The Emirates Business Lounge at Dubai International Airport Terminal 3 is an apt demonstration of the popularity of executive travel in the Middle East.
I admit, my idea of business class is probably a little old-fashioned. I've previously visited lounges in Europe, usually stuffy small places peopled by a few gentlemen of a certain age reading the Financial Times and eating sandwiches. This is nothing like those.
For one thing it is huge. Climb the escalator past the scores of Duty Free shoppers and you are greeted by pretty much an entire floor of business-class facilities.
It is easy to get lost in this massive expanse. I counted at least four large and very well-stocked buffets providing hot and cold meals and snacks, complimentary drinks and a children’s food corner.
Who knew that so many children flew business class that they needed their own separate buffet, not to mention a children’s play area?
Emirates also offers two business centres stocked with computers for guests to use as well as showers, semi lie-flat couches to recline on if your stay is overnight, magazine racks, shoeshine services, a quiet area and a so-called "E zone" of videogames.
Unlike the lounges I’ve visited in the past, this traveller’s haven is teeming with dozens of people. It rather makes you wonder if anyone is travelling economy class any more.
I visited early in the morning to find the lounge so busy I struggled to find a vacant table.
The sheer numbers, as well as the long narrow design, meant there was always someone bustling past your table to get either in or out, so don’t bank on having a relaxing experience.
However, while rookie business travellers tend to gravitate to the seats and tables close to the main reception or the main restaurant, the seats located at the far end of the lounge are quieter and more out of the way. That’s the perfect spot to catch up on emails and have some downtime before you board the plane.
q&a plenty to do while you wait
Who can get into Emirates’ business class lounge?
Business class passengers. The lounge also allows access to economy passengers who are Silver, Gold and Platinum members of Emirates Skywards frequent flyer programme.
What’s the service like?
Being Emirates, the lounge has dozens of efficient staff who whip dirty glasses and plates away from your table with unimaginable speed.
Is it easy to work in the lounge?
Not in the main lounge area. The place is constantly bustling with people walking past, not to mention waiting staff and there is a constant stream of boarding announcements which make it hard to think or chat on the phone. However, the lounge does offer quiet areas and business areas which are less frantic.
What’s the Wi-Fi connection like?
I encountered problems connecting to the network. However, friendly staff were prepared to spend more than 10 minutes fiddling with my computer settings to connect me.
Is there anything else to keep me entertained if my flight gets delayed?
There are several extra services and additional rooms away from the main lounge. In fact, because of the maze of rooms, staff have put up complicated signs telling you where services can be found. These include shoeshine facilities, large, well-stocked racks of newspapers and magazines which include the Financial Times and The New York Times, and a spa. Cigar aficionados will also enjoy the cigar bar with big leather Chesterfield sofas.
lbarnard@thenational.ae
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LUKA CHUPPI
Director: Laxman Utekar
Producer: Maddock Films, Jio Cinema
Cast: Kartik Aaryan, Kriti Sanon, Pankaj Tripathi, Vinay Pathak, Aparshakti Khurana
Rating: 3/5
Sweet Tooth
Creator: Jim Mickle
Starring: Christian Convery, Nonso Anozie, Adeel Akhtar, Stefania LaVie Owen
Rating: 2.5/5
EMIRATES'S REVISED A350 DEPLOYMENT SCHEDULE
Edinburgh: November 4 (unchanged)
Bahrain: November 15 (from September 15); second daily service from January 1
Kuwait: November 15 (from September 16)
Mumbai: January 1 (from October 27)
Ahmedabad: January 1 (from October 27)
Colombo: January 2 (from January 1)
Muscat: March 1 (from December 1)
Lyon: March 1 (from December 1)
Bologna: March 1 (from December 1)
Source: Emirates
SPECS: Polestar 3
Engine: Long-range dual motor with 400V battery
Power: 360kW / 483bhp
Torque: 840Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 628km
0-100km/h: 4.7sec
Top speed: 210kph
Price: From Dh360,000
On sale: September
TWISTERS
Director:+Lee+Isaac+Chung
Starring:+Glen+Powell,+Daisy+Edgar-Jones,+Anthony+Ramos
Rating:+2.5/5
Getting there and where to stay
Etihad Airways operates seasonal flights from Abu Dhabi to Nice Côte d'Azur Airport. Services depart the UAE on Wednesdays and Sundays with outbound flights stopping briefly in Rome, return flights are non-stop. Fares start from Dh3,315, flights operate until September 18, 2022.
