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Dubai International Airport Passenger Reviews and Dubai Airport Customer opinions
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Dubai International Airport customer review : 20 May 2013 by N Sutherland (UK) |
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Rating : 2/10 |  |
Queuing |  |
Cleanliness |  |
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Recommended |  |
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Emirates are scheduling tighter and tighter connections through DXB. 1 hr 20 mins is simply not doable with
traffic delays in the early mornings, bussing from remote stands, chronically slow transit security, rail
connections between terminals, horrendous walking distances to remote gates and a requirement by Emirates to be at
the gate 30 minutes before departure - it's just not possible. Transiting though DXB a few years ago just involved
long walks, now it's an exhausting and highly stressful undertaking which in future I shall endeavour to avoid by
choosing another airline. If Emirates were handling livestock instead of passengers, they'd probably lose their
licence.
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Dubai International Airport customer review : 6 May 2013 by D George (Australia) |
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Rating : 2/10 |  |
Queuing |  |
Cleanliness |  |
Facilities |  |
Recommended |  |
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I have transited through DXB several times with Emirates in the last 5 years. The airport is generally clean and well
laid out during the most part of they day however past mid night it does become quite busy which results in aircraft
having to park far from the terminal, bus travel, long queues at security and practically no space to sit and toilets
are choc-a-block. The most annoying part of travelling through Dubai is probably the rude and unprofessional staff
they have manning their duty free shops, lounges and security gates. I often make use of the emirates business class
lounge while travelling and almost every time I have had to encounter rude staff who make passengers feel unwelcome.
After 5 years of having Emirates as my airline of choice, I have now moved over to Singapore Airlines & Changi as the
transit hub. Emirates is a great airline and its a pity that all the effort put into building the great brand gets
tarnished as a result of rude ground staff.
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Dubai International Airport customer review : 6 May 2013 by J Binns (New Zealand) |
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Rating : 3/10 |  |
Queuing |  |
Cleanliness |  |
Facilities |  |
Recommended |  |
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Dubai is a massive airport and it takes a long time to get from one end to the other. The airport is very crowded with
bodies lying everywhere in the main passageways. More seating areas are needed away from the main passageways. Toilets
and showers are inadequate for the volume of passengers using the airport. When in transit, the security procedure
after getting off your plane is frustrating and can be very time-consuming after a long and tiring flight. It always
seems difficult to find trolleys for carrying hand baggage. For transit passengers, the trolleys need to be located
after the security check. Many of my friends in New Zealand avoid Dubai, preferring to fly via Singapore (Changi
Airport) which seems to be spotlessly clean, well organised and with friendly and helpful assistants.
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Dubai International Airport customer review : 25 April 2013 by J Willing (UK) |
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Rating : 0/10 |  |
Queuing |  |
Cleanliness |  |
Facilities |  |
Recommended |  |
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I come in and out of Dubai T3 often and my experience thru customs is always the same - utter misery. Why don't they
have the common sense to create queues for EU visitors only who can go thru far quicker than most Asians who have all
sorts of issues with paperwork etc?
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Dubai International Airport customer review : 15 April 2013 by Bianca Bene (Australia) |
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Rating : 3/10 |  |
Queuing |  |
Cleanliness |  |
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Recommended |  |
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I have experienced T3 as most other reviewers. I agree that it is very crowded. However I must say the worst
thing for me was the unhelpful, unpleasant, unfriendly and unprofessional attitude of the local staff. This was
particularly frustrating as meaningful signage is hard to come by and one has to rely for directions from the
airport staff. I have travelled a fair bit but have not experienced such lack of care towards travellers
anywhere else. It was a very disappointing experience for me. Like most others I liked Emirates but would try
to avoid Dubai as a transit destination in the future.
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Dubai International Airport customer review : 15 April 2013 by L Osman (UAE) |
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Rating : 8/10 |  |
Queuing |  |
Cleanliness |  |
Facilities |  |
Recommended |  |
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I flew last week from and to Dubai Airport T3 with Emirates flights, leaving in a morning flight were airport
was so crowded as most of flights to Europe leave at the same time, however I benefit from the online check
in, and e-gate so didn't have to queue for check-in or for passport control, as always love to scroll around the
airport and a lot of choices in the huge duty free options. On the arrival, also arrived at midnight which is a
very busy period for most flights arrive around same time, plane parked in T1 and we had to walk all the way
inside the terminal to T3 for the passport control, also long queues for passport control, but I have my e-
gate, I pity those who don't have it. Luggage wasn't late at all, well organized taxi queue which didn't take
more than 5 minutes, and I live in the Dubai marina side which is far from the airport, however I was at home
just after 1 hour from the plane landed.
