Ask Away: Enjoy the smooth transit at Dubai

Dubai is a "belter" of an airport, says Travel Editor Winston Aldworth. Photo / Getty Images

Dubai is a fine place to make an airport transit, reports online guru Eli Orzessek.

My wife and I will be travelling to Copenhagen in December.

The flight involves a transfer at Dubai airport with a stopover time of roughly three hours. We have had a look at the airport on the web, it looks rather large.

Could you please give me some sort of an idea as to how long it would take to get from arrivals, through immigration, twice, I presume, to the departure area for the ongoing flight. There appears to even be a little railway system. A bit scary for a slightly older couple who are not as fast on their legs as they once were or would like to be.

Also, at the departure area, there seems to be a fairly comprehensive duty-free complex. Once again, we have had a bit of a look at the website, which doesn't really give a good idea of just how large it is and what we can expect to see and purchase there.

After all, we could not possibly go all that distance without a bit of retail therapy on the way through, and the return flight from London only gives one hour, most of which, for us anyway, will be taken up getting back to departures again.

Hopefully you will be able to alleviate some of our concerns.

Brian Burton

Travel Editor Winston Aldworth reports that Dubai is a "belter" of an airport, with a smooth transit process.

"As a plane nerd, it's one of my favourites," he says, with a faraway look in his eyes.

"If you're flying in from Auckland, you'll find yourself coming into Terminal 3 — the world's biggest and coolest A380 hub, with 28 gates dedicated to the Superjumbos.

"Yes — it's a huge place. But three hours is plenty of time to get between gates, buy yourself some duty-free treats and have a celebratory glass of something delicious. You won't have to pass through immigration, but there will be one tiresome security check shortly after you get off the first flight.

"Once you're through that, relax and enjoy the scale and weirdness of the place. It's well signposted and there are plenty of staff around to provide directions and assistance. Enjoy Copenhagen!"

On the way back, one hour should be plenty of time. But if you have any concerns about connections on the return flight, chat to the cabin crew soon after you've flown out of London. They'll often help passengers to exit the plane first if the connection is tight.

Tweet us @NZHTravel or use the hashtag #NZHAskAway
Email your questions to askaway@nzherald.co.nz