Over 1m passengers at Dubai Aiports for Eid; travel tips to survive rush

Eid holiday traffic will top one million passengers at Dubai International over the next four days as travellers seek a quick escape as summer draws to a close.

“We will see a quarter of a million passengers on average Thursday through Monday,” said Anita Mehra, Senior Vice President Communications & Reputation.

“As a result we are reminding passengers to give themselves a bit of extra time to get to and through the airport.

"We will be arranging a wide array of activities, as part of our Hangout@DXB initiative, to keep them entertained while they are here, on top of the world-leading duty free shopping and airport food and beverage options we already have on offer.”

During the Eid break passengers coming through the airport will be able to enjoy performances by African drummers, jugglers and dabka dancers, while virtual reality gaming enthusiasts will have the opportunity to try their hand at finding Pedro, DXB’s ‘resident penguin’.

There will be games across the terminals and prizes will be handed out to hundreds of lucky winners.

In addition to the festivities, the airport is also implementing detailed operational plans, boosting staff levels, intensifying communication efforts with it business partners to ensure a smooth operation.

Dubai Airports has also issued travel tips for passengers to help ease their flow through the facility during the holiday travel season.

• Be sure to check which airport and terminal you are departing from/arriving into beforehand. Passengers can confirm with their airline or check Dubaiairports.ae

• Arrive early at the airport. It is best to leave a minimum of three hours for check-in and passport control. Take into consideration daily rush hours and available routes in calculating your commuting time to the airport.

• Leave extra time for your journey to the airport as the roads will be very busy. Please say your goodbyes at home.

• Check with the airline in advance for information on your baggage allowance. Irrespective of the allowance, a single unit of baggage weighing more than 32kgs will not be accepted at check-in. You should expect to be charged for baggage in excess of the limit set by your respective airline.

• It is always simpler to pack liquids, aerosols and gels (LAGs) in your check-in baggage. However, if you have to carry LAGs in your hand luggage, make sure they are in a clear re-sealable plastic bag. Each item should not be more than 100ml and the total content of all items should not be more than one litre.

• Beat the queues by checking-in online or using the self-service check-in kiosks in the departures hall. Customers with baggage can make use of the quick-baggage drop counters, while those carrying only hand luggage can proceed directly to Immigration.

• Remember to put anything metal – watch, jewellery, mobile phone, coins, belt – into your hand luggage well before you arrive at the X-ray machine. This will save time at security screening.

• Using the e-Gate card helps avoid queuing at passport control, both while arriving and on departure. An eGate Card can be obtained from the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigner Affairs (immigration) for a fee. GDRFA have eGate counters in the departure areas of all terminals.

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