[phamilyman]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

There is no limit to the amount of shopping you can do at duty free at dubai. for any liquid items they may ask you to pay for the product purchased and issue you a receipt. You will be handed the bags with your purchase articles right before boarding. That is what is followed at JFK so I guess it must be the same in Dubai too.

Sorry boss, you are mistaken.

Your duty free entitlements depend upon two issues:
a. the country of destination
b. the next transit point for liquids aerosols and gels.

reg a. FAQ - Changi Airport
Baggage Rules at a glance - CBEC are examples.

reg b. Baggage | Frequently Asked Questions | Help | Emirates (search for "STEBs Accepted")
So clearly if you are transiting at Dubai with liquids bought from Indian departure duty free, then they will destroy it. But you are allowed to bring it into India. If you will later transit onto a domestic in India, you must check it into your checkin luggage before you embark on your domestic flight.

regarding liquids restrictions, read this: EUROPA - Press Releases - Aviation security: EU acts against liquid explosivesQuestions and answers
(basically transit airports do not allow liquids above a minimum volume to be carried by transit passengers - even those must be within STEBS)

[alpha1]

1. Why do you ppl rush to queue up at the boarding gate? Is it that someone else will take your seat on the plane?

2. Why do you ppl rush to get out the aircraft as soon as it touches down on the runway. Someone's gonna run away with your checked-in luggage? Or is it that the statistics show that most plane crashes occur after touchdown. (In which case, the gates are anyway not opened yet! - so where will you run off to?)

[binand]

I have my own theory about these two questions:

Originally Posted by alpha1

1. Why do you ppl rush to queue up at the boarding gate? Is it that someone else will take your seat on the plane?

It is not about the seat - it is about the overhead hatch space. Most people I see travel with a suitcase-on-wheels and a laptop bag (even though DGCA says 1 bag per person). This means that the hatch space is often not sufficient to store everyone's cabin baggage. You get in late, you have to hunt for space to store your stuff and then you can't be the first off the plane (see below).

Originally Posted by alpha1

2. Why do you ppl rush to get out the aircraft as soon as it touches down on the runway. Someone's gonna run away with your checked-in luggage?

The people who do that typically don't have checked-in baggage (see above - everything is cabin baggage for them). The rush is to get out of the airport ahead of everyone else. The difference between the first bus and the second bus from the plane to the terminal in a place like Mumbai could be just five minutes, but could balloon into an hour by the time you reach your eventual destination.

[ASHISHPALLOD]

Originally Posted by alpha1

1. Why do you ppl rush to queue up at the boarding gate? Is it that someone else will take your seat on the plane?

2. Why do you ppl rush to get out the aircraft as soon as it touches down on the runway.

Its simple buddy.

1] People rush to queue up at the boarding gate to get in the plane to see the lady in dress as soon as possible.

2] People rush to the door of the plane as it touches down the runway to get good view of the lady in dress in galley.


Just kidding,
eager to read more on this topic.

[mr.sinha]

While Emirates is one of my favorite and preferable airlines for my numerous flights between New York and Bangalore/Kolkata, I have found a noticeable difference in their in-flight service between the India-Dubai sector and the Dubai-US sector. Not just the inflight service, even the condition of the aircrafts and the quality of the I.C.E. system and entertainment offerings have a marked difference. The BLR-DXB flights are still better than the CCU-DXB flights, whereas the DXB-JFK flights provide top-notch service.

I wonder why.

BTW, flew in their A380 aircrafts a few times, but sitting in economy, you don't see any difference between their workhorse B777 aircrafts and this one. You get the same 3+4+3 configuration in the economy cabin. I never ventured up to the A380's 2nd floor lounge area, perhaps to avoid any flight attendant's questioning glance of "what are you doing here?"

BTW2, if you wish to smoke in Dubai airport, try to avoid their designated smoking room. Its so thick with smoke, you can literally choke in there. But there is an Irish pub a few steps away where you can order a cup of coffee/beer and they allow smoking inside. This is for informational purposes only. I am not endorsing smoking here.

[binand]

Originally Posted by mr.sinha

I have found a noticeable difference in their in-flight service between the India-Dubai sector and the Dubai-US sector.

Spot on. When I was doing HYD/MAA-DXB-LHR/LGW 2-3 times a year (2004-2007 timeframe), I have noticed this too. My best guess is that the folks travelling the India-Dubai section are perceived to be of a different social standing than the ones doing Dubai-Europe (EK sometimes had cheaper fares than even IC then), and are treated differently too.

Originally Posted by mr.sinha

But there is an Irish pub a few steps away where you can order a cup of coffee/beer and they allow smoking inside.

I kicked the habit as the new year resolution of 2008. But when I used to, I was also a Skywards silver member so had access to the lounge and its smoking area (free booze+food+internet+smoker's zone).

[alpha1]

Originally Posted by binand

I have my own theory about these two questions:



It is not about the seat - it is about the overhead hatch space. Most people I see travel with a suitcase-on-wheels and a laptop bag (even though DGCA says 1 bag per person). This means that the hatch space is often not sufficient to store everyone's cabin baggage. You get in late, you have to hunt for space to store your stuff and then you can't be the first off the plane (see below).