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Dubai International Airport customer review : 15 April 2013 by Brian Massey (UK) |
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Rating : 6/10 |  |
Queuing |  |
Cleanliness |  |
Facilities |  |
Recommended |  |
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On arrival the brand new automatic passport gates did not work and every passenger in the queue with me
was rejected from the gate (roughly 40 people with European passports). The queue to see the immigration
officer was not too bad - about 15 minutes but they clearly have teething issues with this system. On
departure the passport control hall was filled to capacity at 8am in the morning and despite every desk being
in operation it took one hour to get through control. Totally unacceptable service and Emirates Airlines must
be spitting teeth about this experience. Never mind the airport retailers who lost an hour of shopping trade
as a result. Commercially it makes no sense.
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Dubai International Airport customer review : 3 April 2013 by Scott Inglis (UK) |
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Rating : 2/10 |  |
Queuing |  |
Cleanliness |  |
Facilities |  |
Recommended |  |
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The terminal is clearly nowhere near big enough to handle the volume of passengers passing through. This
seems bizarre considering it is relatively new, and Dubai's reputation for building big! It always seems hectic
and overcrowded even at 2 or 3 in the morning. There is a general shortage of restaurants and bars and
seating is limited at those available. Shopping is also limited and expensive. One plus point is that it is
possible to sleep on the lounge seats between gates if you can find an empty one. Take your blanket off your
flight if you are transiting and have a long lay over.
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Dubai International Airport customer review : 3 April 2013 by Noureddine Taleb (Bahrain) |
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Rating : 7/10 |  |
Queuing |  |
Cleanliness |  |
Facilities |  |
Recommended |  |
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Used Terminal 2, because of my FlyDubai flight. I was shocked, the terminal doesn't represent Dubai well. I
arrived on an early morning flight, everything went smoothly. I would recommend for those travelling through
terminal 2, it is not the best place to stay for long time.
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Dubai International Airport customer review : 19 March 2013 by M Mcnamara (Australia) |
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Rating : 1/10 |  |
Queuing |  |
Cleanliness |  |
Facilities |  |
Recommended |  |
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Arrived from Dublin to Dubai airport near midnight on business class. The signs were all over the place, send
you to turn left then turn right, all it needed to say was keep going straight. The airport is very badly air
conditioned with temperatures near 28 deg c. A nice 24 deg c would be suffice if you are trying to save
energy. When we got to customs there was a huge line, even though we had business class tickets. We
ended waiting 40 minute in line to clear customs. The only bonus is that at least our bags were ready at the
carousel as it took so long. Business class all had chauffeurs to drive you to your hotel. Had to wait another
15 min for this. All in all in took 1 hr 30min to leave the airport to the time we touch down. It's not really
world class is it?
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Dubai International Airport customer review : 14 March 2013 by William Cooper (USA) |
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Rating : 0/10 |  |
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Cleanliness |  |
Facilities |  |
Recommended |  |
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Long lines and the outside of terminal 1 is total chaos. Always crowed and one runway is always shut down.
Horrible place to land, takeoff or transit. I have been an airline captain for 33 years and never seen such
incompetent management at an airport of this size. Daily nightmare of long waits, insufficient toilets, rude
and surly employees.
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Dubai International Airport customer review : 13 March 2013 by Jason White (Australia) |
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Rating : 3/10 |  |
Queuing |  |
Cleanliness |  |
Facilities |  |
Recommended |  |
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On arrival, we had a one hour wait at customs passport control (with infant). 19 Feb 2013 - Flight from LHR -
EK008. On departure, Emirates flight to Durban. (21 Feb 2013). The terminal experience was not good. After
clearing passport control, there was nowhere to sit, and very limited shops to explore in the terminal.
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Dubai International Airport customer review : 8 March 2013 by Simon Riddler (UK) |
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Rating : 2/10 |  |
Queuing |  |
Cleanliness |  |
Facilities |  |
Recommended |  |
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Although good to break a longer journey I would avoid this airport at all costs if you have an alternative! The
staff are rude and very slow at security/immigration but worst of all is the shortage of toilet facilities. Not so
much a shortage as such but the people who use them spend ages in them and long queues build up. This
even occurs in the business class area!
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Dubai International Airport customer review : 26 February 2013 by Rebecca Rogers (Australia) |
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Rating : 10/10 |  |
Queuing |  |
Cleanliness |  |
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Recommended |  |
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Just through the new A380 terminal in Dubai which opened fully a couple of weeks ago. Really good idea
having the Business Class Lounge as a linked series of lounges grouped to the Gates. So, we arrived in to
the terminal and walked through the general concourse of shops, easily found the signs to follow to find the
Business Class Lounge which is on the top floor. Once admitted to the Lounge the thing is to go to your Gate
Number and use the lounge area there. You can wander all over and sit anywhere you like but it makes sense
to park yourself near your departure gate. Boarding then is easy, just put down the champagne glass (in my
case!) and go through to the lift which takes you down 3 floors to your aircraft door. The lounge is well set
out, well appointed, good shower rooms (for women, can't say about the men) and a series of hot and cold
food and drink counters throughout. Very comfortable chairs, the usual magazines etc (happy to find a locally
printed copy of The Australian). I like the concept and the execution of it. At last a lounge big enough to take
the volume of passengers going through in comfort. Well decorated. Staff were the most helpful and
friendliest I have encountered, even to helping me lift my cabin bag onto the belt for inspection. Happy to
use Dubai as my hub.
