Emirates moved lock, stock and barrel to its new home at Emirates Terminal 3 – Dubai International last week, thrilling more than a million passengers who have explored and made this ultra-luxurious, colossal facility their own lifestyle destination.
Emirates Terminal 3 is proving to be the new style statement, now stamped with the seal of success. By 18th November, more than 500,000 passengers had flown from the terminal to Emirates’ six-continent, 101-destination network and experienced the convenient check-in options, restaurants and cafes, shopping, premium lounges, hotels, spas and entertainment.
An equal number of arriving passengers have been awestruck by the massive baggage hall with 18 baggage carousels, including four for outsized luggage, paid concierge and baggage storage services that all combine to provide a quick and easy getaway.
Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline said: “Our operations at Emirates Terminal 3 have been an unmitigated success, thanks to a well-orchestrated, phased move; strong collaborative effort by all stakeholders; and the unstinting support of our passengers. The new terminal is an invaluable national asset, which Emirates will leverage to its full potential to fulfil our strategic plans. Our customers are benefiting from the ease, convenience and luxury the new terminal represents and we are currently basking in their extremely positive and encouraging response.”
Families have responded in a big way to the terminal, more than 13,500 taking full advantage of the bright-red baby strollers and the Unaccompanied Minors Lounge providing a secure and entertaining outlet for 370 children travelling alone.
Emirates First and Business Class Lounges have been busy hosting around 100,000 passengers in the past five weeks and getting accolades for its plush interiors and friendly staff. Spread over a vast area of 13,300sqm, each passenger enjoys privacy and space. Haute cuisine, show kitchens and buffet spreads have been a big draw with passenger preferences gravitating towards sushi, smoked salmon, grilled chicken and berry tarts. More than 2,000 passengers de-stressed in the soothing ambience of the Timeless Spa, located within the lounges.
Paul Griffiths, Dubai Airports CEO said, “The true measure of our success lies in the comfort and happiness of our customers; and the customer feedback on Terminal 3 is very positive. Dubai Airports will continue to work on enhancing customer service quality across all the Terminals at Dubai International to make it not only the Middle East’s busiest but the world’s leading airport.”
Emirates Terminal 3 at Dubai International is designed for optimum travelling comfort. The underground terminal is located directly beneath the taxiways/aprons making it closer to the boarding gates. The facility is among the world’s largest, yet its unique design, coupled with state-of-the-art people transportation solutions such as Skytrains and travelators make for quick jaunts between kerbside and aircraft. The lush green Zen gardens, complete with fountains, surrounding the food courts at either end of the airside facility provide respite during a busy travel schedule.
Dubai Duty Free experienced brisk sales and received rave reviews throughout this period. Colm McLoughlin, Managing Director, Dubai Duty Free said: “We have received a very positive reaction to the Dubai Duty Free retail offer in Emirates Terminal 3 and our sales been have doing well in the new terminal. The layout of the shops, the sense of space and light, the additional brands that we have introduced, particularly in the Fashion area, and the fact that the retail area is on the same level as departure gates, has added to the shopping experience.
“We are looking forward to some busy weeks ahead as the holiday season begins and in particular we are looking forward to our 25th anniversary on December 20th when we will offer all passengers a 25 per cent discount on a wide range of products.”
Interesting facts – the first five weeks at Emirates Terminal 3:
• Handled more than 5,400 flights, one million passengers – arrivals and departures – and more than 500,000 pieces of luggage.
• Concierge services: Around 700 customers daily, charged at Dhs 20 per trolley.
• Baggage storage: Around 50 customers daily. Ideal for passengers on business and brief stopovers the service is charged at Dhs 20 per bag for 12 hours.
• Online Check-in: 26,000 passengers used the option.
• Self Service Kiosks: 20,500 passengers including 6,800 who checked-in baggage.
• Unaccompanied Minors Lounge hosted nearly 370 children travelling alone.
• More than 13,500 families used baby strollers provided at the terminal.
First and Business Class Lounges
• Nearly 100,000 premium passengers took advantage of the fabulous lounges
• Most popular dishes on the menu:
o Smoked salmon – 70kgs served daily
o Sushi – 750 pieces served daily
o Grilled chicken – 1,000 pieces served daily
o Berry tarts – 2,200 served daily
• More than 2,000 premium passengers have been pampered at the Timeless Spa, located in the lounges
Quotes from Emirates passengers:
Graeme Bradstock, Head of Region at Lindt and Sprungli said: “I travelled through Emirates Terminal 3 to Doha and Cape Town last month. It’s an enormous and impressive piece of architecture and extremely beautiful as airports go. The Emirates First Class lounge is very luxurious and spacious. The Dubai Duty Free is absolutely fantastic. The baggage hall at arrivals is gigantic and looks remarkable as you are coming down the escalator. The staff are helpful and well informed and all the services are really quick.”
Ali Dawood, Senior Vice President at Dubai World said: "The Emirates Terminal 3 is one of the world's best airports - and I know because I travel every week and almost live out of a suitcase. I have been through the Emirates Terminal 3 thrice already to Casablanca, Addis Ababa and Johannesburg. The lounges are excellent. I'm a time-conscious traveller and it takes me just 15 minutes from the time the aircraft has landed to reach my limo service and then home - the whole process takes just 45 minutes. It's brilliant. Hats off to Emirates Terminal 3!"
Ata Shobeiry, Managing Director of M A Capital LLC said "I’m a frequent traveller with Emirates Airline and I flew to London a few days ago. The new Emirates Terminal 3 is fantastic, the speed of service on arrival and the First/Business lounges are unparalleled."