The people who do that typically don't have checked-in baggage (see above - everything is cabin baggage for them). The rush is to get out of the airport ahead of everyone else. The difference between the first bus and the second bus from the plane to the terminal in a place like Mumbai could be just five minutes, but could balloon into an hour by the time you reach your eventual destination.

1. Yes this might be true. I travel light and thus, haven't faced issue no.1 ever.

2. For the second point, I would disagree. Traffic conditions are going to remain the same. Being 5 minutes late boarding the bus, is going to make you late by 5 minutes at your destination also.

Otherwise what you suggest implies that traffic in Bombay grows exponentially with time. So using a little maths it means that getting late in boarding the bus by 15 mins would result in being late at destination by 3 hours!!!

Well in any case (ignoring what I said above) unless you stay at Vile Parle or Andheri, you're gonna take half a day to reach your office/home from the airport. :-). So traffic jam is a great equalizer, not differentiator.

A person gets out 5 min earlier will reach in 2 hours.
A person gets out 10 min later will reach in 2.15 hours.
15 mins doesn't matter that much in 2 hours time frame!

Originally Posted by ASHISHPALLOD

Its simple buddy.

1] People rush to queue up at the boarding gate to get in the plane to see the lady in dress as soon as possible.

2] People rush to the door of the plane as it touches down the runway to get good view of the lady in dress in galley.


Just kidding,
eager to read more on this topic.

I have a feel that its more of the same ol' herd instinct that drives everything else in this world.

One person is impatient - because that's his nature. And the rest seeing him queue up, start queing up after him. No one even cares to pause and think why they are doing it, and is it of any real benefit to them.

[binand]

Originally Posted by alpha1

2. For the second point, I would disagree. Traffic conditions are going to remain the same. Being 5 minutes late boarding the bus, is going to make you late by 5 minutes at your destination also.

Otherwise what you suggest implies that traffic in Bombay grows exponentially with time. So using a little maths it means that getting late in boarding the bus by 15 mins would result in being late at destination by 3 hours!!!

I wasn't talking only of traffic. Being on the first bus in Mumbai means you are likely to be at the front of the queue at the Meru booking desk. Being on the second bus means you are probably 20th or so in the queue. Given Meru (and all others) are seriously short-cabbed, that could mean you end up waiting upto 30-45 minutes for a cab (I face this routinely).

Similarly, in Bangalore for example - the difference between the first bus and the second bus could mean you miss the BIAL Volvo bus due now, and have to wait 30 minutes for the next one going your way.

[mav2000]

Well those who want to que up and go in first, by all means do so. It leaves me getting in a little later than those who like to que up and also makes us wait less in the aircraft for those who come a bit later. And I dont have to stand in a que..

[Thad E Ginathom]

Boarding a plane: best to be first or last, and, if last, no point in standing in that queue. Just remain comfortably seated until the tail of queue is boarding, then join it. After all, your seat will still be there. It is true that the later people may have a difficulty stowing carry-on luggage near their seat. If access during the flight is required, that's a problem, if not, the cabin crew will find a place for it, even if it means spiriting it away to stow in another class.

First and last in the queue can, thus, have a relatively comfortable time. Those in the middle have no choice but to stand and inch their way towards the gate.

[binand]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

First and last in the queue can, thus, have a relatively comfortable time. Those in the middle have no choice but to stand and inch their way towards the gate.

I usually wait till the end of the queue; for me (and others like me, who prefer aisle seats) boarding the plane early is an inconvenience as I have to get up and make way twice for other passengers during the boarding process - which can be quite a hassle.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Ideal situation, on Tiger Airways to Singapore: book the front bulkhead seats and be close to the front of the queue. It is just not possible for anyone else to block the way, and can be seated in seconds.

Waiting until the end was my wife's idea --- and she never flew before she met me. "Why don't we just sit and wait?"

Doh!

[nitin.rai]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Boarding a plane: best to be first or last, and, if last, no point in standing in that queue. Just remain comfortably seated until the tail of queue is boarding, then join it. After all, your seat will still be there. It is true that the later people may have a difficulty stowing carry-on luggage near their seat. If access during the flight is required, that's a problem, if not, the cabin crew will find a place for it, even if it means spiriting it away to stow in another class.

First and last in the queue can, thus, have a relatively comfortable time. Those in the middle have no choice but to stand and inch their way towards the gate.

Plus if you go in the end; there's a high probability of getting a business class upgrade. I get about 1 in 3 Business upgrades on domestic
They always overbook.

Rest of the times; I get the last few seats. Easier to strike a conversation with the pretty hostess.

[mr.sinha]

Originally Posted by nitin.rai

Rest of the times; I get the last few seats. Easier to strike a conversation with the pretty hostess.

This does not work out when flying on American carriers. Because they simply don't employ "pretty hostesses" anymore.
Works better in my personal favorite Jet Airways though on international routes.

[nitin.rai]

Originally Posted by mr.sinha

This does not work out when flying on American carriers. Because they simply don't employ "pretty hostesses" anymore.
Works better in my personal favorite Jet Airways though on international routes.

Haha, American; specially the 292 & 293; reminds me of a crèche!