The DXB endurance workout. Dubai airport is your very own PT.

[Flying mermaid]

Do all passengers arriving into DXB on an international flight need to clear immigration upon disembarkation and prior to a connecting international flight?

No you are either transit or staying. If transit, you just go through a security check before entering the terminal from the plane (well we always have, but then we have never had an arrival gate, always a bus tour ).

 

[Quickstatus]

What happens at the inbound security check. LAG, shoes, jackets?

Daughter has to transfer from EK415 (A380) to a EK721 (B777) to NBO

Arrival is into T3 (Im assuming A gates as its an A380)
Then security check
Then get train to Concourse B (I assume B gates are here) then walk all the way to the other end to Concourse C (C gates are here?)
Last few days EK721 departed from C gates. Today it will depart from C6 which I think is one of the furthest gates from Concourse A

 

[Flying mermaid]

What happens at the inbound security check. LAG, shoes, jackets?

Usually which gates are the EK A380 gates?

Normal security check - laptop out, empty pockets. Shoes stay on I think unless you trigger something. Didn’t seem too worried about LAGs - I had them in my bag, but I just left them there as I didn’t have a plastic bag for them (had left it in the plane when we landed in Nairobi, as plastic bags are banned in Kenya and Rwanda), but it never seemed to cause a problem anywhere. Didn’t have very much though, most was in check in luggage,

Don’t know the answer to the second - I have never made sense of the gates. I thought concourse A was for the A380s, but coming home in an A380 we left from C.

 

[Himeno]

Do all passengers arriving into DXB on an international flight need to clear immigration upon disembarkation and prior to a connecting international flight?

No. The UAE isn't the US. Only need to clear UAE immigration and customs if staying in the UAE.

And can someone clarify the difference between Concourse and Terminal?

There are 3 terminals at DXB.
T3 is used by EK.
T2 is used the budget carriers.
T1 is used by everyone else.

T1 and 3 are on the same side of the airfield and are connected to the Dubai metro system.
T2 is on the other side of the airfield and is similar to T4 at MEL.
T1 and T3 are basically just check in, immigration, customs, baggage drop/collection and ground connection buildings. They are connected to the concourses by underground people movers/tunnels. Similar to T2 at HKG.

Concourses A, B, C and D are all midfield buildings connected again via people mover, buses and/or passages. The concourse buildings have transit security and everything else you would normally find on the airside of an airport.
Concourses A, B and C are associated with T3, Concourse D with T1.

Concourse A was designed for A380s, meaning that every gate has the gate seating to accommodate the larger pax amount and all gates have 3 jet bridges. While only some gates at the other concourses can accommodate A380s. T3 has 27 A380 gates, 20 in A, 5 in B and 2 in C.

 

[Flying mermaid]

What happens at the inbound security check. LAG, shoes, jackets?

Daughter has to transfer from EK415 (A380) to a EK721 (B777) to NBO

Arrival is into T3 (Im assuming A gates as its an A380)
Then security check
Then get train to Concourse B (I assume B gates are here) then walk all the way to the other end to Concourse C (C gates are here?)
Last few days EK721 departed from C gates. Today it will depart from C6 which I think is one of the furthest gates from Concourse A

when we went on EK721 in September it departed from B, so don’t assume anything. It’s a fair hike to walk through the B and C concourses - not crazily long, but not short either. It is all quite confusing the first time as well.

 

[PineappleSkip]

Do all passengers arriving into DXB on an international flight need to clear immigration upon disembarkation and prior to a connecting international flight?

Not generally. If not through-checked there are transfer desks in all the terminals where you can check in to your onward flight, and airside bus connections between all the terminals. You'd have to clear immigration if you have checked bags that aren't through checked AND you didn't want to pay for the Marhaba baggage transfer service (which will get bags retagged but comes at a cost).

For some airlines airside checkin starts about 3 hours before the flight is due to depart, with EK it's no problem checking in hours before.

And can someone clarify the difference between Concourse and Terminal?

Some maps here. For no apparent reason the gates aren't numbered on the maps .

For terminals 1 and 2 there's no difference. EK flights use terminal 3, which has three satellite arrival/departure buildings called concourses A, B and C, also called A, B and C gates.

The only thing that makes terminal 3 one terminal is that EK PAX clearing immigration or checking in at DXB use a common entry and exit via concourse B. Airside they feel like three interconnected terminals.

What happens at the inbound security check. LAG, shoes, jackets?

