I choose not to fly via Dubai. OK, but why ???

[legroom]

No you were not suspected as being an illegal, quite clearly your passport is almost 10 years old so maybe the guy with the turban (not sure what difference that makes) thought there was a need for an extra check of your passport. Maybe you have, in his eyes changed in appearance significantly from the photo. Can happen anywhere anytime. How many stamps and where they are form makes no difference what so ever.

I agree it [the 'extra' passport check] could happen to anyone at any airport but that was the first time it happened to me - ever.

In the last 12 mo, that 2003 passport was handled at SGN, LAX, NRT, CDG, SIN and AMS without any incident.

Have I changed in the last 3 months (3 different airports)? Most unlikely.

They have the right to be suspicious of anything / anyone they like. It's their country & their job, that much I can understand.

But I am equally entitled to be annoyed at this unfounded suspicion which caused my wife, having walked past passport control and unable to see anything behind her, to have a mild panic for 15-20 min.

The back-office guy took less than 10 sec to stamp my passport - so much for front-line inspection.

Now, would you be not annoyed with that rather superficial "suspicion" ?

Better training / communication would not hurt anyone.

As mentioned, CBP stamps are the most numerous in my passport and I have not seen their "back office" yet.

But I would give them some credit.

After the back-office stamping, I was allowed to walk to the front of the fast-track queue.

 

[drron]

And this certainly doesn't help Dubai's image-
http://www.smh.com.au/business/auss...il-as-colleague-acquitted-20130520-2jwjh.html

 

[dot]

Considering the F and J lounges are pretty much the same physical size it makes me wonder why one has a much larger capacity?

Actually - the FLounge has quite a bit more floorspace than the JLounge. The FLounge is quite a bit wider - particularly where the dining areas are on the Flounge which has a clear view of the roof above the JLounge.

As to the showers, there are two lots of showers - East and West. The West showers are closest to the gates that QF use (A10 and A11 the other day). When I transited in DXB on Saturday (QF2/QF10), the West showers had a long queue (no beepers), so I walked up the to East showers - no problem; walked straight into a shower. Admittedly, there was only one shower free, but at least there wasn't a queue!

 

[cwphoto]

Ok. The person moved an immigration rope to change to a shorter queue. She had a child with her and with all the delays from GB they were very tired. They were only supposed to transit but the delay meant she had to stopover. The immigration person gave her a serve and said he could refuse her access. Just a bit distressing as she'd gone in a hurry to GB for her grandmothers funeral. Just didn't need the delay and then this angst.

Doesn't sound sexist to me - same could happen anywhere and quiet rightly IMO.

 

[Austman]

But I am equally entitled to be annoyed at this unfounded suspicion which caused my wife, having walked past passport control and unable to see anything behind her, to have a mild panic for 15-20 min.

An observation. I often see couples (and families) going together to passport control. Is this not possible in DXB?

 

[JohnK]

I have no desire to visit the Middle East. I have no desire to transit the Middle East.

If I am going to Europe then I prefer to go via Asia or if I am doing a round the world then I can also go via the USA.

Does that mean I will never visit/transit the Middle East one day? No. Perhaps I will transit one day. Who knows when though.

<redacted>

 

[UP4014]

Don't like the place. Not saying the airports not good, just don't like the Middle East and other cities are more pleasant for me when stopping over, even going via the US isn't too bad. So QF won't be seeing me on that route.

If I want bling I want a beer with a whiskey chaser and Vegas suits me for that.

matt

 

[Kaldemir]

Oh come on...how many times do CBP Officers in the United States treat you with "courtesy".. I definitely agree asking you to wait can be unnerving but really comments about appearances of officers is not really warranted...we are travelling folk and should be the ones that at least try to see reason.

Well you're right re US CBP, hence I choose Asia over US for transiting to Europe.
I'd happily buy a QF ticket to Singapore, BKK or HK connecting to BA/ Cathay/ AB/ finnair etc. however QF chooses not to sell those tickets so I'm not using them anymore. In April I was quite happy with the BA 777..

 

[WeeGraeme]

Considering Emirates does not fly to Brisbane direct it would be a no brainer to use QF/BA via Singapore to access the UK. However what would you do if you were flying to somewhere else in Europe? (which is what the Qantas/EK alliance is mostly about)

As Markis10 says, EK does fly from here, just not with the A380 yet.

Actually, I'm flying via Sydney. I booked my flight directly with BA. It lets you book from Singapore now, but when I booked on 30th March, it wouldn't allow me to book any flight from Singapore to London. Now it does allow you to book from Singapore to LHR or LGW, although with the stopover in Dubai, it now takes between 16.5 hrs and 21 hrs from Singapore to London.

As for what I'd do if I wasn't travelling to the UK... I think I'd probably still want to travel via an Asian hub. The flights are long regardless of which airline. Factoring in the time of day I'd be up and about before the journey starts, I'd rather break the journey in two in this part of the world.

 

[legroom]

An observation. I often see couples (and families) going together to passport control. Is this not possible in DXB?

No, not allowed.

Same as in many countries incl. the USA

The difference is that in DXB once you are done, you have to walk on past a screening door where you cannot look back - unlike say SYD or LAX ..... so you would have no idea why your spouse has not followed you.

