Planning to fly out of Dubai? Better reach the airport early

Travel is expected to peak this weekend for Emirates, as the airline expects yet another busy period with visitors passing through Terminal 3 ahead of the spring break holiday. “The busiest time for departures will be on Friday 23rd March in the morning and continuing all day on Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th March,” the airlines said in a statement.

With road works and infrastructure enhancements happening around the main airport highways and roads during this time, Emirates urges customers to build in extra time to their journeys to avoid potential delays. “Customers are reminded to arrive at the airport at least three hours before their flight departures. Passengers can physically check in at the airport as early as six hours before departing on their flight, and are requested to check in no later than 2 hours prior to departure, regardless of class of travel,” said the airlines in a statement.

Customers who check in less than 60 minutes prior to their scheduled flight departure will not be accepted for travel. Customers can also check in online on both their desktops and mobile devices from 48 hours to 90 minutes before flight departure, said Emirates.

In addition to online check-in services, Emirates also offers convenient car park check-in facilities equipped with 16 check-in counters, located in Zone C. Customers can use these to check in and drop off their luggage. “Along with checked in baggage, passengers are strongly advised to adhere to carry-on baggage weight limits, which are 7kg for Economy Class and 14kg for Business and First Class. Staff will be checking the weight of carry-on bags at various touch points before passengers board their flights,” said the statement.

Alternatively, customers heading to Emirates Terminal 3 can choose to drop their luggage at one of the 46 dedicated bag drop counters in Economy Class or separate counters in First Class and Business Class from six hours to 90 minutes prior to departure. Families travelling with small children can use dedicated Family counters in Check in Zone 2. After checking in, passengers are also advised to make sure they get to their boarding gate on time. Gates open 90 minutes before departure, boarding starts 45 minutes before each flight and gates close 20 minutes before departure. If passengers report late Emirates will not be able to accept them for travel. Check-in and gate closure timings will be strictly followed to ensure flights depart on schedule. These time checks will ensure minimal flight delays out of Dubai.