Flying Emirates? Start Training Now........

[DC3]

..... Smoking was allowed on flight ..

You've got to be kidding. :shock:

 

[TheRealTMA]

Looks like Emirates have improved..... My only flight with them was down the back.... Back.... Back..... Smoking was allowed on flight and the Arab alcoholic smoked and drank his way from Dubai to Australia!!!!

Ah, reminds me of the good old QF kangaroo routes to Australia, especially when David Boon was on board!

 

[Renato1]

Next response will read...
Drink heaps of water..... Take light carryon luggage....
Marry younger woman
Enjoy your next flight with us...

Or "Marry Stronger Woman"?
Cheers,
Renato

 

[Renato1]

Looks like Emirates have improved..... My only flight with them was down the back.... Back.... Back..... Smoking was allowed on flight and the Arab alcoholic smoked and drank his way from Dubai to Australia!!!!

Funnily enough, we observed a loud incident on the Kuala Lumpur to Dubai leg of the trip, with an Arab and his family seated in the row in front of us - facing the wall, so that they could stretch their legs out.

He decided that his family would sit along the entire row, regardless of what the boarding passes said. So along came three passengers to their allocated bulkhead seats, and the family refused to move for them. The cabin crew persuaded one couple to move down the back, but an Italian chap refused to move and wanted his seat. There followed loud arguing by the Arab, saying why can't he (the Italian) move? Eventually the daughter, contrary to the father's commands, vacated the seat.

Had it been me, I would have demanded that the cabin crew call airport security and throw the obnoxious person off the plane.
Regards,
Renato

 

[Renato1]

Agree it was a very long bus ride. Clearly that's the boarding area for that Venice departure.

Ah- someone who has experienced the bus ride!
Thanks,
Renato

 

[Renato1]

..... Smoking was allowed on flight ..

You've got to be kidding. :shock:

Ah for the good old days. I remember flying to Italy back in 1974 with Singapore Airlines, where they would actually give out packets of five cigarettes each for free to the passengers.

That was service - an interesting contrast to today.
Cheers,
Renato

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Had it been me, I would have demanded that the cabin crew call airport security and throw the obnoxious person off the plane.
Regards,
Renato

(Un)fortunately we have no power to demand the crew take action such as calling the police in a situation such as this. If the crew choose not to take action we ultimately, as a passenger, have only one right, which is to disembark from the aircraft (provided it is possible and safe to do so).

Otherwise, any loss of amenity (such as a seat choice) is something which is not guaranteed under the conditions of carriage, and you'd need to take that up with the airline after arrival (or before the next departure if you chose to disembark). Whether or not there would be consequences of the decision to leave the aircraft would be a matter between the passenger and the airline.

 

[Renato1]

(Un)fortunately we have no power to demand the crew take action such as calling the police in a situation such as this. If the crew choose not to take action we ultimately, as a passenger, have only one right, which is to disembark from the aircraft (provided it is possible and safe to do so).

Otherwise, any loss of amenity (such as a seat choice) is something which is not guaranteed under the conditions of carriage, and you'd need to take that up with the airline after arrival (or before the next departure if you chose to disembark). Whether or not there would be consequences of the decision to leave the aircraft would be a matter between the passenger and the airline.

Interesting thanks. So, what happens if one physically removes the passenger who has taken one's seat from that seat (especially if it is bulkhead seat that one may have paid more for, or have been allocated on the basis of some physical requirement)?

Or if one chose not to move until one got the seat on one's boarding pass that had been wrongly appropriated?

Who would the airlines side with? The culprit or the victim?
Regards,
Renato

 

[Sprucegoose]

The other option are the Asian carriers. TG SQ CX and some others. The sandpit can become oppressive at times for some and you ought to vote with your feet, not swell in them unnecessarily.

 

[Aussie_flyer]

The op should book a wheelchair if walking up aircraft stairs causes this much grief

 

[Pushka]

Ah- someone who has experienced the bus ride!
Thanks,
Renato

Yes - I mentioned I took that flight last year in my first reply. We thought we were never going to get to the plane. From memory the return flight was nowhere near the same but could be wrong - we might just have been prepared for it.

 

[Pushka]

(Un)fortunately we have no power to demand the crew take action such as calling the police in a situation such as this. If the crew choose not to take action we ultimately, as a passenger, have only one right, which is to disembark from the aircraft (provided it is possible and safe to do so).

Otherwise, any loss of amenity (such as a seat choice) is something which is not guaranteed under the conditions of carriage, and you'd need to take that up with the airline after arrival (or before the next departure if you chose to disembark). Whether or not there would be consequences of the decision to leave the aircraft would be a matter between the passenger and the airline.

They had boarding tickets for those seats so not necessarily a seating choice but airline allocation. And I thought that it was an aviation requirement that people must return to allocated seats on landing.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Interesting thanks. So, what happens if one physically removes the passenger who has taken one's seat from that seat (especially if it is bulkhead seat that one may have paid more for, or have been allocated on the basis of some physical requirement)?

