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| Terminal 1 concourse |
Dubai airport is WOW !!!
I arrived at Dubai airport at 4.30 am and was amazed at how busy it was. The duty frees were really bustling. Such a contrast to KLIA which is quiet even during the peak periods.
I was in Terminal 1, also known as Shiekh Rashid Terminal . The concourse is an extensive area of duty free shops, entertainment and restaurants. There are 25 eating outlets, with many of the well known fast food places and coffee shops. There is even an Irish pub. The alcohol selection in the duty free shops is huge, and the prices are cheap compared to KLIA.
The Dubai International Hotel is right in the middle of it all and looks down on the concourse.
The thing that really struck me was the length of the terminal. It is one straight, incredibly long building. It is actually 1 km long ! As my transit gate was near one end, I had to walk a long way. I went past an area which had dimmed lighting and many people were lying on the floor asleep.
Then there was an area designed as a garden with a water feature, which reminded me of Singapore's Changi airport. There is free, and fast wifi internet service if you have your own laptop.
[Update - these gate numbers have now been changed to a letter and 2 numbers e.g. B12 as it has been proved that it is easier for passengers to remember this format rather than 3 numbers]
On my return trip, my Emirates plane went to the brand new Terminal 3.
Terminal 3 is the single largest terminal building in the world. It is also 1 km long but there are less distances to walk. It was only opened in Oct (2008). Unfortunately we arrived almost an hour late, due to a late departure. I had been planning to buy some duty free and use the free wifi, but I was unable to do either, as we were met at the arrival door and escorted immediately to our transfer gate. So I was unable to see and enjoy the new terminal.
The 2 terminals are actually attached but are separated by the control tower.
From the outside, each looks like a squashed oval. It's an impressive shape. It's actually designed to look like an aircraft wing.
As we flew into the airport, I was sitting on the right side of the plane and I had a good view over the city of Dubai, 4 km away, and saw the Burj Al Arab, the world's tallest hotel. Unfortunately it was too far to take a photo and the 8.30am light was a bit hazy. I could also see The Palm Islands (aren't they going to copy this off the west coast of Malaysia??!!).
When when we took off, I was sitting on the left side, and we took off in the direction away from the city.
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UPDATE 2013
In Oct 2013 National Geographic channel were showing a series called "
Ultimate Airport Dubai" on TV in Malaysia. It shows behind the scenes running of the aiport and the construction of Terminal 3.
"Terminal 3 – the largest building on earth
by floor space, measuring 359 football pitches in size!"
Dubai airport is now "With a
staggering 344,000 flights, 57 million passengers and 2 million tons of cargo flying in and out each year, it is the
world’s third busiest airport for international passengers."
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© Liz Price
No reproduction without permission
the jury is still out between SIN and DBX. But are they as efficient as Changi?
ReplyDeleteHi Liz, You give me a better impression of Dubai than my niece who works there as a manager for a Malaysian company. Dubai is planned to replace oil economy for the future, right ?
ReplyDeleteI don't know if they are as efficient as Changi, but from what I saw, they are very efficient. Just the way we were greeted when our flight arrived late and taken right to the next gate was nice. The other thing I noticed is that they must have 1000's of staff working to run the airport, many overseas staff, even the duty frees seem to be staffed by many non Dubians.
ReplyDeleteKLIA could certainly learn a lesson or two from Dubai (and Changi).
I guess your niece has a better insight into life in Dubai if she works there. It''s a place that has certainly grown in leaps and bounds over the years, thanks to oil. I don't know what the future holds for them.
ReplyDelete