Emirates A380 to Dubai, the DXB F Lounge, and a glimpse of Islamabad

[yflyer]

Emirates F Lounge

I made my way to the Emirates F Lounge, one floor above the main departure area of T3 Concourse A.



After a quick scan of my boarding pass, I was welcomed into the main lounge.

At that point, I experienced a moment of disorientation. Beyond the grand entrance to the lounge, the doorway led...back to the terminal concourse. Where was the lounge?

It turns out the entire level of the terminal is the F lounge, which has facilities spread out across that whole level of T3 Concourse A, with two mirror images of lounge facilities to the left and right of the lounge entrance. What a concept! This was a terminal concourse built to handle the A380, with 18 A380-ready gates, and direct gate access from the F and J Lounges. This lounge has only been open for a year, since January 2013.



With this lounge layout, you had direct, private, access to the departure gates direct from the lounge, which meant you could linger in the lounge right up to boarding time, then stroll to a private entrance to your gate and take the elevator right down to the departure gate itself for boarding.

While SQ has "The Private Room", Emirates in effect has "The Private Terminal"...it was not busy at all when I was there. Perhaps it did get busy at certain times of the day, but not on both the occasions I visited in the evening. The atmosphere was one of space, serenity and elegance.

[yflyer]

There was also a dedicated duty free store within the F lounge with a wide selection of wines and liquor.

[yflyer]

I first headed to one of the lounge areas for a snack and some refreshments.





There was an exquisite selection of cheeses on offer. Someone in Emirates is a serious cheese lover...







There was of course champagne and wine available.



My eyes lit up when I saw the Leoville Las Cases 1989...





A glass of heaven...



Arabic coffee and dates were also available.



After a quick stop at the fine dining room, which had both table service and buffet options, I headed to a seating area close to my gate.



What I have covered thus far has barely scratched the surface of what this lounge offers. More on the fine dining options and other facilities available this lounge coming up later in this TR after the ISB-DXB-ISB segment...

It was soon time to board my flight, which I did through the private gate right in the F lounge...

[yflyer]

I flew once on EK's Y SIN-DXB-AMM. The former sector was flown on a 744. It was one of the most uncomfortable flights I have ever taken. If I recall correctly, it had a 3-5-3 config, and I was seated in dead centre. Looking forward to your TR on the 388.

Thanks, CarbonMan!

3-5-3? That's the stuff of nightmares. It must have been torture on a long sector like SIN-DXB!

I've not been to Amman or Jordan, but would like to visit one day...

[stargold]

I flew once on EK's Y SIN-DXB-AMM. The former sector was flown on a 744. It was one of the most uncomfortable flights I have ever taken. If I recall correctly, it had a 3-5-3 config, and I was seated in dead centre. Looking forward to your TR on the 388.

AFAIK EK never had any passenger 747s. And I can't say I've ever come across 3-5-3 on any 747 either.

[stargold]

What I have covered thus far has barely scratched the surface of what this lounge offers. More on the fine dining options and other facilities available this lounge coming up later in this TR after the ISB-DXB-ISB segment...

I recently experienced the EK F lounge, and although it was a mostly enjoyable and novel experience, it was simply too big to feel like a "lounge" and not unlike waiting in the main terminal, albeit with various luxury services in very sumptuous surroundings. I see they had no choice in order to offer the direct boarding, but I think I prefer "normal" sized lounges...

[CarbonMan]

They are very generous with their wine in the F lounge. I was in the EK J lounge earlier this year, and while the place was very large, the food was not very exciting and they gave me the feeling that they were controlling the alcohol - though I'm not sure whether it was for the reasons of keeping drunkenness down or cost control or for some other reason (one never knows in Dubai).

Very nice TR, yflyer! Great pics. Thanks.

Post scriptum: yes, Amman/Jordan is beautiful both as a place and as a people. And if you're a history buff, you'll be doubly thrilled. Spent a week there, and it wasn't enough. Now I deeply regret not having the time to go to Syria before the current madness.

