Advantages: Comfort, service, uinque touches.
Disadvantages: Flights with Emirates aren't available from all UK airports

...We flew with Emirates from Heathrow when we went on honeymoon and found the airline to be fantastic. It is a United Arab Emirates airline, with its HQ based in Dubai. A few weeks prior to departure, we contacted Emirates to pre-book our seats so that we knew we would be sitting together. Emirates were happy to meet all our requests and ensured that we had a window seat and the adjacent seat, not directly over the wing and gave us our seat numbers in advance for each leg of our flight. Our first destination was Dubai, and we were delighted to find that, when we got our boarding passes at Heathrow, the seat numbers were exactly the same as those we had been given when we pre-booked the seats a few weeks beforehand. When we boarded the plane, we found it was among the best we had been on (and we have flown to 32 different countries... Read review

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Advantages: Award winning Airline of 2001, efficient service, excellent in-flight entertainment with live on-board cameras showing front views, comfortable flight, plenty of Emirates stop-over offers
Disadvantages: none really…hope it expands its fleet faster and adds the US sector sooner!

...of the scenery below –far more satisfying! Furthermore, should you need to stay in touch with home or business there is a satellite phone on board each seat though it is pricey at US$ 5 a minute. Emirates also offer stationery finished in cream with gold font on –board should you need it. There is sufficient reading material on board with plenty of newspapers and the Emirates inflight magazine. The magazine is packed with plenty of interesting reading material and local facts about Dubai and many other exotic destinations on the Emirate network, high quality photography, as well as a useful section of gentle exercises to perform whilst in the air to maintain good circulation. Cuisine and Bar Service ~ Emirates award winning cuisine offers a choice of 2 main meals; one is normally oriental such as an Arabic lamb stew or chicken biryani... Read review

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Advantages: A chance to meet a very diverse community, as you are in the UAE you are very close to some amazing countries (for example, 2 hour flight from the himilayas, an hour flight from Oman, 2 Hour flight to India)
Disadvantages: Some Emirates or states are 'dry' which means no alcohol, Can be especially difficult to get a job (especially men), a general reluctancy to give work permits - resulting in a constant flight out of the country (2 months if you're British)

...an extremely high demand for stewards (esses) pilots, engineers, everything. Even if you were a fresh graduate from and engineering degree, I would almost certainly think that Emirates would take you on, and train you to their requirements. I know for a fact that there are millions of jobs going on emirates. You are based in Dubai so you will be able to see the United Arab Emirates too. Their website is: http://www.emiratesgroupcareers.com/ Check it out, It is definately worth a look, if you want a year out in the UAE. *Other cities - including Fujairah, and Khor Fakkan* These cities are very subsidiary in size compared to Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and although arent heavilly dependant on Oil, or tourism, there is quite a limitation in terms of employment, especially Khor Fakkan, supporting a relatively small population. In Fujairah though, being... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Clean, comfortable, efficient and friendly.
Disadvantages: None known.

...I have flown with Emirates airline on many occasions and have never had cause to complain. The planes are always clean and comfortable, the cabin crew are exeptionally polite and helpful and the drinks are free of charge and there for the asking. I've always got the impression of more leg room but don't have any statistics to confirm it. The food is good and if you are flying to the far east you will almost certainly stop at one of the United Arab Emirates airports such as Dubai (see separate opinion) where the duty free is incredibly cheap. Flying with Emirates gives you the definite impression that they genuinely care about your well-being. I won't say they are unequalled because there are many airlines that I have never flown with, but in my flying experience they are certainly unbeaten.... Read review

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Advantages: Lower prices, less time checking in, half empty plane
Disadvantages: Less choice of flight times and dates than other airlines, especially from Gatwick

...In a nutshell, Etihad is the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, and it flies to and from Abu Dhabi. Flights are mainly from London Heathrow, with limited flights (currently one per day) from Gatwick. This is annoying if you live near Gatwick, and that time doesn't suit you. Etihad also fly to far eastern destinations, such as Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Manila, Colombo and Mumbai (with a stopover in Abu Dhabi, obviously). I travelled in early December 04, to visit relatives in Dubai. The only option was Etihad, as there were no flights available with Emirates or BA - I had to travel at short notice and at a very busy time of year. Yes, I did say Dubai. Etihad don't fly to Dubai, but are still an option if you're headed there, as Abu Dhabi is right next door. It'll take under an hour (well, traffic permitting…) to get... Read review