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Dubai International Airport customer review : 26 February 2013 by Gaurav Nerkar (India) |
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Rating : 6/10 |  |
Queuing |  |
Cleanliness |  |
Facilities |  |
Recommended |  |
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My Air india flight landed at 4 pm, after some 15 minutes of walking I reached passport control. There are
around 34 counters for it. I was disappointed to see even though there were so many counters not all were
functioning, those who were functioning were really at a snail's space - even the queue management was
terrible. There is one counter for one queue and three counters for another - we were in a queue with 15
people in front of us, that immigration officer took 2.5 hours to process them. Duty free at departure terminal
1 seems limited. I think most duty free shops are in terminal 3. Later I was told that passengers arriving on
late night flights face more problems at immigration. I will try and avoid it even for transit.
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Dubai International Airport customer review : 25 February 2013 by D Rouse (UK) |
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Rating : 0/10 |  |
Queuing |  |
Cleanliness |  |
Facilities |  |
Recommended |  |
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We flew to Dubai on January 31st 2013, from London Gatwick, and faced long queues at passport controls, a 2 hour wait.
Many desks were not open although there did seem to be staff wandering around doing nothing - why couldn't they have
helped? The staff were extremely slow, taking at least 5-10 minutes with each person, they were extremely unfriendly
and obviously have no idea whatsoever about customer care. This really did spoil the start of our holiday, we were
using Dubai as a stopover for a couple of days. These queues were totally unacceptable, and I doubt whether we
would ever use Dubai as a stopover again!
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Dubai International Airport customer review : 19 February 2013 by B Gupta (UK) |
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Rating : 6/10 |  |
Queuing |  |
Cleanliness |  |
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Recommended |  |
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Passed through terminal 1 on 8th Feb, long walk to Immigration where there was already a queue and only 3
desks open, why don't they operate a single feeder queue. Seemed like it was going to take ages to get
through, there was no sense of urgency, but we did get through within 30mins. Dubai is another City where
for some reason they scan your hand luggage. The arrivals hall has a very small waiting area and
meeter's/greeters are not allowed inside so the only way is to go out and stand around. On the way back we
encountered another slow moving Immigration queue. Terminal 1 generally looks old and tired, shops in
departures have a limited range of goods. Nothing special.
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Dubai International Airport customer review : 14 February 2013 by D Hananel (USA) |
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Rating : 7/10 |  |
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Cleanliness |  |
Facilities |  |
Recommended |  |
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Generally a good airport though rather uneven, very good in certain aspects and with serious shortcomings in
others. At one end if you fly Emirates on business, this is a fantastic airport with huge lounges, minimal or
non-existent lines for check-in, immigration and boarding. At the other extreme, if you are using Terminal 2,
you are stuck in a small crowded space with a couple of restaurants, not entirely clean bathrooms, and a very
long transfer from other terminals in minibuses with space so limited that you cannot even stow carry-on
luggage. Most experiences in Terminals 1 & 3 fall somewhere in between. Excellent shops and a wide range
of restaurants, but not much space to sit if you just want to wait for your flight without spending money.
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Dubai International Airport customer review : 6 February 2013 by Shelley van Heusen (Uganda) |
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Rating : 1/10 |  |
Queuing |  |
Cleanliness |  |
Facilities |  |
Recommended |  |
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Wednesday, January 23. I spent 13 hours trying to get a connection flight out that day. No staff available to
explain what was going on except that many planes were left in the air or grounded because of fog. Rumour
had it that their whole ticket booking system had crashed so their ability to give new tickets to the hundreds
of passengers who had missed flights was minimal. People arriving from long flights were arriving and
standing in lines that weren't moving and were unsupervised, no water, no food, no information, no
assistance. Lines were vague and people started yelling. I was in a line for 6 hours and when I got close to
the counter, the employee left the line with no replacement. I had already been on two long flights from Los
Angeles before I got there. You had to walk a long way to find food, no directions, and you would loose your
space in the line. Waited in new lines for another 6 hours and the same thing happened. At about 10.30 that
night I found British Airways in another terminal who gave me food and water in their lounge and quickly
found me a flight to where I was going and I left a few hours later.
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Dubai International Airport customer review : 5 February 2013 by T Neyrinck (Belgium) |
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Rating : 3/10 |  |
Queuing |  |
Cleanliness |  |
Facilities |  |
Recommended |  |
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Excellent airport for departures but a nightmare or arrivals, because of immigration indeed. Especially
frustrating because some lines move 3x faster than other lines. Better do as in the US airports: one queue
only, but being serviced by multiple desks. Easy to implement and would already make a big difference. Still
need to train immigration staff.
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Dubai International Airport customer review : 28 January 2013 by S Mafukidze (Zimbabwe) |
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Rating : 2/10 |  |
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Cleanliness |  |
Facilities |  |
Recommended |  |
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I would imagine, especially immigration would have done something about the long queues and long hours (1
hour) in my case. To get an eye scan then collect your suitcase on arrival is a nightmare, departure is
overcrowded and immigration staff take too long with one passenger (5 minutes at one time I noticed) and
can stop to chat even when it's noticeable that only 3 counters are open and they have too many passengers
waiting. Dubai Airport needs reoriented staff.