[yflyer]

They are very generous with their wine in the F lounge.

Too generous...I had a feeling that I could have had the entire bottle Leoville Las Cases 1989 if I had the capacity to do so...

Very nice TR, yflyer!

Thanks, CarbonMan! More coming up...

Post scriptum: yes, Amman/Jordan is beautiful both as a place and as a people. And if you're a history buff, you'll be doubly thrilled. Spent a week there, and it wasn't enough. Now I deeply regret not having the time to go to Syria before the current madness.

Yes, so much history in these places. Hopefully there will be some of it left when I eventually get a chance to visit...

[yflyer]

I recently experienced the EK F lounge, and although it was a mostly enjoyable and novel experience, it was simply too big to feel like a "lounge" and not unlike waiting in the main terminal, albeit with various luxury services in very sumptuous surroundings. I see they had no choice in order to offer the direct boarding, but I think I prefer "normal" sized lounges...

Yes, quite a different experience...as I mentioned it was a little disorientating at first, but I grew to like the concept. A refreshingly different and innovative approach...

[yflyer]

My onward flight from Dubai to Islamabad was on a 2-class 777-300ER with 2-3-2 in J and 3-4-3 in Y. A stark contrast to the spaciousness of the A380.

A peak in J…where is that little boy going?



The J seat...



And finally Y…

[yflyer]

This was a 2.5 hour flight with a 3am departure. It could be argued that no matter what kind of seat you got, no-one was going to get a good night’s rest given the flight timing and duration…a worst case scenario then.

I got to my seat, donned a pair of eye-shades and closed my eyes, skipping the onboard breakfast.

When I next opened my eyes we were close to Islamabad.



Scenery out the window was spectacular, with snow-capped mountains in the distance…



…and cabin crew already preparing for arrival.

[yflyer]

ISB is effectively a military airbase with a passenger terminal, so no pictures except these…

No automatic guidance system but also no aerobridge to bump into…

[yflyer]

It was a 30 minute ride from the airport to the Islamabad Marriott, my hotel for the first part of my stay.

Islamabad is set in a very beautiful part of the country, close the the Margalla Hills, a very beautiful range of hills which are part of the lower Himalayas.

I have to admit that my first thoughts upon arrival were not about enjoying impressive scenery, but more about gaining a sense of situational awareness, and assessing whether or not there were any security risks that I had to take special note of, as I arrived at the Marriott Islamabad.





I take precautions no matter what country I am visiting. For example, when I check into a hotel I always note where the emergency exits are. In Islamabad, no one would be faulted for taking special precautions.

This hotel was bombed by terrorists in 2008, with massive damage and loss of life, but it has since been rebuilt, with impressive security added, both in terms of physical construction, an outer protective wall, as well as security personnel and all manner of other security measures.

Apart from multiple layers of hotel security, the hotel is within the “Red Zone” in Islamabad, a highly protected area which includes Parliament, the Supreme Court and the PM’s office, and entering that zone is also subject to checks at various security checkpoints.

I was either in the safest, or the most risky, part of Islamabad, depending on your point of view.

The situation while I was there was largely stable. At least until the day after I left, when two small bombs went off in Islamabad, not too far from the hotel.

While there was occasional trouble in Pakistan with extremists, terrorists and politics, the regular folks I interacted with day-to-day were warm, friendly and had the same hopes and aspirations as people living in any other city, and for the man-in-the street, life went on as normal.

For the most part, I did not feel that I was taking any undue risk travelling there for work.

[yflyer]

The Marriott lobby…



On some days, there was a Paan (betel nut) seller there as well…



The rooms were new and well appointed.



Rooms were equipped with flat-screen TV, and fairly good internet connectivity, although some sites were not available. Facebook was fine, but Youtube was blocked.

[yflyer]

My room had a good view of the government buildings along Constitution Avenue.



There was a pool…



And an outdoor lounge...



A small Executive Club served breakfast and snacks/refreshements during the day.