UAE 5 July 2021: As school holidays commence, and travel restrictions around the globe are easing, Etihad Airways Emirates airline are seeing a peak in travel this summer and have issued holiday rush alerts.
To ensure passengers enjoy a convenient and safe travel experience during this busy summer period, all travellers are encouraged to arrive early and allow plenty of time at the airport. Etihad Airways has a number of travel tips and reminders to make it easier for you:
Verified to Fly: Etihad has extended its ‘Verified to Fly’ travel document initiative across its entire network. Travellers can validate their Covid-19 travel documents online before arriving at the airport, and then access the fast track ‘Verified to Fly’ check-in desks at the airport to beat the queues.
To use the service, simply visit ‘Manage my Booking’ on etihad.com and follow the simple instructions to upload and submit travel documents. Guests will receive confirmation once their documents have been approved in line with government requirements.
Guests will enjoy the assurance that when they arrive at the airport, they have already met all Covid travel requirements and can fast track their check-in.
Home Check-in: Guests can also check in for their Etihad flight from the comfort of their own home by visiting etihad.com/homecheckin up to seven hours before their flight. This means passengers can check in their bags, choose their seat and collect their boarding pass and luggage tags from their home in Abu Dhabi. The service starts from just Dh220 for up to four bags, irrespective of the number of passengers.
Once at Abu Dhabi International Airport, all non-transit passengers who have used the home check-in service can skip the queues bag-free, making the airport journey seamless. Luggage will need to be collected at the destination baggage belt.
Check-in and Boarding Times: During peak times, Economy Class check-in for non-US flights opens four hours before departure and closes one hour before departure. Guests are encouraged to arrive early and allow plenty of time. Business and First class check-in closes 45 minutes before departure. Boarding for all Etihad Airways departures closes 20 minutes prior to departure for guests in all classes.
Guests travelling to destinations in the US will benefit from the US Customs and Border Protection facility at Abu Dhabi International Airport which means they complete all immigration and customs formalities in Abu Dhabi before departing. Guests must check in two hours before departure and present themselves at the US Customs and Border Protection facility no later than 90 minutes before departure.
Emirates gears up for busy summer holiday travel
Emirates said it is expecting more than 450,000 passengers to travel from, to and through Terminal 3 at Dubai International Airport over the course of two weekends on over 1,600 flights. The busiest days for the airline will be the next two weekends, 2-3 July and 9-10 July, although high passenger traffic is expected to run through 12 July.
In addition, close to 100,000 passengers will be arriving into Dubai on Emirates flights to start their summer holidays during that same period.
All Emirates and DXB touchpoints are fully prepared to manage the increase in passenger traffic, with measures and protocols in place designed to enhance safety as customers move through Terminal 3. Along with industry-leading contactless technologies and biometric journeys, Emirates customers can travel with assurance that the airline and its partners have spared no effort to make the airport journey as safe and smooth as possible.
This includes robust and consistent cleaning protocols for high traffic areas such as seats and handrails; modern cleaning technologies for surfaces in Emirates’ dedicated lounges keeping them germ free for longer; social distancing measures through floor markings, signage and airport employees safely managing the flow of passengers; hand sanitising stations as well as Plexiglas partitions at Emirates check-in desks and in Emirates Lounges, amongst numerous other measures.
Three hours before departure: Customers are strongly urged to arrive at the airport at least three hours before their flight departure to avoid delays. Passengers are encouraged to build in extra time for their journey with expected heavy road traffic coming into Terminal 3.
Customers are also reminded to review the latest travel requirements to their booked destination, including whether forms, vaccination certificates or negative PCR tests are required on the Emirates Travel Hub, which has the latest information for every country on the airline’s route network.
Customers can physically check-in and drop off their luggage at any Emirates counter 24 hours before departure.* All passengers physically checking in at the airport are requested to check in no later than 3 hours prior to departure. Customers who present themselves less than 60 minutes prior to their scheduled flight departure will not be accepted for travel. They can also check in online 48 hours to 90 minutes before flight departure. Those who opt to check-in online are reminded to visit the Emirates check-in counters or contactless kiosks to complete the required travel documentation checks and formalities.
Customers are also advised to make sure they get to their boarding gate on time. Gates open 90 minutes before departure, boarding starts 45 minutes before each flight and gates close 20 minutes before departure. If passengers report late Emirates will not be able to accept them for travel. Check-in and gate closure timings are strictly followed for on-time departures.
Touchless, paperless experience: Emirates customers can look forward to an easier and hassle-free airport experience with contactless check-in, its biometric path and enhanced digital verification of Covid-19 medical information. The airline has sharpened its focus on technologies and services that optimise passenger processing to minimise queues, for a fast-tracked experience that prioritises safety and efficiency.
Significantly reducing wait times, Emirates’ contactless kiosks are completely controlled by personal mobile devices without the need to touch the screens; providing another way passengers can enjoy a safe and efficient pre-boarding experience. Along with check-in, customers can choose seats on board, drop off their bags, and even pay for ancillary products like extra baggage.**
Customers can also utilise Emirates’ biometric path for a contactless journey via 18 check-in desks and 7 biometric boarding gates, with virtually no document checks and less queuing.
Emirates is also leading the way in providing more ways for its customers to fulfil their pre-departure health requirements through digital verification. Customers flying between Dubai and London, Barcelona, Madrid, Istanbul, New York JFK, Moscow, Frankfurt, Charles De Gaulle, and Amsterdam can also now use the IATA Travel Pass to manage their Covid-19 travel documentation, including vaccination and latest PCR test results. The airline is progressing on plans to roll-out the IATA Travel Pass solution across its global network this summer.
In July, Emirates will also connect the Alhosn app with its check-in systems, in addition to its existing integration with the Dubai Health Authority (DHA). Customers will have the advantage of digital retrieval and verification of Covid-19 medical records for a paperless experience regardless of where in the UAE they had completed their vaccination, or Covid-19 PCR and antigen tests.
Emirates will also be reopening its dedicated First Class Lounge in Concourse B for its customers on 1 July to cater to the surge in passenger demand, particularly in the premium classes. With a seating capacity for 540 customers and more space between seating and dining areas, the First Class Lounge will offer a luxurious retreat before departure.
*Except for flights to the USA
**The contactless kiosk service is available to all destinations except to the US, Canada, China, India and Hong Kong due to additional requirements from these destinations.
