All there is to do is to shop the duty free goods at the airport. Whilst this seems like a dream, it also does not really fascinate the traveler whose main purpose is merely to connect to their next flight.
All in the name of Emirates, passengers have chosen the low cost tickets that Emirates offers for a trip from Johannesburg to London. But the ticket comes with the price of having to put themselves through long hours of waiting at the Dubai airport.
We spoke to Robin, a chef working in the northern parts of Johannesburg. She tells about a skiing trip she took to Switzerland with friends. What seemed like a bargain turned out to be emotionally exhausting trip that took away from the fun of skiing.
Robin and her best friend Greg had been planning this trip for months; they had booked tickets via the internet and chosen Emirates as the perfect airline because of their low costs. With the skiing gear neatly packed in their bags, and their airplane tickets ready, they boarded the glam Emirates plane that promised them a wonderful time ahead.
“Their planes are awesome. They have the best entertainment system and the best service we had ever seen in our lives. They are ahead and I respect them for their wonderful service, but we hadn’t anticipated the mishaps that would take place after our long flight to Dubai.”
With a selection of up to a thousand movies to choose from, comfortable seating and decent leg room, Emirates had quickly scored points for these two, but little did they know that this build up was only to be met with an uncomfortable transit stop and drama.
“I have never waited so long for a plane -- and only to have my luggage lost.”
After four long hours of waiting and airport wandering, Robin and Greg left Dubai feeling exhausted and not so enthusiastic about Emirates and the trip they still had ahead of them. The anxiety of waiting on the uncomfortable chairs made them lose out on an extra four hours of their sleep. And to make matters worse, when they arrived, their luggage had gone missing. For four days, they went without their skiing equipment. What seemed like a dream trip had turned out to be a nightmare, and all of a sudden, Emirates seemed like a catalyst to their misfortune.
Help them feel less anxious about transit stops.
Robin and Greg are not the only people who avoid Emirates because of their long transit stop.
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“People have nothing against the Emirates brand. If anything they respect them,” says Victoria, a travel agent based in Rosebank. "But clients are not happy with the akward routing the airline offers. And most ask about Emirates but are sometimes not very keen on flying with them again because they just find it unnecessary to go to a destination they did not set their hearts on. It really leaves travelers feeling exhausted and at risk for mishaps."
Whilst people are looking for bargains and a means of getting to their preferred destination, they also weigh up the cost and hours spent worrying and rectifying mistakes made by airlines. Flying for these people, is a risk and not just a life risk but a risk of an incomplete experience. Flying and connecting means more hours of airport scuffle, panic, delayed flights and worst of all, luggage loss. Flying and connecting means meeting your worse demons of loneliness and anxiety if you are travelling alone. It means the worry of not reaching your destination in one piece.
So whilst people are keen on exploring, they are also looking for an easier way to get to their destination. They want as little hassle as possible and feel that losing even a minute on their trip are moments lost exploring. It takes away from the fun and experimentation of your destination, it dampens your mood and leaves you vulnerable to fights and misconduct by the airline. To avoid this experience, most people do not even consider Emirates when going to Europe.
For frequent flyers, Emirates is one of the best airlines in the Eastern part of the world, but it is a limited one. To travelers, Emirates means Dubai. Any other destination brings forward the woes and worries.
Make travel less of a gamble and more of a reward.
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