If you want to convert your X hours journey to X+2 then I recommend travelling via emirates. Last week I was travelling back to India from London and took a breakover journey via Dubai, no need to mention on Emirates. My idea was to make some duty free shopping at the Dubai airport before I fly back to India so I reached the airport 5 hours beforehand my flight.
I thought of making an early check-in for my baggage so that the rest of the time I can buy stuff’s from duty free shops. But on disgusting side, there was not a single person on the EMIRATES checkin counters. All the counters were vacant. Imagine being in Dubai and emirates being the international brand of that country/city….. this was really disgusting. Slowly a long Que. was formed for passengers travelling on emirates. After waiting for around ONE HOUR idle, passengers started looking for someone who could help them out, including myself. Various announcements were made at the airport requesting the emirates staff to reach the check-in counter but there was no response. Finally, one of the counter got opened and everyone started rushing towards that counter with his or her trolleys.
No wonder what happened is that I was the first one in the Que. and came out to be the last one. Because people behind me were near to that counter which opened all of a sudden. The staff isn’t having even the courtesy of at least opening the counter where people are already standing since hours in Que. Rather they started off a different counter for checking in and all rushed.
I was the last one in that Que. now and when my turn came then I was told that this counter is only checking in luggage for the flights to Bombay and Hyd, I was travelling to Delhi so it was to be checked in at another counter.
Once again I was the last person in another Que. and had left no much time left for shopping. Finally after checking-in all the baggage and stuff’s we were in the aircraft for 30 minutes and it never flew. Announcements were made that due to some VIP movements on the airport the flight is delayed. But it happened with me when I flew from London heathrow to Dubai and the same excuse from Dubai to New Delhi. I don’t understand how can VIP movements increase so much and that it effects the same airline everytime.
To my understanding they get delayed due to there own administrative reasons but let the passengers in because otherwise they have to pay a huge amount of money to the travel insurance companies for the delay. Just like for those who book there tickets with credit cards get some rewards if the flight is delayed or your baggage collection at the destination is delayed or damaged.
Personally I don’t recommend any one to travel on Emirates it is not only the service offered at the airport but the hospitality in the plane is also not as cozy as other flights.