[DXB] Any lounge for Biz pax on TG?

[Kyo]

QUESTION:

Flying in from IST (Istanbul), will have to do a <15hrs stopover in Dubai - it will be quite a long wait for a TG flight ex DXB (Dubai) to Bangkok (BKK) as arriving early, early morning and departing only in the evening on the same day.

I have a feeling Dubai is gonna be wayyyy too expensive to bother with a hotel for <15 hours. Therefore, I was wondering if TG has a *A-contracted lounge in DXB?

Will be flying TG Business Class, no status (not even *S).

All who have transited in Dubai (especially with TG status or Biz/First pax), please advise...

Thanks in advance! I need to book this ticket quick fast!

ANSWER: LH *A lounge will accept C or F or *G, ROP passengers. However for some odd reason, the lounge is not open between 9am - 3pm. (This, they are re-confirming if this is a 24-hour lounge as the computer system showed opening hours of 15:00PM - 00:00AM, and then 00:01 - 09:00)

[matt_will_fix_it]

there is only one *A lounge in DXB, the lufthansa one... I wouldn't want to spend 15 hours in there!

[Kyo]

Ooh... airport hotel... I like the sound of that, but it also sounds expensive

(very much looking forward to my time in Dubai, but have since realised it's not 15 hours I have, only a 12 hours, 45 mins stopover)

I also hope to be a humble traveller like SQ LPP... except, unlike him, I *really* have no status

[SQ LPP]

(very much looking forward to my time in Dubai, but have since realised it's not 15 hours I have, only a 12 hours, 45 mins stopover)

Part of traveling is exploring new things. You are lucky in the sense that you don't need to worry about requirement (such as visa) to enter many countries in the world. If I were you, 12 hours and 45 minutes is so much time to explore something new. If dot dot dots permit (or is it called tumi porn according to taipeiflyer ), I would do that as well. I have visited many cities when the connection is that long. Springs to mind, I have been to Frankfurt for less than 12 hours, even London where it took an hour to take the tube to Oxford St. Even, I did visit Narita City, and even Tokyo while having long connection around 11 hours.


Note: You said that you are taking TG to BKK from DXB. Thus the departure would be around 1040pm. Thus basically you will be in transit during the day (from 10am?). It's more logical in my opinion to go out and explore a new place. What's the appealing component in your mind that make you think you are better off waiting at the lounge for 12 hours?

[matt_will_fix_it]

Also if you can travel light, they should be able to check your luggage straight thru to the destination, so save having to collect your bags, lug them around all day, and then check back in... also if u get your boarding pass issued for all legs of the journey it saves on check-in times & should be able to straight thru to security...

dubai is an interesting place to visit for the day (wouldn't want to stay much longer mind you )... also u could pop into the gold souk to find something for the missus to impress her with when you return...

[Kyo]

Thanks for all the replies - very much appreciated.

In case you are all wondering why I'm asking, due to a combination of travel times etc - things are going to be a *little* bit more complicated instead of straightforward:

After the Vienna DO (which ends on the 28th of September), I will have to depart on the morning of the 28th...

VIE-IST 13:20-16:35 on Austrian Airlines (28th PM of Sept)

IST-DXB 23:25-04:55 on Turkish Airlines (28 PM - 29th early AM)

DXB-BKK 17:40-05:25 on Thai Airways (29th PM - 30th early AM)

So, as you can see... I will be in Dubai during the day time, morning, hopefully not too tired and exploring the souk (definitely will see the gold souk) etc.

I will be travelling with probably two cabin-size bags (and probably a box of sacher torte in tow).

Therefore, I don't think I can check this in at VIE and expect it to go all the way through on 3 different airlines to Bangkok, some 2-3 days later, right? I'm also not keen to carry a huge chocolate cake through the Dubai dessert. For fear of melting... or being attacked by hungry camels.

SQ LPP: The appeal is showering myself off before going on board the TG flight to Bangkok (I don't think I will smell too good after 3 days otherwise).

SQFAN: I might be travelling on J, but Dubai isn't exactly known for being affordable. At all. In fact, rather the opposite... don't they charge something like $50 or $75usd just to have coffee at the Burj Al Arab (which I also have to visit for sure)..

matt_will_fix_it: Believe me, there's nothing I want more than to check in one of my cabin-sized bags all the way through, and maybe leave the other one in a locker or something til I get back to the airport. Just that... 3 airports, 3 cities, 3 days... no idea if this works or not?!!

I will definitely need a break in a lounge if I can get it in Dubai before flying into Thailand.

[kpc]

Do you have a Diners club card?
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showp...72&postcount=9

[matt_will_fix_it]

SQ LPP: The appeal is showering myself off before going on board the TG flight to Bangkok (I don't think I will smell too good after 3 days otherwise).

There aren't any showers in the Lufthansa lounge... but you've got Priority Pass, right? There are 2 PP lounges in DXB... but can't remember if they have a shower or not...