Inbound arriving into DXB bags are Xrayed AFTER immigration (irrelevant if transiting)

The outbound security check occurs before entering the departure level of a concourse. Shoes, jackets, belt off. For LAG being bagged the care factor is zero but large bottles of liquid won't get through. There are always friendly people in blue who can give directions at security gates.

Last few days EK721 departed from C gates.

Reconfirming that the departure concourse can and will vary. Been watching EK430, my next flight, and it departs from a B gate about 4/5 of the time and a C gate 1/5 of the time. Hoping for the former as I like the B gates F lounge with its nice dining area and shoeshine man .

Cheers skip

 

[Goodonya]

Haven't been through DXB for a while now and when I did it was on QF transiting to LHR so stayed in concourse A and never experienced the workout between terminals. Yesterday I arrived A-gates (around 5am) with the connecting flight to DUS at the C-gates (both A380s). I had a 3-hour transit with luggage checked through and boarding pass so didn't need to rush. From memory going through security check again was pretty straight forward and I didn't need to remove shoes or belt and I when I was about to remove my laptop and iPad from my backpack I was told it wasn't necessary and that I could leave them in the bag??? I made my way to the main F-lounge in Con-A where I was told my departure gate was C-22 and that I should allow 40 min to get there and that there was another F-Lounge next to gate C-20. With plenty of time I decided to take my time and allow an hour to get to C-22 at a leisurely pace and stayed for a shower and shave and had breakfast (Eggs Royale) before heading off. In retrospect it is along way. However I just followed the signs with the occasional construction works trying to confuse me. I was lucky to arrive just as a train was leaving for Concourse B, so didn't have to wait, then from Con-B just followed the signs to C-gates using the travelators (which were all working). From F-Lounge C-A to F-Lounge C-C it only took me a tad over 15 min. I walk fairly briskly and also walk on the travelators, but wasn't rushing. As mentioned by others the F-Lounge at Concourse C is smaller but pleasant enough. Having already eaten I didn't eat there but looked fine. There are also showers there but I didn't go in for a look to compare. From memory there is also a shoeshine man there near the entrance but my runners were fairly new so I gave it a miss

 

[NZflygirl]

One word = Doha (Qatar)

Hamad International is pretty easy to get around. The area around the big yellow teddy bear and finding lounges can be slightly confusing but it’s small really.

Security is a piece of cake. I guess the only downer might be lounge access given they differentiate based on cabin flown. I’m not personally fussed by it.

The spaces to hang out like television area, Internet, playground for kids and food court, restaurants look appealing and I’ve hung out before rather than go to the lounge.

It’s been a long time since I’ve been through DXB but these reports are not exactly encouraging despite some nice lounges.

 

[Flying mermaid]

One word = Doha (Qatar)

Hamad International is pretty easy to get around. The area around the big yellow teddy bear and finding lounges can be slightly confusing but it’s small really.

Security is a piece of cake. I guess the only downer might be lounge access given they differentiate based on cabin flown. I’m not personally fussed by it.

The spaces to hang out like television area, Internet, playground for kids and food court, restaurants look appealing and I’ve hung out before rather than go to the lounge.

It’s been a long time since I’ve been through DXB but these reports are not exactly encouraging despite some nice lounges.

we will be going through Doha in May, so will be able to compare I don’t mind Dubai - once you have done it once or twice it’s fine, just very big.

 

[kermatu]

I had a very easy transit through DXB earlier this week. Had a few hours between flights. Incoming A380 flight from SIN parked thankfully at a gate in concourse A. Very short walk and up escalators and lift to F lounge. I honestly don’t recall any security check on entering terminal. It was early morning and maybe all my airport transits are blurring into one. Stuck around in the A lounge for a while, had a massage, ate some ‘supper’. Lounge was very quiet, as always. Staff were great. Then about 90 minutes before my next flight I transferred to the B concourse. Took less than 10 minutes with the train. It was now about 6:30 am and the B F lounge restaurant was bustling. Short walk to B13 (one of the closest gates to the lounge).

Was dreading the transfer but I got extremely lucky this time, even with a concourse change.

 

[serfty]

I think I had B33 on the very East end of the building earlier this year - that's about a 600 metre obstacle course from the First lounge

 

[kermatu]

I think I had B33 on the very East end of the building earlier this year - that's about a 600 metre obstacle course from the First lounge

My luck somewhat ran out today. While we got a gate it was B1. A good 15 minute brisk (by my standard) walk to arrivals. A few travellators along the way but they were all quite short and not fast enough to compete with the faster riff raff J and Y pax (with long strides), making their way to immigration.