From Covid tests to canceled flights, flying in 2020 can be pretty stressful.
So a little piece of good news is that if you’re stopping over in Dubai for more than 10 hours, Emirates airline might throw in a free hotel stay.
The United Arab Emirates flag carrier is resuming its Dubai Connect service on December 1, making travel a little easier for people navigating flight schedules altered by the coronavirus pandemic.
To book the service, you need to be a transit passenger traveling on two Emirates flights, using the best available connection for your chosen journey – so no cheating by booking a flight with a longer layover.
If your layover is between 10 and 24 hours, you could qualify for a complimentary night at a four- or five-star hotel, plus airport ground transfers, meals at the hotel, and assistance with your UAE visa on arrival, if required.
You can expect to stay at the four-star Copthorne Hotel Dubai or the five-star Le Meridien Dubai Hotel & Conference Centre, but the airline must also put passengers up at alternative accommodation.
The service is open to all passengers, no matter the travel class – unless they’re traveling to a destination which requires a PCR test for Covid-19 on arrival.
In that case, business and first class passengers might get a stay at the Dubai International Hotel at Dubai Airport – depending on availability – and given access to Emirates’ Dubai Connect airport lounge.
The lounge has facilities for eating, drinking and unwinding, and economy passengers on longer stopovers will also get the chance to hang out here.
Earlier this year Emirates became the first airline to offer to cover customers’ medical expenses and quarantine costs should they contract Covid-19 during their trip.