Now, you know they are in the "back office".

 

[legroom]

......You want to know who is a xenophobe and a racist? The 2nd and 3rd generation kids born in Australia who refuse to assimilate and bad mouth the west everytime. Do you know how I know? I see it all around me where I live in Sydney. I find it disgusting that someone is born in Australia and at 16-17 years of age walks around the streets speaking in a foreign language.

JohnK

My job allows me this observation too.

None of your usual suspects has an Anglicised first name .... Ever

Or indeed middle name...

It is just "never there"

 

[Jack_OC]

Legroom- Are you sure that's not allowed in Dubai? Because it definitely is allowed in Abu Dhabi, which is part of the same country (both are in the UAE). I know that as myself, wife and kids all recently went thru passport control in Abu Dhabi together, while both kids were asleep, and the official went out of his way to check the kids without waking them.

 

[ajw373]

No, not allowed.

Same as in many countries incl. the USA

Really? I have flown into JFK, IAH and LAX with my wife and never had an issue going to the counter together.

 

[Deleted member]

I agree it [the 'extra' passport check] could happen to anyone at any airport but that was the first time it happened to me - ever.

In the last 12 mo, that 2003 passport was handled at SGN, LAX, NRT, CDG, SIN and AMS without any incident.

Have I changed in the last 3 months (3 different airports)? Most unlikely.

They have the right to be suspicious of anything / anyone they like. It's their country & their job, that much I can understand.

But I am equally entitled to be annoyed at this unfounded suspicion which caused my wife, having walked past passport control and unable to see anything behind her, to have a mild panic for 15-20 min.

The back-office guy took less than 10 sec to stamp my passport - so much for front-line inspection.

Now, would you be not annoyed with that rather superficial "suspicion" ?

Better training / communication would not hurt anyone.

As mentioned, CBP stamps are the most numerous in my passport and I have not seen their "back office" yet.

But I would give them some credit.

After the back-office stamping, I was allowed to walk to the front of the fast-track queue.

I had my passport taken from me on two successive occasion , taken to a room , inspected , stamped & returned to me , no explanation , no apology , And that was in BNE where I reside !!

 

[extracta]

Legroom- Are you sure that's not allowed in Dubai? Because it definitely is allowed in Abu Dhabi, which is part of the same country (both are in the UAE). I know that as myself, wife and kids all recently went thru passport control in Abu Dhabi together, while both kids were asleep, and the official went out of his way to check the kids without waking them.

Just because it is allowed in Abu Dhabi does not mean it will be allowed in Dubai. The UAE (United Arab Emirates) is actually 7 different countries. They all have their own head Sheik and palace and have their own laws also. For instance capital punishment is still practised in Sharjah, and alcohol is strictly forbidden, whereas next door in Dubai alcohol is allowed in some areas. Abu Dhabi is the richest emirate and the Sheik of Abu Dhabi gets to be the ruler of the country of the UAE.

 

[Jack_OC]

It's actually the equivalent of 7 states in one country - similar to AUS. I know there are different laws between the emirates, just like there are different laws between different states here, but my impression was that border control is handled at a national, ie UAE level, in which case the laws would not differ from emirate to emirate. Local practice could of course differ, but I picked up on the fact that legroom referred to it not being allowed in most countries.

 

[UP4014]

No, not allowed.

Same as in many countries incl. the USA

The difference is that in DXB once you are done, you have to walk on past a screening door where you cannot look back - unlike say SYD or LAX ..... so you would have no idea why your spouse has not followed you.

Now, you know they are in the "back office".

I'll graciously point out your wrong on the families USA bit.

m

 

[legroom]

I'll graciously point out your wrong on the families USA bit.

m

Not right or wrong, I am afraid.

Just your experience is different to mine.

I never stated I was right either.

I just reported my observations.

You elevated it to a matter of right and wrong.

We all know it is a matter for the Customs Officer's discretion.

I had not experienced a group passport check for years now.

Your experience may have been different but that by itself does not make you 'right'.

It's just your observations differ from mine.

And in a public forum like AFF, experiences of all hues are offered.

 

[drsmithy]

No, not allowed.

Same as in many countries incl. the USA

I've flown through the US several times in the last few years and never had a problem going through passport control with my wife next to me.

The only country I've been where they insisted on one-at-a-time was in Singapore (and we were both rather confused at the time by the hand signals from the person behind the counter - come forward ? go back ? come forward ? no ? yes ? oh, only one of us).

 

[UP4014]

Not right or wrong, I am afraid.

Just your experience is different to mine.

I never stated I was right either.

I just reported my observations.

You elevated it to a matter of right and wrong.

We all know it is a matter for the Customs Officer's discretion.

I had not experienced a group passport check for years now.

Your experience may have been different but that by itself does not make you 'right'.

It's just your observations differ from mine.

And in a public forum like AFF, experiences of all hues are offered.

i will disagree again, for the simple fact that families are given a form to complete (depends on visa situation) and all people are on the same form, a 6059B, This is not an observation but a fact, visa wavier passengers as a family are treated no differently. All families move through customs together.

have been through US boarder security 6 times in the previous two months through 3 different ports, have been part of it first hand.


M