sadiqhassan

I am looking at flying XXX-AUH-XXX and XXX-AUH-KWI-AUH-XXX is much much cheaper. It looks like I can get a VOA as a US citizen. Unfortunately, it does not seem like I can come in and go back on the same flight (probably due to MCT I am guessing) so I will be there for at least six hours. Has anyone done something like this and how did it go? Any issues? I could potentially get a hotel if that makes things easier.

Thanks!

IAATM

I did it pre pandemic, and it’s fine. The airport isn’t as grandiose as DXB or DOH, but more than adequate. I got a cheap room at the Crowne Plaza and took a cab there, giving me the chance to hit the fitness center, grab a bite, and cab back to the airport. The VoA as a US citizen was a simple transaction, nothing to worry about. If I were to do it again, I’d skip the hotel and instead visit the invasion museum, which is amazing and describes the horrors of the Iraqi invasion and the liberation by the USA.

trooper

Really? There were forces from 42 nations involved. And yes...there were 425,000 US troops, but given the total was over 700,000 I think it more reasonable to refer to "liberation by Coalition forces"

(Signed - An Aussie who was there.... )

IAATM

Thanks for the correction!

Yes, it was a team effort catalyzed by James Jay Baker’s diplomacy and coalition, you’re 100% right, of course.

When you write that you were “there”, what do you mean exactly? No boots in the sand, right?

According to Wikipedia:

Although Australia's contribution was primarily naval, a small contingent of Australian service personnel were seconded to British and United States ground troops.[1] However, the government's position was not to deploy ground troops with "no boots in the sand".[citation needed]The Royal Australian Air Force deployed a unit of photo interpreters who were based in Saudi Arabia.[1] Four medical teams were also deployed.[1] At the end of Desert Storm, 75 ADF personnel were deployed to Northern Iraq to assist in the provision of humanitarian aid to the Kurds living in the UN-declared exclusion zone.[1]

sadiqhassan

Thanks! The shortest option would be from 10pm to 4am - it looks like there is a memorial museum open till 6pm and a Al-Qurain Martyrs Museum open till 1155pm so the latter may be an option. Otherwise, I was planning to just stay airside if I could with a hotel room as a backup.

IAATM

Staying 10 pm to 4 am airside will be doable, but you’ll be counting the minutes and they’ll pass slowly. I’d head to the hotel, sleep for 3 hrs, shower, and head back to KWI. Yes it’ll be $100 USD, but sooooo much better than staying in transit being bored and exhausted.

trooper

AS you said "primarily Naval". I was an Officer serving in HMAS SYDNEY, an RAN Guided Missile Frigate... (Our ships can operate seamlessly with both the RN and USN , so we become a useful link between the two!) We alternated between being part of the AAW screen around a US carrier group, and acting as CSAR ship in the Northern Gulf...

sadiqhassan

Wanted to provide an update for anyone else that is in a similar situation. I ended up waffling but decided that I did not want to spend the time going back and forth form the hotel. The airport is very efficient. I applied for an e-visa online (free). You have to go to the visa issuance area on arrival and I was issued my visa within 10 minutes. Passport control and baggage claim were quick. The landside area of Terminal 1 has lots of shops (including Debenhams) and multiple coffee shops with good wifi. The airside area is much smaller than other large middle eastern airports but there a few places to eat and ample areas to charge your device. It was overall quite easy to spend 6 hours here. The caveat is that I am jetlagged and so was awake for the whole time overnight and I think a hotel would have made more sense if I was tired.