The Radisson Blu Hotel Nice offers a western location right on Promenade des Anglais with rooms overlooking the Bay of Angels. Stays are priced from €101 ($114), including taxes.
Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
MATCH INFO
Everton v Tottenham, Sunday, 8.30pm (UAE)
Match is live on BeIN Sports
THE SPECS
Engine: Four-cylinder 2.5-litre
Transmission: Seven-speed auto
Power: 165hp
Torque: 241Nm
Price: Dh99,900 to Dh134,000
On sale: now
Fighting with My Family
Director: Stephen Merchant
Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Nick Frost, Lena Headey, Florence Pugh, Thomas Whilley, Tori Ellen Ross, Jack Lowden, Olivia Bernstone, Elroy Powell
Four stars
Non-oil trade
Non-oil trade between the UAE and Japan grew by 34 per cent over the past two years, according to data from the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre.
In 10 years, it has reached a total of Dh524.4 billion.
Cars topped the list of the top five commodities re-exported to Japan in 2022, with a value of Dh1.3 billion.
Jewellery and ornaments amounted to Dh150 million while precious metal scraps amounted to Dh105 million.
Raw aluminium was ranked first among the top five commodities exported to Japan.
Top of the list of commodities imported from Japan in 2022 was cars, with a value of Dh20.08 billion.
Company profile
Company name: FinFlx
Started: January 2021
Founders: Amr Yussif (co-founder and CEO), Mattieu Capelle (co-founder and CTO)
Based in: Dubai
Industry: FinTech
Funding size: $1.5m pre-seed
Investors: Venture capital - Y Combinator, 500 Global, Dubai Future District Fund, Fox Ventures, Vector Fintech. Also a number of angel investors
TRAINING FOR TOKYO
A typical week's training for Sebastian, who is competing at the ITU Abu Dhabi World Triathlon on March 8-9:
- Four swim sessions (14km)
- Three bike sessions (200km)
- Four run sessions (45km)
- Two strength and conditioning session (two hours)
- One session therapy session at DISC Dubai
- Two-three hours of stretching and self-maintenance of the body
ITU Abu Dhabi World Triathlon
For more information go to www.abudhabi.triathlon.org.
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace
Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Consoles: PC, PlayStation
Rating: 2/5
Last 10 NBA champions
2017: Golden State bt Cleveland 4-1
2016: Cleveland bt Golden State 4-3
2015: Golden State bt Cleveland 4-2
2014: San Antonio bt Miami 4-1
2013: Miami bt San Antonio 4-3
2012: Miami bt Oklahoma City 4-1
2011: Dallas bt Miami 4-2
2010: Los Angeles Lakers bt Boston 4-3
2009: Los Angeles Lakers bt Orlando 4-1
2008: Boston bt Los Angeles Lakers 4-2
COMPANY PROFILE
Company: Eco Way
Started: December 2023
Founder: Ivan Kroshnyi
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Electric vehicles
Investors: Bootstrapped with undisclosed funding. Looking to raise funds from outside
'I Want You Back'
Director:Jason Orley
Stars:Jenny Slate, Charlie Day
Rating:4/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Revibe
Started: 2022
Founders: Hamza Iraqui and Abdessamad Ben Zakour
Based: UAE
Industry: Refurbished electronics
Funds raised so far: $10m
Investors: Flat6Labs, Resonance and various others
Ads on social media can 'normalise' drugs
A UK report on youth social media habits commissioned by advocacy group Volteface found a quarter of young people were exposed to illegal drug dealers on social media.
The poll of 2,006 people aged 16-24 assessed their exposure to drug dealers online in a nationally representative survey.
Of those admitting to seeing drugs for sale online, 56 per cent saw them advertised on Snapchat, 55 per cent on Instagram and 47 per cent on Facebook.
Cannabis was the drug most pushed by online dealers, with 63 per cent of survey respondents claiming to have seen adverts on social media for the drug, followed by cocaine (26 per cent) and MDMA/ecstasy, with 24 per cent of people.
Maestro
Director: Bradley Cooper
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Carey Mulligan, Maya Hawke
Rating: 3/5
Company profile
Company: Rent Your Wardrobe
Date started: May 2021
Founder: Mamta Arora
Based: Dubai
Sector: Clothes rental subscription
Stage: Bootstrapped, self-funded