning, it becomes EK 205 (this one continues to new York). I had an EK 342 (daytime to KUL) change into an overnight, which became EK 346.
• Endorsing between EK / FZ is difficult, but can be done in some instances. I've enquired about MXP being exchanged for BGY and BKK for UTP, and was told this would require additional approvals. I did not go through with either change.
• Only a select few B gates are open, and those without B gate departures will not be allowed in B gate lounges. Most flights are departing from A and C, so expect to walk a bit more than normal. They had signage for a train towards the C gates (the signage said "A +C gates" pointing towards the train, with the "+C" part literally written in marker on a white sheet of paper) however I did not take this option. I have another flight this weekend and will report back if you can indeed take a train to C gates.
• All shops & restaurants are open for business in the terminal.
• Lounges are quite full in DXB especially during morning / evening peaks.
• Are flights cheaper? Not from what I've seen in Y, J, or F. My usual routes are the same price.

During/After your Flight

• Loading is uneven. Leaving DXB, the flight was full in Y and W, about 60% (I was told) in J&F. Coming back to DXB, F was 4 pax + 3 deadheading pilots (50%), J was empty (11 pax), W was 5 pax, and Y was about 70% full. Transit passengers are accepted, and the purser told me my flight was ~60% transit pax.
• Catering is normal in all classes, including special diet catering (vegan, low sodium, etc.). Regular deadlines apply for booking said meals.
• In Dubai, if you use a Chauffer Drive / Taxi to leave the airport, please be patient with them, and if you know the route, help them out with routes / exits. GPS spoofing in Dubai has made driving a bigger nightmare than normal as they can't always follow the map. My CD's GPS screen showed us drowning somewhere in the Persian Gulf for most of the drive.
• If transiting, expect to walk a bit more as well -- not all transfer stations are open.

If you have additional questions, please feel free to ask or send a PM.

Dubai Airports CEO on CNN a few minutes ago:

https://x.com/BeckyCNN/status/2033959264314634537?s=20

My flight from Dublin through Dubai has been delayed by 72 hours. Has anyone had luck claiming expenses (like hotel stays) under EU rules?

I just did my cancellation on this using the online form, without another call, my rationale was as follows:

1. Safety. In no way do I feel that EK/UAE would not do their utmost to keep us safe, but the reality is all the things I have to protect against this situation (i.e. insurance) wouldn't be valid due to the "war", so the consequences for my family if it went wrong is very different than a normal flight somewhere
2. Seems an unwillingness to accommodate the miles upgrade, so why bother letting EK hold my money. I could book a replacement airfare for the same price now and chance getting an upgrade later - but without the same booking period restrictions (I was happier when they moved the deadline to 31 May). Or I could have tried HUCA and pressing agents more, but then the chance is high the flight can't be taken anyway
3. Which then comes into game theory: This flight would have upgraded me to gold, instead it seems likely I will drop from silver to pleb in June. When things do get back to normal I am hoping for some combination of "double points" and/or "big discount sale" to help fill those planes, that I will get the same benefits of booking later, and I don't need EK status really

Please send us more reports after your trips. Hands on quality experience reports re DXB and MENA are rare at the moments!

Dear All,
I need some advice, please.
I'm due to fly F from STN - AKL on 30th March, with an overnight stopover in DXB and will be returning to the UK later in April. I am considering all the options EK is offering.

If I go for re-routing using other airlines, will EK put me in the same cabin with the other carrier/s?
Would I have to pay anything extra on top of what I've already paid? (I've noticed that fares using alternative airlines are currently more expensive.)
When I made my booking last year, I also arranged dates & times for the cars. Even though another airline/s would be taking me, would the cars still be included?

Cars won't be provided if you are flying with another airline that doesn't offer them.

Thank you for that, though I don't think re-routing on another airline is now an option.
Have looked at the alternatives and there's no mention of this being offered.
It's either re-booking or a refund.

Try to get hold through live chat (I was remarkably successful in reaching them yesterday and they were very helpful).
Ask them about rerouting on a different carrier. They have been known to do it, but only if there is no other viable option.
F might be a big ask as no airline has as much F availability as EK have. And I think (but maybe I am wrong) that there is no other carrier that offers F to AKL.....

Many thanks for that information.
I'll give it some thought.