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Dubai: Frequent fliers visiting Dubai said they prefer to fly out from the Abu Dhabi airport because of the endless traffic jams and long travel time to Dubai airport.
"Sometimes it takes more than two hours to reach Dubai airport from Shaikh Zayed Road," said Drew Craig, a media specialist who flies to London frequently and prefers driving the other direction to Abu Dhabi.
"The drive is a smooth ride which takes under an hour," he said.
Italian businessman Silvio Cutuli, who frequently visits offices in Jebel Ali, said he flies in from Doha to Abu Dhabi, instead of Dubai.
"This way I can plan my schedule," he said. He once missed a flight from Dubai sitting in a traffic jam and says the uncertainty as to how long it will take to reach the airport is very stressful.
'Easy' reach
"It takes two hours to get from Jumeirah to Dubai airport," said Tim Hobson on the Airport Forum website run by Skytrax. He said the Abu Dhabi airport is "compact" and "there are no huge distances to walk".
Skytrax is a specialist research adviser to the air transport industry, based in London.
Robin Dixon, another passenger also commented on the short travel time to Abu Dhabi airport from the Jumeirah Beach Hotel. "Dubai can take that long in the horrible traffic," he said.
Travel consultant Mir Abbas Ali of Al Rostamani Travel said he advises clients to leave for the airport much ahead of the check-in time. But he says that though the traffic jams start from 7.30am and continue until 8.30pm, international flights usually take off later than that. "The traffic is not bad later in the day," he said.
Some frequent fliers take the cheaper flights from European cities which have "certain restrictions", said Ali. "If you are a no-show [miss the flight] you lose your money," he said.
Cutuli said another reason he prefers Abu Dhabi is that he can check out faster, get a rented car and drive away, all within 15 minutes.
Another travel agent said some people prefer flying out of Abu Dhabi because fares to GCC destinations such as Doha, Kuwait City or Jeddah are cheaper on major Gulf airlines.
Some airlines also offer free transport from Shaikh Zayed Road.
Sunil Bhandarkar, business travel manager of Uranus Travel and Tours, confirmed that fares to GCC destinations are cheaper by Dh200 from Abu Dhabi.
One frequent flier said on one of her visits, her taxi driver decided to take the Emirates Road to reach Dubai Airport.
"I didn't miss the flight. But it still took over two hours," said Linda Myers, who works in Qatar. "But I would like to do something useful with my time than be on the road," said the PR person, who now flies out of Abu Dhabi.
Have your say
Have you ever missed a flight in Dubai because of traffic congestion? What did you do to fix the situation? Have you ever flown out from Abu Dhabi instead of the Dubai Airport because of traffic congestion?
Your comments
Yes, Dubai is becoming more famous due to its traffic jams now. You can never commit time for any appointment due to traffic conditions on roads. Dubai is losing its value due to these jams. Maybe things will improve in two years, when the Metro is working.
Zeeshan
Dubai,UAE
The last time I flew from Dubai, I nearly missed my flight due to the traffic conditions. It normally takes an hour from UAQ to the DIA. But this time, it took about four hours. The roads were jammed from Sharjah itself and at some point we switched off our vehicle for an hour or so. Luckily for me, the airline had a major delay and I could fly to London.
Jisam
London,UK
The phenomenal traffic in Dubai is self-defeating to the city's growth; it is making people's lives more difficult and much more stressful, is wasting precious hours in round-the-clock traffic jams at the expense of health, work and family, and is even contributing to social isolation as people cut down on the number of trips. All the while, the unnecessary but inevitable emissions from the exhausts of an increasingly larger number of cars compromise the city's air quality. Coupled with the soaring costs of living and business, traffic jams are dangerous recipes for the city's once-great appeal and competitiveness.
Lina
Dubai,UAE
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