[Kyo]

kpc: No Diners card, but will consider getting one on this basis... rather reluctant, but will definitely keep it in mind.

matt_will_fix_it: I do indeed hold Priority Pass yes, still 2 unused passes on it...

[aerosmith]

Below is extracted from the Priority Pass directory and this lounge in DXB has shower facilities:

Lounge DCA BUSINESS CLASS LOUNGE
Location Terminal 1
Airside - between Gates 8 and 10.
Hours 24 hours daily.
Conditions Maximum 5 hour stay - Separate smoking area available.

[Kyo]

Thanks for all the replies, I'm going to call up Thai to see what they can offer in Dubai as their website isn't helpful at all.

Nor Google.

[nickbot]

Not sure if this is of any use (you've probably seen it via Google search)

[SQ LPP]

SQ LPP: The appeal is showering myself off before going on board the TG flight to Bangkok (I don't think I will smell too good after 3 days otherwise).

Are you going to shower from 5am till 5pm?
The thing that you have checked now should be "is there any left luggage at DXB." With that, it makes it handy to see the sight. Come back at 3pm and you still have plenty of time to shower, at the lounge or perhaps there is paid facility as well.

Regarding expenses, well of course you need some. But you have to make priority as well as adjusting your budget. And hopefully you catch my drift here.

[jhm]

Therefore, I don't think I can check this in at VIE and expect it to go all the way through on 3 different airlines to Bangkok, some 2-3 days later, right?

You can always try asking. All your flights are on *A and none of your transits require an overnight.

Luggage interlining on 3 different airlines (on different alliances even) isn't that unusual.

SQFAN: I might be travelling on J, but Dubai isn't exactly known for being affordable. At all. In fact, rather the opposite... don't they charge something like $50 or $75usd just to have coffee at the Burj Al Arab (which I also have to visit for sure).

Well, if you like totally over the top, tacky and tasteless decor... And want to pay through the nose for the privilege...

I don't think all hotels are very expensive, e.g. I stayed at the LM Dubai (with a free shuttle service to the airport) when I transited through DXB.

[Kyo]

aerosmith: Very helpful (our posts must have crossed as I might have left the browser open in this thread for awhile whilst typing out this reply) - excellent fallback option.

nickbot: Actually I re-read that again and gleaned a bit more information from it. I may well sign up for Diner's as a result...

SQ LPP: It's a pity TG has no showers on their aeroplane (I may not need a 12-hour shower but at some point, I will need one to show consideration for the sake of my fellow passengers who I'm sure will not want the stench of someone smelling of a Turkish kebab + Dubaian camels). I hope there is somewhere / some locker to store my luggage, as I really do not want to be dragging along two cabin-sized bags and a chocolate cake for the lady halfway across the desert.

Also thanks for pointing out the 10:40 departure (I didn't book that one because I wanted some time in Dubai, since I'm there already, and there just happened to be availability - of course, I checked first).

Money-wise, having expenses is definitely important. However in a city of oil-millionaires/billionaires, my own funds could well be extinguished faster than I could imagine! I may need the hidden Swiss bank account numbers + access codes of that evil CGK or risk returning back to Singapore on one of my ships...

SQFAN: Whilst I'm not certain how being an Australian (or any other nationality) would affect the Dubai-an experience, indeed, I do live by the principle of "If you don't know, ask". That's why I'm asking the gurus on SQTalk (and in the two months since I've joined officially, I have learnt a lot more than in the 2-years odd that I've lurked here, not to mention I've met some really wonderful and friendly people in real life).

People say that guys hate asking for advice - something to do with their egos, but I'll be the first to say I'd rather be safe than sorry in a foreign land. Also, I am happily secure in my sexuality that I have no problems asking... hehe

Seriously, I'd say this forum has some of the friendliest people I've ever met in an online community.

I also actually help to admin one myself, and the community here sure is a whole-lot gentler, for which I am ever grateful! Click here to see what I mean (the 10th result on Google search). The forums on that site had a link/thread two years ago that caused me to stumble upon SQTalk in the first place...

jhm: I will definitely ask - it may increase my chances of losing my luggage exponentially, though... I may just do some research on DXB / call up the airport to see if they have lockers large enough to store luggage suitable for my purposes whilst I run around.

As for the Burj - well, I'm only there for a very short while, and to be honest, I was not thinking that Dubai would be one of my stopovers, more like I had no other alternatives in order to return to Asia... am sure you know what I mean ... since I am there anyway, $75 or even $100usd for an experience of a life-time seems a 'must-do' thing for me. I've probably spent more on even less trivial things. And I am sure it will add +100 reads on my TR after this crazy VIE DO is over!

The High Tea at the Peninsula Hong Kong comes to mind... and their teensy cucumber sandwiches, heheh

All the above was said in a good-hearted spirit, and I certainly do hope nobody takes it the wrong way also. I'm really a LOT better off in terms of knowing DXB than I was 24 hours ago, so I am happy to have asked.