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Dubai International Airport customer review : 28 January 2013 by M Holmes (Australia) |
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Rating : 0/10 |  |
Queuing |  |
Cleanliness |  |
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Recommended |  |
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The following issues were encountered. 1) 2 hours to get through immigration. 2) Immigration staff talking to
each other throughout the processing of entry. 3) After leaving immigration a poor standard of security
screening with officers not looking at the scanning outcomes, again engaged in discussion. It was a farce.
Could not be described as an efficient airport or workforce.
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Dubai International Airport customer review : 24 January 2013 by M Bertram (Australia) |
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Rating : 3/10 |  |
Queuing |  |
Cleanliness |  |
Facilities |  |
Recommended |  |
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This is the second time I've travelled through Dubai and hopefully the last. My main complaint is that
immigration takes absolutely forever (1 hour +). They never have enough desks open and the queues move
so slowly because the staff spend so long with each passenger. It's very chaotic with everyone getting
impatient and stressed and then desperately running to new desks when they are opened. Departure is much
smoother though although the airport does feel quite crowded all the time.
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Dubai International Airport customer review : 17 January 2013 by E Vaughan (Australia) |
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Rating : 0/10 |  |
Queuing |  |
Cleanliness |  |
Facilities |  |
Recommended |  |
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Immigration takes two to five minutes to process each passenger, why? Lengthy queues that take ages, no
organisation. Gates are miles away. Emirates staff seem disinterested.
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Dubai International Airport customer review : 8 January 2013 by Rolf Heimer (Switzerland) |
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Rating : 2/10 |  |
Queuing |  |
Cleanliness |  |
Facilities |  |
Recommended |  |
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Unfriendly staff at Emirates terminal, horrible queues without any organization, totally crowded airport and
business lounges without any silent room or corner. At the gates almost no seating possibility. Small amount
of finger docks, long bus transfer times to and from the terminal and airplane up to 25 minutes.
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Dubai International Airport customer review : 8 January 2013 by Agnes Lim (Singapore) |
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Rating : 1/10 |  |
Queuing |  |
Cleanliness |  |
Facilities |  |
Recommended |  |
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Arrived in Dubai airport after midnight to face a human congestion at the immigration where counter staff
took their time to chat with one another. Upon leaving terminal 3, with its rows of spanking new but empty
counters, only 3 counters were open. For our two families, the counter staff decided to split us all up, citing
full flight although we were checking in at 2200 for our 0300 flight. Only on our insistence to see the seating
plan did they give us seats together. Half of the passengers had not checked in yet then. It was our first and
will be our last time we will use Dubai if we can help it. Duty-free is also bogus. More expensive than most
airports.
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Dubai International Airport customer review : 4 January 2013 by E Lim (Hong Kong) |
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Rating : 1/10 |  |
Queuing |  |
Cleanliness |  |
Facilities |  |
Recommended |  |
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The single most important priority of any large building besides safety, is circulation, and effective signage.
The current Dubai airport fails miserably on both counts. The building is obviously planned and executed
outside in, rather than inside out, with many baffling transfer, signages and poorly designed partitions. Why
was it not thought out at design stage one wonders. Admittedly, the expansion of any airport will pose
problems as we can all see in Heathrow, but one would imagine Dubai, and Emirates, with its world class
ambitions should have learned from the problems of dysfunctional airports and adopt the merits of successful
ones. Staff at the transfer counters look overwhelmed and tired from the late arrival and departure of many
flights into Dubai. Overall, we expected a lot more from Dubai airport and Emirates after all the commercial
hype.
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Dubai International Airport customer review : 2 January 2013 by A Seah (UK) |
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Rating : 3/10 |  |
Queuing |  |
Cleanliness |  |
Facilities |  |
Recommended |  |
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Stopped over at this airport twice en route from London to Singapore. Terminal 3 was very busy, on my return
leg all the ladies toilets in the terminal had queues! On my London to Dubai leg, the plane stopped far away
from the terminal and we had to take a 20 minute bus to the terminal. The queue to board the Dubai -
Singapore Emirates flight was also very messy and chaotic. I would avoid this airport in future.
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Dubai International Airport customer review : 2 January 2013 by John Chai (Singapore) |
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Rating : 4/10 |  |
Queuing |  |
Cleanliness |  |
Facilities |  |
Recommended |  |
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SIN-CMB-DXB-ZRH, CDG-DXB-CMB-SIN. Experiencing Dubai Airport for the first time was horrible. The main
sticking point was long queues at immigration. The officers were doing their duty so slowly that all counters
had many people queuing. Some counters were not open. Terrible! Terminal was average but toilets were not
up to standard, very poor compared to Changi Airport. Never again!
