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Tag: T3 at DXB View All Tags

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Adventures of Link: No Shambolism in the Emirates

October 14, 2008 at 5:15 PM | by pbb | 0 Comments

Is an authoritarian government the secret to a successful new airport terminal launch? After the debacle at T5 at London Heathrow, China opened its T3 in Beijing without a hiccup. And Dubai managed to effortlessly welcome passengers to its new T3 today.

It probably helps that only a single airline, Emirates, is occupying the new terminal. That should reassure JetBlue, which already had to postpone its move to JFK's T5 once. The first flights there are now slated for October 22.

Related Stories:
· Liveblogging the New Terminal [Gulf News]
· Dubai Airport Terminal 3 Keeps Its Date [Khaleej Times]
· Smooth Start for Emirates Terminal [Xpress]
· Terminal 3 to Welcome Passengers [Emirates Business]

[Photo: Wikimedia]

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Dubai Travel: DXB Terminal 3 Opening Tomorrow

October 13, 2008 at 9:30 AM | by amandak | 0 Comments

Finally, some news from Dubai that isn't bragging about being a world first. Dubai Airport's new Terminal 3 is due to open tomorrow after some thorough testing. Emirates flights to the Americas and neighbor Gulf countries will be the first to move to Terminal 3.

We're intrigued by one aspect of the new terminal:

Features of the new facility include check-in counters within the terminal car park, allowing passengers to check in well in advance of their flight, return home, and then arrive back at the terminal for their departure.

So instead of waiting around in a check-in line for an hour or two, they want us to rock up half a day earlier, check in then disappear for a few hours? Sure, the airport is just a couple of miles out of town but we're seeing our entire day turn into an airport experience. And that is not what we want, so we'll be avoiding the super-advance-check-in counters, thanks.

Related Stories:
· Dubai's Terminal 3 to Open [Business Traveller]
· Dubai Terminal Test Gets Big Turnout [Jaunted]
· Yawn. Another World's First For Dubai [Jaunted]

[Still shot from Emirates Terminal 3 Video]

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Dubai Terminal Test Gets Big Turnout

August 15, 2008 at 12:15 PM | by pbb | 0 Comments

When JetBlue announced earlier this summer that it'd need volunteers to test out its new terminal at JFK, pretty much everyone rolled their eyes. Seriously, who'd want to spend all day at the airport and not even go anywhere? Apparently more than 2,000 people in Dubai, who recently stopped by DXB to check out its new Terminal 3.

The volunteers poured through the new facility, which is scheduled to open sometime this year, checking out the gate areas, immigration and, of course, the bathrooms. Another batch of volunteers will test the terminal later this month and a third trial is scheduled for September. Though only a couple thousand people at a time are transiting the building now, airport officials expect more than 30 million passengers a year once T3 opens.

If you want to get a sneak peak yourself, sign up for the terminal test here.

Related Stories:
· Dubai Airport conducts First Major Trail at T3 [Official Site]
· JetBlue, Pick Us for Your Secret Terminal 5 Test! [Jaunted]
· Dubai Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo of T3 under construction: Wikimedia]