An OMAAT reader who asked to remain anonymous shared an interesting story with me, and I’m not sure what exactly the correct take is… I’m curious what others think.
In this post:
Emirates passenger learns he’s banned after booking
Several weeks back, a family from the UK (husband, wife, and baby) booked Emirates tickets for a holiday in Dubai. Then around 24 hours before the flight, Emirates canceled the traveler’s booking, and sent him an email saying he is “not welcome to travel on any Emirates flight.”
As a result, he booked travel on another airline. He flew the outbound on mid-February and is still in Dubai, and as you’d expect, the situation has changed materially, with most European carriers canceling flights to Dubai. As a result, he desperately wants to get his family home, there’s only one issue… he’s still banned from Emirates.
He reached out to Emirates to ask if he could be accommodated in light of circumstances, and was told that the ban remains in place. In writing, the airline told him “we’re unable to accept your travel with Emirates at this time,” and the airline “apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause.”
The traveler is now “simply trying to understand whether the airline’s response here is proportionate and whether there’s any reasonable way to resolve it.”
So, what did the traveler get banned over in the first place? He claims that the ban happened over two separate issues that date back years, explained as follows:
The first relates to an upgrade email. Shortly before travelling, I unknowingly interacted with a website that appeared to be related to Emirates and entered my details believing it was legitimate. An email later came through referencing an upgrade. The message appeared to form part of, or closely resemble, a genuine prior Emirates email thread from 2022, which is likely why Emirates concluded it had been altered. At the time, I believed it was a genuine Emirates communication. Only later, when I was asked to enter my card details to “secure” the upgrade, did I realise something was wrong and contact Emirates. Looking back, it appears this was part of a scam.
Separately, I had submitted a Best Price claim and included a screenshot from Expedia showing a lower fare. Emirates later alleged that this screenshot had been manually amended. My position is that I submitted what was shown to me at the time. Afterward, Expedia indicated that the displayed fare was likely a temporary pricing or system issue and also confirmed that fare and tax breakdowns can vary.
I’m not sure what the right take is in this situation?
On the one hand, airlines have the right to refuse transport to passengers, and it sounds like Emirates had reason for the ban. It seems like the airline should have informed him of the ban years ago when it happened, rather than only after booking another ticket a long time later.
Now, I don’t know the traveler who is having this issue personally, so I can only share his version of events, but can’t say with certainty whether they’re true or not. Did he really unwittingly have two separate issues with Emirates tickets, and neither was intentional? It absolutely could be true, but it sure seems unlikely.
Either way, there are unique circumstances here. While I wouldn’t say Dubai is “dangerous” right now (at least in terms of the known death toll), a lot of people are definitely uncomfortable, and there are a lot of missiles that have reached the city.
Many people are voluntarily leaving Dubai now, while others insist they’re sticking around, with that sort of cringe “we know who protects us” video. So I guess the question comes down to whether the current situation rises to the level of the airline reconsidering its ban list? It’s not like there’s no way to get out, though the other options are definitely more inconvenient. For example, they could take a bus to Muscat, and then fly from there.
It seems to me like the airline should probably make a one-time exception here, in light of circumstances. However, I also understand that airlines are big corporate structures and have a lot of policies and red tape, and I imagine Tim Clark’s first order of business right now isn’t “oh, let’s temporarily unban all the travelers who have been banned.”
Bottom line
An air traveler recently found out that he was banned by Emirates, after booking a ticket. The issue reportedly dates back several years. That’s all fine and dandy, as he booked a ticket on another airline. The problem is that he’s now stranded in Dubai with his family, with limited options to get out that don’t involve Emirates.
What do you make of this situation, and do you think Emirates should make an exception?
He and his family are not stranded. There are other options to get out if they want to. There are also more details that are missing to this story. Is it a lifetime ban? What can he do to resolve the situation? I think in the situations he had there are very specific procedures involved and not only did he not follow them he might have tried to cheat the airline. This blog just gave him more attention for his actions.
LMFAO!!!!!
I just red an article on NYT of a person who took a car ride to riyadh - was it expensive yes but the are back home
At the same time I think countries, said the UK can require that airlines do jot discriminate agains their citizens fro trips originating in country - it would likely need to be asecurity thing- but in this case he flew another airline and he is in another...
I just red an article on NYT of a person who took a car ride to riyadh - was it expensive yes but the are back home
At the same time I think countries, said the UK can require that airlines do jot discriminate agains their citizens fro trips originating in country - it would likely need to be asecurity thing- but in this case he flew another airline and he is in another jurisdiction
As often is the case I suspect there is more to the story
I will also say there is likely insurance that may cover evacuation even in war (likely price just went up a lot for the gulf and maybe not offered) - but people knew this was brewing and it was a possibility just like people know they can get sick and often choose not to insure - your choice to insure or not - you pay if you do not
One thing for sure, the traveler is lying about why he was banned.
100%
Couldn't he and his family just drive to Abu Dhabi and fly home on Etihad? This sounds like someone feuding with Emirates and trying to use the war to make them look bad. Understandable that Emirates doesn't want him as a customer (and I suspect there's more to the story than he let on).
This guy sounds like a certain type of passenger. Always demanding and trying to get something for free, however shady the technique. We all know who I’m talking about. My guess is that he wants to leave Dubai for free in spite of being banned. He needs to just buy a ticket on a different carrier and get on with it, no matter his argument that the ban was unfair.
Obviously he tried to manipulate the system and be smart. He can go to Oman and fly from there (if Oman Air( would allow him.