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Dubai International Airport customer review : 2 January 2013 by K Stone (Australia) |
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Rating : 2/10 |  |
Queuing |  |
Cleanliness |  |
Facilities |  |
Recommended |  |
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After getting off a 14-hour flight, myself and the boyfriend got stuck in the passport control queue for an hour
and a half. We noticed that half the desks were unmanned, and the attendants that were working took their
time, having 5-minute conversations with each passenger. The service was terrible - our attendant decided he
didn't like a couple of guys in the queue and kept them waiting while he let others behind them through, with
no explanation. It took so long for us to get through that when we finally got to the baggage carousel, it had
stopped and our bags had been taken off. It was an exhausting experience after a long flight, the least they
could do is staff their desks.
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Dubai International Airport customer review : 28 December 2012 by Karl Stumke (Kuwait) |
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Rating : 8/10 |  |
Queuing |  |
Cleanliness |  |
Facilities |  |
Recommended |  |
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This airport is huge and bustling. Thank goodness and at long last they seem to have purchased baby
strollers so these are actually available now. Avoid buying gold at the duty free its a rip off and u are paying
at least 10% over spot. I guess they just try and trap the captive client base they have.
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Dubai International Airport customer review : 28 December 2012 by C Hazel (Qatar) |
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Rating : 1/10 |  |
Queuing |  |
Cleanliness |  |
Facilities |  |
Recommended |  |
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DOH-DXB: Arrived at a gate far away at terminal 1. Once in the hall the usual (regular traveller) chaos of
Dubai ensued, queues building up then lanes opened up with a mad dash of desperate travellers looking to
beat the rush. Unfriendly immigration staff spending as much time talking to each other as actually serving
travellers. The only sure way of beating the rush is to book the Marhaba meet and great service, I'm
suspicious they make immigration so bad that you are forced to use the Marhaba service!. A lovely 65
minutes in the queue then off to find the bags as they had been taken off the belt as normal.
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Dubai International Airport customer review : 3 December 2012 by Michael Gruber (Germany) |
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Rating : 1/10 |  |
Queuing |  |
Cleanliness |  |
Facilities |  |
Recommended |  |
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MRU-DXB-MUC with stopover in Dubai. Arrival in the early morning (5.40am), short way to immigration
counters. Only half of counters were open, each queue of about 20 people. Waiting time 65 minutes! Officers
unfriendly and without any kind of motivation. Poor English knowledge. Baggage claim has already finished,
suitcases were left next to the belt. Quick exit to taxis, which are easily accessible and enough in numbers.
Check-In (online), so baggage-drop was quick. Efficient security checks but again terrible conditions at the
immigration. No problems to spend your waiting time at the shops and cafes.
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Dubai International Airport customer review : 3 December 2012 by Michael Gruber (Germany) |
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Rating : 5/10 |  |
Queuing |  |
Cleanliness |  |
Facilities |  |
Recommended |  |
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MUC-DXB-MRU. Transfer from the plane with busses to crowded Terminal 3. 3 hours connecting time in DXB
at not a problem with shops and restaurants, but too many people. Toilets clean but queues everywhere.
Departure from B38 - a terrible small, dirty and old part between B and C gates. Again transfer with busses
to the plane.
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Dubai International Airport customer review : 16 November 2012 by N Hulm (UK) |
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Rating : 0/10 |  |
Queuing |  |
Cleanliness |  |
Facilities |  |
Recommended |  |
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Flew into DXB on 06/11/12. Getting off the plane was fine and had a bit of a walk to Immigration. Then it
was a nightmare from then on in. The queues for immigration where horrendous and the whole area was full
to the brim. We think nearly every desk was open but you could not see it was that far back, every now and
then a new line would form and a scramble ensued. We decided to stick with our original line. They took
between 3-10 minutes to process 1 passenger. 3 hours later we got through! With no apology or anything, we
would avoid this airport in future. It is quite appalling and they need to sort this out. The knock on effect is
that your bags have been taken off the carousel and stored, so more time added. Avoid DXB at all costs, fly
somewhere else until they sort it out!
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Dubai International Airport customer review : 16 November 2012 by Ross Clark (UK) |
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Rating : 7/10 |  |
Queuing |  |
Cleanliness |  |
Facilities |  |
Recommended |  |
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GLA-DXB-SYD return (with EK). Have used this airport in the past, and have concluded that as long as your
aircraft does not end up at a remote stand, the airport works fine. Incoming, the transfer arrangements in
Concourse 2 were OK - not sure that yet another security screen is needed. Outgoing, some stellar service
from the EK airport staff allowed a group of transit passengers to get off a late-running flight from Sydney at
one end of Concourse 2, and onto an outgoing service to GLA - at the other end of Concourse 1 - within 45
minutes; and have our luggage make it as well. Am prepared to go through DXB again, as it can work well if
they try.