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Advantages: Friendly, Genuine Staff. Wide Destination List. Clean Planes
Disadvantages: Food Choice Repeated on Return Journey

.... Then again, I doubt I’d have got business class anyway! On both occasions the plane began to board to the allocated time, and take off was within 30 minutes of the advertised time. This was acceptable to me, and obviously take-off times cannot be influenced whoever you fly with! Upon boarding I found the crew to be genuinely pleased to meet the passengers, and point out the quickest route to the seats! For a seven-hour flight it’s important to be entertained and occupied, and to this end, Emirates provide seat-back Entertainment for all passengers. The screen is touch controlled, and provides a wide choice of films, comedy, sport, and local destination programming. By this I mean that since I was travelling to the Middle East, a number of Arabic language programmes and films were also available. The Hollywood movies were multi-lingual as well... Read review

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Advantages: Lots of websites to visit on different types of information
Disadvantages: None

...www.tyzo.com is a travel website that lists eveything you need to know and find out about your holidays abroad. It provides hundreds of links to other websites for you to click on and visit. There is an extensive range of travel information such as destinations, specials (which are updated daily), where you can find discounts, resources. This website is, apparently, the webs largest travel directory. Find holidays in:- Africa Antarctica Asia Caribbean Central America Europe Middle East North America Oceria (?) South America Choose where you would like to go, ie, United Arab Emirates, and choose from:- Accomodations Destination Guides Sights and sounds Transportation Vacations and tours You can visit the sponsored and regular listings such as UAE hotel reservations, UAE travel specials, Dubai Summer Surprises and Sharjha museums... Read review

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Advantages: Excellent weather, good shopping, fantastic restaurants and nightlife, excellent service,
Disadvantages: Can be really hot in summer months, in the souks woman tend to get stared at alot by locals, woman also should cover up in public areas such as souks, alcohol is a bit on the expensive side and can only be bought and drank inside 4* or above hotels

...I first went to Dubai in March 2001, it was love at first sight. From the sparkling blue sea to the magnificent towering hotels this is a destination to set your heart alight. It's not just a Middle Eastern country shroud in religion this is where the traditional East meets the modernised West. You have traditional mosques on one side of the road and the imposing Burj Al Arab ( supposedly the only 7* hotel in the world ) on the other. You have traditional shisha cafe's and then you have McDonalds. You have the wonderful souks ( markets ) selling fake designer goods, spices, oils, Gold, electrical good, silk sari's the list is endless and then you also have the huge American styled shopping malls which house the authentic deisgner shops as well the better known Western stores. Restaurants have to be some of the best that I have ever... Read review

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Advantages: *****
Disadvantages: -

...Dubai is the second emirate of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and lays along the shore that face the Arab Gulf. Dubai is divided in two parts by a small creek. The southern section is called Bur Dubai while the northern is Deira. The two sections are linked by two bridges, Al Maktoum and Al Garhoud, and one tunnel, Al Shindagha. Twenty minutes away are the beautiful sands of Jumeirah Beach. Its skyline is very similar to many American cities with skyscrapers and towers, but despite of this fact Dubai keeps some artistic and cultural interesting places. The old Al Fahidi fort is located in the Bur Dubai sector and now hosts the Museum of Dubai where are displayed fire-arms, sidearms, bayonets, traditional costumes and musical instruments. In the external courtyard there are many different types of wooden boats used by locals... Read review

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Advantages: So much to do without costing a fortune.
Disadvantages: Too hot to visit between June and September.

...Where is Dubai? Dubai is an Emirate located in the ‘United Arab Emirates’. The Emirates are bordered to the north by the Gulf and the Musandam Peninsula, to the east by Oman, to the south and west by Saudi Arabia and to the northwest by Qatar. They comprise a federation of seven small former sheikhdoms (Emirates). Abu Dhabi is the largest Emirate, and the remainder (Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm al Qaiwain) are known collectively as the Northern States. The land is mountainous and mostly desert. Abu Dhabi is the capital of the UAE but many people think that Dubai is the capital or in fact a country. Dubai is in fact the business capitol of the UAE and Abu Dhabi has been kept as a cultural capital. Who lives there? The UAE nationals are mainly Arab Muslims but Dubai’s inhabitants are now 80... Read review

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