Emirates Gears Up for Busy Holiday Travel Rush

Dubai, U.A.E., 12 December 2021: With the end of school term and the start of the holiday season, Emirates is expecting over 1.1 million passengers to pass through Terminal 3 at Dubai International during this busy travel period which will run through until 21 December. This weekend will see a peak surge of close to 250,000 travellers departing from Terminal 3.

Customers are encouraged to arrive at the airport at least three hours prior to their flight departure and ensure they have all the required documents for their destination before proceeding to the check-in desk. To expedite their airport experience and ensure a smoother departure, passengers can choose to avoid the rush by physically checking-in 24 hours before their flight departure, drop off their bags and collect their boarding passes, using the 32 self-service bag drop machines and 16 check-in kiosks available at Terminal 3.* Customers using the self-service kiosk must still complete their immigration formalities no later than 60 minutes before their flight departure.

Customers can also opt to check in online up to 48 hours and until 90 minutes before their flight departure and download digital boarding passes on their mobile phones for select destinations.

Customers who check in less than 60 minutes before departure will not be accepted for travel.

To speed up the process even further, customers can also utilise Emirates biometric path in Terminal 3 for a contactless journey from specific check-in desks, Emirates lounges and boarding gates. The biometric path allows customers to complete immigration formalities and board their flights with virtually no document checks and queuing.

Once checked in, passengers are advised to ensure they arrive to their boarding gate on time. Gates open 90 minutes before departure, boarding starts 45 minutes before the flight and gates close 20 minutes before departure. Emirates will not be able to accept passengers reporting late to the boarding gate for travel. Check-in and gate closure timings will be strictly followed to ensure flights depart on schedule and to avoid the impact on operations.

All Emirates and DXB touchpoints are fully prepared to manage the surge in holiday passenger traffic, with measures and protocols in place designed to enhance safety as customers move through Terminal 3. Along with industry-leading contactless technologies and biometric journeys, Emirates customers can be assured that the airline and its partners have spared no effort to make the airport journey as safe and smooth as possible.

This includes robust and consistent cleaning protocols for high traffic areas such as seats and handrails, modern cleaning technologies for surfaces in Emirates dedicated lounges keeping them germ free for longer, social distancing measures through floor markings, signage and airport employees safely managing the flow of passengers; hand sanitising stations as well as Plexiglas partitions throughout all Emirates check-in desks, amongst numerous other measures.

Flexibility and Assurance: Emirates continues to lead the industry with innovative products and services and recently took its customer care initiatives further with even more generous and flexible booking policies, which have been extended to 31 May 2022, Covid-19 medical travel insurance, and is helping loyal customers retain their miles and tier status.

Health and safety: Keeping the health and wellbeing of its passengers as top priority, Emirates has introduced a comprehensive set of safety measures at every step of the customer journey. The airline has also recently introduced contactless technology and scaled up its digital verification capabilities to provide its customers even more opportunities to utilise the IATA Travel Pass, which can now be used across 50 airports served by Emirates.

* The service is available for all destinations, except the US, Thailand, China, India and Hong Kong due to additional requirements from these countries.