Yes, it's rather a good airline, offers cheap fares, extra baggage, superb IFE, and the crews are generally top notch. One does have to question why an airline can consistently offer lower fares than its competitors. Those crews are worked to the maxima though (arguably, beyond), don't have much in the way of protection, and working and living conditions are far from ideal, but it's a 'glamorous' airline so they grin and bear it for a while.
Even if that weren't the case, it's clearly impossible to fly EK without a transit of DXB (other than a handful of 5th Freedom routes they operate), and it really is a vile place. Whilst the false vulgar kitsch and the 'luxury' hotels, built and serviced by slaves living in pretty poor conditions, may be to the taste of some, it's the utter hypocrisy of the place that makes me sick.
I have absolutely nothing against alcohol, sex, or prostitution in any of its forms or disguises, but here we have an Islamic regime, where sex outside marriage and alcohol are forbidden, but which espouses and encourages tourism based on sex and alcohol, where the bars of the international hotels are full of prostitutes from all over the world, and an equally international variety of clients.
Here's a typical example of 'justice' at work:
A British tourist allegedly gang-raped in Dubai faces a prison sentence and needs £24,000 for legal fees after police accused her of having "extra-marital sex".
The 25-year-old woman was reportedly arrested and charged after going to the authorities about the alleged attack by two Britons last month.
She is now on bail, but is not allowed to leave the country and is said to be "absolutely terrified" of being imprisoned for breaching strict laws on sex.
The woman, who cannot be identified, was on holiday in Dubai when her ordeal unfolded, The Sun reported.
"She went to the police as the victim of one of the worst ordeals imaginable, but she is being treated as the criminal"family friend of alleged victim
She is said to have been lured into a hotel room by two British men, who are alleged to have both raped her while filming the attack.
The woman's family claimed the men flew home to Britain just hours later.
When she reported the attack to police, the alleged victim was then herself charged with having sex outside marriage.
In the United Arab Emirates, of which Dubai is the most populated city, it is illegal for married couples to have sex outside of wedlock.
It is also against the law for a single person to have sex with someone who is married.
The alleged victim has been released by police on bail, but her family said she needs £24,000 for legal fees.
"They have taken her passport as lawyers thrash it out," a family friend told the newspaper. "She is staying with an English family, but she is absolutely terrified.
"She went to the police as the victim of one of the worst ordeals imaginable, but she is being treated as the criminal."
Etiquette in Dubai
Travellers to Dubai, and other Middle Eastern countries, cannot behave as they would in the Med. Drinking, or being drunk, is not permitted in public, rude gestures and swearing are likely to see you deported, and women are expected to cover up unless they’re at the beach.
Public displays of affection are also frowned upon, and there have been several arrests for kissing in public.
Another example of 'justice':
A South African doctor detained in the United Arab Emirates on a decade-old manslaughter charge has returned home after nine months in limbo, declaring: "It's wonderful to be out of that bloody place."
Cyril Karabus, 78, had been convicted without his knowledge of killing a young leukaemia patient in Abu Dhabi in 2002. He was arrested in Dubai last August while in transit to South Africa from Canada.
Karabus was acquitted in March but endured countless setbacks and bureaucratic wrangling before finally boarding a flight to Cape Town, where he was greeted with wild cheers and tearful hugs from family members and supporters.
A leading paediatric oncologist, he helped save the lives of black cancer victims during the apartheid era and pioneered treatment for cancer and blood disorders at the Red Cross hospital in Cape Town, where he worked for 35 years.
Karabus had gone to Abu Dhabi for a six-week stint during which he treated a three-year-old Yemeni girl. She had a form of leukaemia with an 80% death rate at the time, he recalled. "It happens. I've had a lot of kids dying of cancer. It wasn't me that killed her, it was the disease."
He left the UAE because his contract had finished and resents that the charge sheet later described him as a "fugitive" who jumped the country. "The case record had 16 lies in it. It's absolute garbage. You cannot believe the rubbish written there. It's not exactly the best legal system."
That would have been the end of the matter but for a fateful decision to travel through Dubai when returning to South Africa after attending his son's wedding in Canada. Ruefully explaining his choice of airline and route, Karabus said: "The Emirates fares are usually better than most."
With time to kill before their connecting flight, Karabus and his family went through immigration to look for an airport hotel. It was then he suddenly found himself under arrest. "You're totally shocked and you're not sure what the hell they're talking about."
Karabus was granted bail at the fifth attempt but, denied his passport, was forced to remain within the country.
He blamed the endless delays on "bloody incompetence", adding that it had taken 10 hours to obtain an exit visa over Wednesday and Thursday.
The father of five intends to resume working as a locum. But he will not be going back to UAE in a hurry. "Never again. It's a family dictatorship. Nobody is critical of government in public or the local newspapers. It's not the greatest place to be in trouble."
The press is replete with articles about the double standards :
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/ ... ostitution
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... crisy.html
http://www.dnaindia.com/world/report-br ... sy-1574995