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Dubai International Airport customer review : 15 November 2012 by G Robertson (UK) |
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Rating : 5/10 |  |
Queuing |  |
Cleanliness |  |
Facilities |  |
Recommended |  |
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Although it is a very modern impressive airport, each time I use Dubai airport I get the feeling that the
security level though the hand luggage and body scanners is a bit shambolic. A few days ago on leaving
Dubai I forgot that I had a 500ml bottle of water, clearly on show in a mesh pocket on my back pack type
bag, this was not picked out either in the scanner or by the security staff. If the 100ml limit of liquids is very
much a safety limit this should be a worry.
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Dubai International Airport customer review : 14 November 2012 by A Sargeant (UK) |
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Rating : 1/10 |  |
Queuing |  |
Cleanliness |  |
Facilities |  |
Recommended |  |
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Arrival - fine, bit of a long taxi and long walk from ramp to get to terminal building, Passport Control busy
even at 5am but moved quite quickly, staff reasonable helpful, no real problem. Depart - Terminal 1 was
dirty, over crowded, full of rude people, full and full of shops (can't remember seeing any food spaces) taking
up all space, toilets not nice, check in ok but pre security / normal security rowdy chaotic experience. Long
queues through passport area to be stamped out of country. Would not recommend as awful experience, LHR
terminal 3 is better! Future flight to Australia being planned now through Asia rather than Dubai to avoid the
airport.
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Dubai International Airport customer review : 12 November 2012 by Bonita Lawrence (Oman) |
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Rating : 0/10 |  |
Queuing |  |
Cleanliness |  |
Facilities |  |
Recommended |  |
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We arrived for the weekend and spent as long trying to get through the immigration process as we had on
our flight. The staff were inadequate in numbers, badly trained and rude. Our return experience was much
the same, thank goodness we arrived early. We spent an hour getting through the process. We experienced
an extremely rude and unhelpful policeman/security person. An immigration lady who was unable to smile,
greet, and could only grunt! The airport is one long bottle neck with not enough facilities. Our experience
has left us in no doubt that next time we shall travel by car. All the staff need retraining. What a truly
dismal experience. Rating 0/10!
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Dubai International Airport customer review : 26 October 2012 by David Smith (Ireland) |
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Rating : 1/10 |  |
Queuing |  |
Cleanliness |  |
Facilities |  |
Recommended |  |
|
The other comments are exactly right - was expecting a modern, clean world-class airport, instead arrived at
2am into an overcrowded, chaotic and grubby 3km-long shopping centre.
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Dubai International Airport customer review : 18 October 2012 by P Tanner (UK) |
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Rating : 2/10 |  |
Queuing |  |
Cleanliness |  |
Facilities |  |
Recommended |  |
|
Grim experience transiting in both directions between Gatwick and Male with bus transfers to the terminal,
one in the middle of the night and one in baking heat early afternoon. Have deemed this "queuing time".
Terminal horribly crowded outbound but only about a quarter as many people on return journey, so hard to
see that both times this could be down to too many planes competing for the piers. Have done the same
journey smoothly twice previously, but would avoid Dubai in future and have ruled out transit there for a
planned trip to Australia.
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Dubai International Airport customer review : 17 October 2012 by J Denbakker (South Africa) |
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Rating : 7/10 |  |
Queuing |  |
Cleanliness |  |
Facilities |  |
Recommended |  |
|
Had an hour transit on our way to Barcelona. We were also bussed to the building from a long way off. We
just made our connecting flight. I agree that the airport is hectic. On our return flight we had a 3 hour
layover. Having flown business class, we fortunately did not experience the lack of seating and facilities that
seems to be a problem; although the business class lounge is also very busy - we noticed that the food
stations' quality and selection has deteriorated since last year. Even though we left the business class
lounge well before time to get to our gate, fighting our way against the streaming tide of shoppers to get to
our gate. As a family of four, it took concentration to stay together; we just held onto each others' belts and
let my husband lead the way! However, we still only arrived as they were doing 'last call'. I really needed
that glass of champagne, I tell you - 9 in the morning or not! We find Doha airport far better, but Emirates
flights were more suitable to us this time.
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Dubai International Airport customer review : 13 October 2012 by N Sutherland (UK) |
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Rating : 3/10 |  |
Queuing |  |
Cleanliness |  |
Facilities |  |
Recommended |  |
|
Dreadful Transit on Emirates. Remote parking and bussing to and from remote stands (10 mins to deplane and 20 mins
each way on both Arrival and Departure flights) turned my 2 hour comfortable connection into a mad scrabble to get
through the dreadful transit security (15 mins) and the full length of the terminal (10mins) to my connecting flight,
which if you're not at the gate 35 mins before departure you will not be allowed to board - crazy. Emirates have
simply too many flights in and out of DXB which despite Terminal 3 being only 2 or 3 years old is now well over
capacity.