Or if one chose not to move until one got the seat on one's boarding pass that had been wrongly appropriated?

Who would the airlines side with? The culprit or the victim?
Regards,
Renato

A way to look at this is to pretty much apply the same rules apply on a plane as you would on the ground (in your general day-to-day affairs).

If you, a passenger, decide to physically remove someone sitting in your seat, you may be the one guilty of an offense rather than the passenger who's taken your seat. This applies even if you have paid for a particular seat. If an airline has failed in its contractual obligation to you, you can't take matters in to your own hands. Just as on the ground - you can only act reasonably.

If you refuse to sit down, in contravention of a crew member instruction directly related to the safety of the aircraft (ie we want to taxi and the cabin must be secure), again you could be the one escorted off the plane if the crew deems you to be an unacceptable risk.

The airline owes you a duty of care to have a safe environment on board. At the end of the day, no one can force you to fly - but if you decide to disembark without a good reason, the airline could come after you for the cost involved for the delay, or decide they don't want to carry you again.

If a crime has been committed, that obviously changes the situation. Seat poaching is unlikely to be a crime. But the range of actions resulting from that poaching (interactions with other passengers, or failing to comply with crew instructions) could well turn into one.

They had boarding tickets for those seats so not necessarily a seating choice but airline allocation. And I thought that it was an aviation requirement that people must return to allocated seats on landing.

I'm not immediately aware of a law actually requiring passengers to be in any particular seat for take-off and landing. However, it depends why a passenger(s) have been allocated the seats they have. If it is a safety issue (for example weight and balance), or a security issue, passengers must comply with crew-member instructions. Some airlines may ask passengers to return to their allocated seats during meal times (for example on flights where meals and beverages aren't free and may be distributed based on where a passenger is supposed to be seated).

"Please return to your seats for landing" doesn't necessarily mean 'return to the seat printed on your boarding pass', it means - take 'a' seat (any seat).

 

[Pushka]

(Snip)
"Please return to your seats for landing" doesn't necessarily mean 'return to the seat printed on your boarding pass', it means - take 'a' seat (any seat).

Not on all flights but I have heard them state specifically words to the effect of "allocated seats" in that announcement.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Not on all flights but I have heard them state specifically words to the effect of "allocated seats" in that announcement.

Does does ring a bell! But I suspect that is down to individual airline policy rather than a law requiring them to do so (although if pax have been assigned particular seats for weight and balance I am guessing the airline must make sure passengers comply).

I was on a flight last year in the States and 24 passengers had to be moved prior to take off for weight and balance. They were allowed to move back to their original seats during flight, but had to move again before landing. So I guess it could be quite fluid and depend on the circumstances as to what 'return to your seat' and 'return to your 'allocated seat' will mean.

 

[TheRealTMA]

Yes - I mentioned I took that flight last year in my first reply. We thought we were never going to get to the plane. From memory the return flight was nowhere near the same but could be wrong - we might just have been prepared for it.

Remember last year they had closed one runway for resurfacing and also were completing the new terminal so were using a backup runway a long way from the terminals. This meant a very long bus ride. We did it a few times, although I remember the bus was air conditioned.

 

[andye]

You've got to be kidding. :shock:

I remember an enormous number of smokers on a flight to Harare in 1996. I seem to remember Air New Zealand being quite unusual in not allowing passengers to light up when I flew with them in 1993.

Planes. Buses. Cinemas. All unimaginable now but quite normal 30-40 years ago

 

[zainman]

As others have said, avoiding an airline because they used a bus is not the solution. No one can predict a 100% whether the aircraft will get a remote stand or not.

Ask for special assistance and I am sure the airlines will be happy to help.

 

[clifford]

Remember last year they had closed one runway for resurfacing and also were completing the new terminal so were using a backup runway a long way from the terminals. This meant a very long bus ride. We did it a few times, although I remember the bus was air conditioned.

Even with the relatively new Terminal A, there are insufficient gates available to cater for all EK 777 flights at all times. So there will always be cases at DXB where your 777 flight will arrive into or depart from a remote parking area.

As an EK Gold FF for many years, I have transited DXB on numerous occasions and would estimate that we would end up at a remote bay around 50% of the time when traveling on a 777. It's just par for the course there, and if you don't like 15-20 minute bus rides around the airport, avoid flying on an EK 777 through DXB. On the issue of runway repairs, there are only two (closely-spaced parallel) runways at DXB, so when one is out of action, you should expect longer than usual delays.

 

[dodgeyhack]

As others have said, avoiding an airline because they used a bus is not the solution. No one can predict a 100% whether the aircraft will get a remote stand or not.

How many airlines use buses as part of normal operations for aircraft the size of a 777 or A380 at an airport the size of DXB though?
It's quite common to take a long bus ride at DXB.

The buses at DXB suck. I arrived into DXB on an A380 yesterday and we had to take buses back to the terminal. It took a long time just to get off the plane, let alone drive the 15 minutes to the terminal.