Emirates - utter disgrace how we were treated !!!This is a somewhat lengthy read but I ask you to read it as I am sure it is representative of many many other recent experiences with Emirates Airlines from the recent Dubai airport disruption.We received email 17th April inviting us to check in on line for flights on 19th April EK657 Male to Dubai and EK9 Dubai to Gatwick.We checked in on-line 17th April for both flights, seats had been previously purchased as pre-booked. Confirmation received from Emirates that on-line check-in successful.Departed resort at 05.30am 19th April for 09.15 flight EK657 Male to Dubai.At Emirates bag drop Male airport at about 07.00am the Emirates check-in clerk said that Emirates would only accept our bags for Dubai if we accepted that our flight ended in Dubai and that Emirates had no further travel responsibility for us.We said to Emirates we had flight EK9 booked and confirmed for the same day of 19th April. Emirates clerk said that there were NO FLIGHTS leaving Dubai on 19th April.We said what are we supposed to do in Dubai, and Emirates clerk said it would be down to us to find a flight with whoever we wanted and it would be down to us to find accommodation and get food etc…We said to the Emirates clerk that it was down to them to get us to our final destination. The Emirates clerk disagreed and kept repeating that Emirates would only fly us to Dubai and then in effect abandon us.With this we kept repeating that Emirates had to get us to our final destination and in the end the Emirates check-in clerk took us to the Emirates reservation desk at Male airport. That clerk spent a long time on his phone and looking at his computer. He said there were no flights out of Dubai.We pressed him that Emirates had an obligation to get us to our final destination of London Gatwick. Eventually he suggested a flight on 27th April - he did not say what time, what flight number or even where the flight was going. That was 8 days away and we said what about accommodation and food. The Emirates clerk said it was not Emirates problem and we would have to arrange all accommodation and food ourselves.Meanwhile and whilst these conversations were taking place and at least half a dozen power cuts at Male airport it was announced over the airport public address system that there would be no check-in of any travellers to Dubai who had onward flights from Dubai. The announcement also said that anyone flying to Dubai was required to leave the airport building due to overcrowding. So if you had no onward flight (which nobody had) you would be ejected from Dubai airport with nowhere to go and no way of knowing how or when you could fly out.We asked Emirates about arrangements with other airlines (British Airways, Etihad, Qatar, Singapore Airlines) and the Emirates clerk stated they had no arrangement with these airlines. It starts to become increasingly apparent that Emirates has no contingency planning or disaster planning in place.At this point we were now stranded at Male airport with Emirates Airline effectively washing their hands of any travellers going to Dubai who had onward flights.At this point also Male airport had rapidly filled with travellers not being able to start their journeys. When we had arrived at about 06.30 it was reasonably quiet - by 10.30 there were people everywhere and a lot getting impatient and upset, many with families. It was clearly very distressing for some.We therefore had no choice but to look at other airlines and managed to book with British Airways for 21st April at a cost of $2,700 for 2 economy tickets. This flight is to T5 Heathrow whereas our car is parked at Gatwick North, so our inconvenience will not end when we get to London.For accommodation we made contact with the resort we had been staying at (Eriyadu) and they very professionally arranged to get us back from the airport and has provided accommodation for 2 nights - all at an additional cost to us of $860.Emirates Airlines has to be named and shamed for an utterly contemptible and disgraceful service. They have made a small fortune in the airline business and have failed miserably when so many of their customers needed them to perform. There should be wholesale dismissals within Emirates for complete and utter incompetence, along with the highest possible corporate fines for gross negligence.My battle will continue with Emirates to get my expenses reimbursed.
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