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Dubai International Airport customer review : 11 October 2012 by N Sutherland (UK) |
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Rating : 3/10 |  |
Queuing |  |
Cleanliness |  |
Facilities |  |
Recommended |  |
|
Not impressed with the increasing amount of bussing going on in DXB, predominantly with Emirates flights - 10 mins
taxi-ing to get to some remote stand, 10-15 mins to deplane, a further 20 mins
in a freezing bus and another 15 mins to get through transit security. So that's the thick end of an hour just to get into the Departures Concourse, where
Emirates expect you to turn up at the gate 35 minutes before departure time and do another 20 minute bus ride back to
where you came from. You can just about make a 2 hour transit connection - IF the flight's on time, and IF you don't
need to go a toilet in the Terminal. Any shorter, forget it. The reason for all this? Well it's because DXB has more
flight slots than they have gates to service them. And who ends up with all the bussing nonsense? Well Emirates, the
home carrier of course, because if they bussed Cathay Pacific passengers, then Cathay Pacific probably wouldn't bother
flying to DXB next year. Main Tip - if you have an Emirates connection through DXB, make sure it's longer than 2 hours
and go to the toilet before landing.
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Dubai International Airport customer review : 10 October 2012 by R Bayliss (Australia) |
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Rating : 1/10 |  |
Queuing |  |
Cleanliness |  |
Facilities |  |
Recommended |  |
|
Transited twice through DXB to/from Europe flying Emirates. DXB is a massive let down. I was expecting a shiny, new,
spacious airport, only to be confronted by an overcrowded Westfield with some planes attached. The worst part of it
is that I will probably fly through here again due to the excellent connection provided from Aus to Europe, but not
happily.
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Dubai International Airport customer review : 10 October 2012 by Patrick Jones (UK) |
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Rating : 2/10 |  |
Queuing |  |
Cleanliness |  |
Facilities |  |
Recommended |  |
|
This airport is geared towards the business / first class traveller with limited concession made for transit
passengers on economy. Long queues for toilets, limited cafes, not enough seating & sporadic signage. With the long
& narrow layout making it busier than Oxford St (London) time spent here makes for an unpleasant break from the
overall Emirates journey.
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Dubai International Airport customer review : 29 September 2012 by P Diamond (UK) |
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Rating : 1/10 |  |
Queuing |  |
Cleanliness |  |
Facilities |  |
Recommended |  |
|
First time we have used Dubai for many years as a stopover between UK and Australia and it really has
become an unpleasant terminal. Overcrowded, no seating and 15 min wait to use very unhygienic toilets.
We were on the transfer bus for 25 mins on departure with most people standing. No seating available in the
cafes. The terminal is greatly over subscribed and will certainly stop us using Emirates again on this route.
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Dubai International Airport customer review : 26 September 2012 by Eduardo Alonso (Spain) |
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Rating : 1/10 |  |
Queuing |  |
Cleanliness |  |
Facilities |  |
Recommended |  |
|
The passenger terminal is insanely overcrowded but the airfield is even worst. After landing from Madrid we
spent one hour taxing around the field because there were no ramps available. It's a shame because it offers
very good connections between Europe, Australia and far east.
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Dubai International Airport customer review : 20 September 2012 by J Kanka (USA) |
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Rating : 1/10 |  |
Queuing |  |
Cleanliness |  |
Facilities |  |
Recommended |  |
|
I travelled to DXB in Aug-Sep of 2012 and had a very bad experience. I travelled from JFK-DXB for 13 hrs and
had to wait at Dubai Immigration lines for another 2 hours. What are those officers thinking. Then comes the
over crowded airport - had to wait more than 15 minutes just to use the toilet. Too much shopping. Next time
I will travel through Europe.
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Dubai International Airport customer review : 17 September 2012 by P Khlaikhum (Thailand) |
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Rating : 1/10 |  |
Queuing |  |
Cleanliness |  |
Facilities |  |
Recommended |  |
|
One of the worst airports I've ever visited. I was exhausted by the time I arrived here at one in the morning
after a decidedly uncomfortable flight and was therefore looking forward to what I had thought would be a
swanky modern airport befitting a gulf state famous for the emphasis it places on customer service. I was
obviously wrong. With its endless rows of Duty Free shops, the airport functions more like a shopping mall
than a travel terminal, and lacks the sort of facilities other less wealthy places have. Sweated like a pig
wandering around trying to find a restaurant or café that wasn't besieged by swarms of equally thirsty
passengers. Not only were the crowds nigh impossible to navigate through, but throughout my entire four-
hour long ordeal here I never managed to find a seat; like many others I was instead forced to squat it out
on the floor some distance away from my gate. The inexcusable lack of toilets is further compounded by their
filthiness - although there were attendants inside the three which I visited, none had any opportunity to
actually clean the place due to the queues. As much as I like flying Emirates, I'd rather spend my money on
Qatar, who does transcontinental stopovers at Doha, an indisputably nicer place.
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Dubai International Airport customer review : 17 September 2012 by D Callegari (Australia) |
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Rating : 1/10 |  |
Queuing |  |
Cleanliness |  |
Facilities |  |
Recommended |  |
|
Arrived 2am from Australia to be faced with thousands of people in the arrivals hall! Took two hours to get
to the immigration control desk to be greeted by the official who's only word was "hotel"? A disgraceful way
to treat visitors to the country. The unprofessional conduct of the staff manning the desks had to be seen to
be believed as they showed total disinterest with the job at hand and spent most of their time shaking hands
and greeting or saying goodbye to fellow workers arriving at or leaving the desks. As a result of the 2hour
delay our arranged transfer to the hotel via private vehicle thought we had not arrived and left the airport
without us. Finally got to the hotel via taxi at 5.30 am! While I was impressed with the service and standard
of food on Emirates, the airport experience means I would not fly via Dubai on my next trip. Lift your game
DBX or more of us will decide to go via Singapore or other airports where they treat you like a real person.
