Dubai Airport
2009 Best Airport
REGION: MIDDLE EAST
Lasting Impressions....
"if you are traveling with emirates and you have to spend more than 4 hours in the airport you get a meal FOR FREE. They don't advertise or tell you this but there is a sign near the McDonald's." (amy groves)
"Slightly gaudy interior design but that tends to be the Dubai way." (an aid worker)
"Airport/security staff unfriendly and like to herd passengers like cattle into lines. " (Big Tone)
"the quietest time i had in the airport is during the 5 minutes i spend in the toilet." (?)
Quick Reference Airport Guide
Here is some information that we've picked out of from your reviews. Be sure to read the review pages for the most up-to-date info:
- free WiFi
- comfortable chairs / long seats in the arrivals area
- internet kiosk (use the one at gates 9-10, not 16-18)
- buffet style restaurant that is free if you have 4 hour layover
- quiet
- bright
- clean
- friendly staff
- lots of seats available at each end of the terminal
- lots of announcements
- try to get into one of the lounges. For $35 you get comfortable couches, TV, food and washrooms
- free WiFi
- female travellers should look for the women's lounge next to the children's play area
- Terminal 2: no cafes
- good prayer rooms
- sofa-like seats at cafes
A few airport reviews from the archives
by foxxymax
I was dreading staying at this airport for my 11 hour wait after reading the reviews on here but I was very pleasantly pleased.
I arrived at 5.30 am from Cape Town onward to Delhi staying in Terminal 3. I went straight through customs to arrivals which took about 30 mins, no visa required on a UK passport. In arrivals there is free WiFi everywhere, coffee shops, comfortable chairs, small sofas and clean marble floors. I have a laptop so I think I might be spoilt and I have not seen any internet cafes around. Toilets were constantly being cleaned while I was here and lots of loo paper too! I decided to have a look around town so I can add another place to my list. There is little information in the airport about what to see or do. I speed through passport control, there is a left luggage and ATMs all easy to find. Try to get a cab form upstairs at the terminal as they were much cheaper then the ones from downstairs. There is not point leaving the airport before 9.30am as nothing is open. I got a cab to City Centre Mall, which was a waste of time for me as I'm not interested in shopping. But it was a great walk across the bridge to the city park (5USD). No-one walks in this place so it feels like you have the city to yourself. Its felt really safe - as I am a lone female with peroxide blonde hair I was expecting trouble - but the park was full of families having BBQ. I had a couple of hours sleep in the shade of a tree in the sunshine. Then caught a cab back - leave yourself about 1hour to get back in time as I have heard that the traffic can be bad - although it only took me 10 mins to get back so.... All in all I took out 20 and that has served me for two cabs and several drinks. I wish now I had got a cab to the old town which looksa more traditional area with cafes & shops and not all big hotels and malls. But I only found that out once I had paid for a cab out the airport and picked up a map at the mall. If you are willing to spend about 200USD then you can get the 'big bus' from City Mal which is a hop on hop off bus tour around the city which takes about 2.5 hours and takes you all over and includes a boat trip too. There are lots of afternoon tours too if you have more time which you can find out about in the airport terminal 'adventures' counter.
There's not much staff around but the ones who I spoke to are friendly and helpful, and are happy to leave you alone in peace.
I'm currently in the departure lounge and there are lots of cafes and long lounge-sleeper type chairs. And everyone seems quite relaxed. I met a girl who had slept here all night on the costa coffee leather sofas with no trouble at all. I've not seen the free food - so I'm off to find that now.
When I came through - there was a bit of the airport that looked horrible with green carpets and the Irish world lounge thing. I would avoid that if you can, it looked cramped. It would be worth paying a cab from the other terminals to come to this one if you have little time to spare as it is not at all busy and feels very spacious.
Hope that is helpful
by graffiacamtmail.com
I transited in Dubai for 10 hours overnight. Two things which really keep this airport down are overcrowding and the dirty, filthy state of the toilets. I was flying Emirates. The airline - Emirates - is wonderful. However, you get deposited in this hellhole of an airport, which completely ruins the travel experience. Apart from it being dirty and overcrowded, there are some positives, such as free wifi - however, none of the 'free' electricity plugs which I tried actually worked. Furthermore, the toilets were dirty, as mentioned, and many were of the squat variety, which is unhygienic. There were people taking full-body washes in the washbasins during the night - which was disgusting. No toilet paper, urine on the floor. Emirati staff were generally arrogant - the most pleasant and friendly staff were the Filipinos working at the various coffee shops, they smile all the time and treat you like a human being. When I asked for gate information at the 'information' counter, the man carried on staring at the ceiling as he answered my question and looked as though he was doing me a massive favour by doing his job.
Sleep quality was bad. I gave up trying to sleep after tossing and turning on the floor for 3 hours, and after some guy sat with his legs over me (privacy doesn't exist here), and a man decided to spit long-distance into a trash can close to where I was sleeping (luckily, he hit the trash can and not me). There are also constant, annoying announcements which make it hard to sleep. Oh wait, it's so overcrowded and the carpet stinks so much that it's hard to sleep on the floor anyway...at the end of the night I felt so disgusted and filthy that I could not wait to hop my next flight and hit a shower!
