Transit at Dubai
 

We are travelling from Manchester to Auckland with a 2hr wait for connection in Dubai.
Will we be able to purchase duty free in Dubai and if so what will be our allowance for Champagne. Will we have enough time with just 2hrs?

If your MAN-DXB flight is on time, you will have some time for shopping. Duty free shops are littered across all concourses so shouldn't be an issue. Allowances depend on what NZ customs allow.

How do local alcohol laws apply to those simply transiting through DXB?

Recently some lady went through hell after having just a glass of wine on her flight, but she was actually entering Dubai. What about people just catching a connecting flight who have had a dozen glasses of wine? :)

There was a lot more to that story than a glass of wine .....

Dubai's quite grown up about accepting the foibles of the tourists and business visitors it loves to attract. As long as you don't upset someone who matters, don't frighten the horses or cross a red line, you'll be fine. Drinking isn't a red line as long as you do so in private or places designated for its consumption (which includes the lounges at the airport): just don't stagger too much when you leave :D

Local alcohol laws don't apply in transit unless you really act like a fool and force the authorities to do something.

And the incident you referenced had nothing to do with her having a glass of wine on the flight. She was trying to enter the UAE with an expired passport plus another passport which was not eligible for visa on arrival.

I have had to (unfortunately) connect through DXB many a times and as many will tell you it’s not the best airport to try and make a connection in. If you have 2 hours (assuming everything is on schedule) it's just enough time. If I were you I’d find my gate first, head over there, and then spend time at whatever duty free shop is closest to your gate. Alternatively you could stop at duty free on the way to your gate if you find a store, and are making good time to your departure gate.

EK is notorious for closing the door 20 minutes before departure no matter what class of service you’re in, and even if the aircraft isn’t pushing back. They don’t care what your excuse is for not being there 20 minutes before departure. To add insult to injury front line employees don’t have much power, and will follow the rulebook to the T because most GA’s come from very poor countries and they don’t wanna take any risk losing their job. God could come down himself and stop you from getting to your gate and EK staff won’t care. Even when it is beyond your control to get to the gate, they don’t care.

So my first priority would be to make sure you get to your gate, or get close to your gate.

I agree with the posters above - this story isn't as simple as that. Particularly as a western national, the odds of being treated harshly as quite low. Inebriation is clearly not the death sentence that this event makes it out to be. Going to any of the major hotels for a Friday brunch or to the clubs on a Thursday night will make that pretty obvious. As long as your conduct is not disruptive and you're not staggering around, there is no problem.

On the other hand, it goes without saying that engaging in confrontational behavior with an immigration officer is asking for trouble - I cannot imagine what would happen if I (as a south-Asian person) started an escalating argument with immigration officers at JFK or LHR. I do concede though that the overall chain of events is really strange (in regards to the aftermath of the incident).

Ro