Dubai Airport

Arrived Terminal 2 at 2.00 am after 3 hours flight delay. When we entered had to wait 1 hr for eye scan then another 40 minutes for immigration. Terminal 2 is small to carry a large number of flights. On the way back again have to face a long check-in line although check-in was quite fast. Inside the departure lounge there are limited number of restaurants but overall is a good experience.

The Dubai stopover to change plane was a nightmare. I had passed through a couple of weeks earlier at 5am and it was very busy. Every passenger has to pass through security even for transit. You can't imagine how busy it was at mid-day when I landed on my return. The arrival hall/security was jammed to the point there was no room left. There were no queues just a huge mass of people pushing and shoving. The business lounge is no better - too small and too many people. Shower facilities are very limited. With a stopover of 1.5 hours it was very stressful. Total shambles.

Avoid DXB at all costs: DXB especially Terminal 3 is an over-crowded shopping mall. Other than departure gates Terminal 3 lacks everything that an airport terminal should have: (1) sufficient seating: you will be lucky to find a free seat (2) sufficient toilets: expect long lines and filthy toilets (3) sufficient restaurants: few far and between (4) open space: Every open space is taken up by stores and (5) peace and quiet. Even if you fly with Emirates when you disembark you will probably end up taking a 20-minutes bus ride to the arrival area while numerous jetbridges will be sitting free.

I have transited several times through this airport - its a nightmare. Minimal air-conditioning makes for an uncomfortable experience. The walkways through the airport are narrow and very crowded for the volume of people that pass through. The signage is poor. The onboard emirates service is good in my experience this airport does not do them justice.

You can tell it's a first class airport with forward thinking when building however there are so many flights that go into DXB that it's sometimes overwhelming how many people are there. Last time I went through DXB I stayed overnight in a hotel and the temporary visa experience was awful. Signage not clear whatsoever and immigration officers not too polite.

Enormous and chaotically busy. The Emirates Business Lounge was a disappointment. It's just a big shed with what appear to be thousands of people. Even in the Business Lounge there were queues for the toilets and showers during one transit early in the morning. There were very few tables and chairs for the volume of customers. Food in the Lounge was good; a huge variety and good service. As for the airport overall I think the new one can't come fast enough as there are just too many people using it. It works OK but it is just overrun.

Had a stopover quite a number of times here on a recent trip. If the airplane is parked at a stand it takes a large amount of time to get to the terminal mainly due to the traffic due to other vehicles. Inside airport is very crowded toilets were conveniently placed. For passengers wanting to travel between T3 and T2 and vice versa there is a shuttle bus. Make sure there is adequate time between your flights because the shuttle service only seemed to exist every half an hour or so. T1 is good has a duty free store and some fast food outlets. Not enough power points in fact none at all. The only power points are outside the toilets which are always taken by people wanting to recharge their phones. Free wifi available everywhere in the airport.

I flew on an Emirates ticket to Europe and back stopping over in Dubai. The airport was very crowded with narrow corridors walking to and from gates. All recreational chairs were taken and there was a lack of chairs at gates in general. The so called Food Court consisted only of one Burger King and one Coffee Shop. Internet access was a problem. Most surprising was the lack of toilets and the fact that people actually had to queue up to get into a restroom.

Dubai airport fills me with dread every time I book Emirates. Just a huge shopping mall where you push through the mass to find your way to your gate. On my sixth time through early in the morning there seemed to be every passenger from every plane arrival in a huge mob with no clear queues waiting to get through only half of the working security scanners. An international hub with thousands of passengers/customers with connecting flights can't function successfully without a business attitude towards customer service. Other aspects of transit are good but overall it's not a pleasurable experience.

Security lines are simply too long and exhausting when you have 3 kids and bags to stand for 38 mins waiting. Security guards do not need to be friendly but simple basic courtesy is lacking. Counter staff don't go out of their way to give you the information you need. Not enough seats for passengers on transit - sitting on dirty floors with kids is just unacceptable. Whatever plus points are earned flying emirates are lost with the airport experience.