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Dubai International Airport customer review : 11 September 2012 by Anwar Malon (UAE) |
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Rating : 1/10 |  |
Queuing |  |
Cleanliness |  |
Facilities |  |
Recommended |  |
|
I am an expatriate resident of UAE and been using DXB International Airport as the gateway to my travels. It
is very good to know that the airport has the modern technologies, biggest duty free, and one of the largest
airports in the world. Recently, I travelled to Istanbul, Turkey via KU and departed and arrived in terminal 1.
Unfortunately, I am so appalled by the Immigration officers of DXB. Regardless of your nationality or visa
status in UAE they will treat you with rudeness, impoliteness and arrogance. I highly suggest their quality
assurance department to educate and give extensive training to these officers. It is so sad to know that UAE
is highly depending on tourism and foreign workers and yet they cannot treat us with respect.
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Dubai International Airport customer review : 11 September 2012 by Kay Watsonia (New Zealand) |
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Rating : 5/10 |  |
Queuing |  |
Cleanliness |  |
Facilities |  |
Recommended |  |
|
Overcrowding of basic facilities has become a real problem. The last 10 years I've transited or stayed in
Dubai over 60 times and the conditions have rapidly deteriorated to the point where I am only using it on my
next visit to use the last of my air points. I'd rather face Heathrow and LA now than Dubai. Get rid of some of
the shops and put in more of what travellers need - toilet facilities and travelators as the distance from 3 to
1 is horrendous unless young and fit. While we understand the need for security and accept that - at least
make it practical and pleasant - and as for everyone having to remove shoes before going through a scanner -
buy some decent scanners and check those that come up with a problem - not everyone. I'm sadly
disappointed at how bad it has become.
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Dubai International Airport customer review : 11 September 2012 by Roy Mcintosh (UK) |
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Rating : 1/10 |  |
Queuing |  |
Cleanliness |  |
Facilities |  |
Recommended |  |
|
One of the best airports in the world totally let down by the incompetent system at immigration. 2 hours in
line and still only half way. Pathetic.
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Dubai International Airport customer review : 8 September 2012 by Ravi Mene (UK) |
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Rating : 4/10 |  |
Queuing |  |
Cleanliness |  |
Facilities |  |
Recommended |  |
|
This airport is seriously overcrowded. There are long queues for security checks when transiting, once
through, it is like walking an obstacle course due to sheer number of people in the airport. The ventilation is
inadequate making it feel warm most of the time. The furthest gates are 30 minutes walk and there are too
many shops to tempt the weary passenger? The number of wash rooms are inadequate resulting in queues
for everything!
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Dubai International Airport customer review : 4 September 2012 by Dave Houlihan (Saudi Arabia) |
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Rating : 1/10 |  |
Queuing |  |
Cleanliness |  |
Facilities |  |
Recommended |  |
|
In short been through Dubai airport 6 times in 4 months and the queues for immigration are ridiculous.
If you are a gcc national you get through in ten minutes as for the rest of the world well can wait up to an hour or more
to be met by a sour faced officer. Serious training needed here and this from a country that relies so heavily
on tourism.
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Dubai International Airport customer review : 4 September 2012 by Dennis O'Brien (China) |
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Rating : 3/10 |  |
Queuing |  |
Cleanliness |  |
Facilities |  |
Recommended |  |
|
Can only agree with everything said here. I found the airport overcrowded and with little area to get out of
everyone's way when you have a long transit time and want to rest: seating is along the walkways and bigger
spaces are filled with fast food outlets. Even the gate areas are too small once waiting for boarding. There
are insufficient toilet facilities and they are clearly overworked, with several urinals and nearly all washbasins
out of service in the one I tried. Enormous queues for security check in transit - which is perhaps lucky
because signage is very poor and the crowd is about the only way to tell that something, probably important,
is going on here. I could go on - it is very difficult to think of anything good to say about this airport.
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Dubai International Airport customer review : 31 August 2012 by M Maleque (Bangladesh) |
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Rating : 8/10 |  |
Queuing |  |
Cleanliness |  |
Facilities |  |
Recommended |  |
|
I was at the Dubai Airport twice last year on my way to and from London while flying Emirates. Both times I
had long transits. On landing, I had to face quite a long queue but I didn't have to wait too long to get
through. There are lot of shops and restaurants to choose from and overall its quite clean. But the airport is
quite crowded and at one time I even had to queue for a long time outside the washroom. Its probably not
the ideal airport to take a few hours of rest after a long flight. And the airport Wi-Fi is really poor, so using
the Internet was difficult.
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