Well, I'm not surprised. Several years ago I reached out to you regarding my story - wherein I was denied check-in at LAX on a paid J ticket upgraded to F and informed that I was on the no-fly list at Emirates. They asked me to call Emirates customer affairs - who gave me no useful response and instead verbally informed me that I was blacklisted.
They never responded to my emails, or emailed...
Well, I'm not surprised. Several years ago I reached out to you regarding my story - wherein I was denied check-in at LAX on a paid J ticket upgraded to F and informed that I was on the no-fly list at Emirates. They asked me to call Emirates customer affairs - who gave me no useful response and instead verbally informed me that I was blacklisted.
They never responded to my emails, or emailed me. Had to file with the better business bureau to get a refund of my flight and extra luggage. Got back home to Abu Dhabi on Turkish Airlines and vowed never to fly Emirates unless management ever apologizes and compensates me.
More recently, they verbally told me on customer affairs helpline that it was due to "abuse of the Skywards frequent flyer program".
Today I am a happy Turkish Elite and Etihad Gold member.
Post your entire Skywards transaction from day 1 and we'll point out why you've been banned.
Sure, I don't propose how exactly you would like me to do that...
So what is the name of this website he interacted with that he supposedly thought was legitimate? He can't even provide that info it seems. *That* information itself would warrant an OMAAT article on how to avoid scam websites. Where is this email letter referencing an upgrade? We should all see it. And on what planet would some scammer give them something about an upgrade when they admit they didn't even pay for it yet?...
So what is the name of this website he interacted with that he supposedly thought was legitimate? He can't even provide that info it seems. *That* information itself would warrant an OMAAT article on how to avoid scam websites. Where is this email letter referencing an upgrade? We should all see it. And on what planet would some scammer give them something about an upgrade when they admit they didn't even pay for it yet? Either the scammer is dumb as 2 bricks or this is totally made up by this passenger.
And yeah we need the proof for this Best Price claim thing too. I had my claim with Emirates approved for £75 for 2 people in December without any issues.
You're asking your whole audience for an opinion on this guys case with only his words, no proof of anything... no screenshots or anything and not even a response from Emirates
I call bull on his whole story
He can easily fly back to UK on a non direct route via Cairo or whatever or from Abu Dhabi or Muscat.
Stranded? It wasn’t a surprise that the war was coming. His choice to stay in the region. Next story please…
Ben..you are a typical housewife type... trying to fit in any unverified stories just to keep your blog filled with gossip...and trying to spread the word that Dubai is unsafe...Emirates can give you a free ticket to go to Dubai and see how smoothly and normally things are running!
Start your own blog.
Otherwise STFU about what Ben posts.
Zero sympathy. He new the risks. this isnt the first time region has closed airspace.
So you’re saying that the million or so transit passengers affected have themselves to blame? The drones and missiles which have hit Dubai doesn’t make it “ safe” otherwise the airport would be running a normal operation.
Mango Mussolini needs to go as he’s caused a war and global recession. All his supporters caught even find the USA on a map.
Um, he knew he was banned from national carrier. And Iran conflict was being discussed for months. So, yes - he took risk. Now deal with consequences
Bro, get an Uber (or whatever) down to AUH and fly home from there. He's not marooned at all, he's just a very silly boy.
I also note that Royal Jordanian and EgyptAir have availability out of DXB with connections to LHR today, Friday 13 March, in economy class, at very reasonable prices that anyone desperate to leave an active shooting zone would gladly pay.
Don't you or anyone here get it?
It's his bullsh*t story full of holes like this that got him banned from EK in the first place.
Oh, I totally get it, hence my comments.
Haven't you learned not to trust first person unverified accounts of events? Guaranteed there is more to the ban story.
Yeah, especially don’t trust Mantis.
emirates banned you, because you got scammed by someone else?!?! What business does emirates? Make it make sense.
Ask him to simply send a screenshot of the email emirates sent
Like I others have said… I am confident there is more to the ban story. Airlines don’t ban passengers lightly - definitely not an entire family.
Specifically, there are still many EK passengers waiting on a flight back due to the massive backlog. It would be entirely unacceptable for the airline to prioritise a non passanger, let alone one with a questionable past
And airline has a right to ban on legitimate grounds. Nothing that you relate of the pax IMO rises to that level of legitimacy
TWO separate unrelated incidents ? The customer is overwhelmingly likely guilty as hell. Ban should remain in place.
Couldn’t agree more.
Tell him to contact his consulate in Dubai, they run evacuation flights , other airlines such as Saudi airlines flying from Dubai or etihad from Abu Dhabi (they provide free bus transportation to AUH)
So, I will take a bit of a mixed view here - while I understand the principle that carriers have the right to bar passengers, in circumstances such as the late unpleasantness in the Middle East I feel like the local government(s) should compel carriers to accept passengers they might not otherwise take. Basically, I'd treat it as a force majeure override of that right not to do business.
To my mind this goes double...
So, I will take a bit of a mixed view here - while I understand the principle that carriers have the right to bar passengers, in circumstances such as the late unpleasantness in the Middle East I feel like the local government(s) should compel carriers to accept passengers they might not otherwise take. Basically, I'd treat it as a force majeure override of that right not to do business.
To my mind this goes double in the case of a government-owned flag carrier if there is an immigration issue at hand (I would take the view that the government-owned carrier refusing to transport a passenger should constitute a waiver of the government's right to hit them for an immigration violation resulting from that).
Emirates is not a common carrier, and has no obligation to accept bookings from anyone they don't want to. They've obviously decided that this chap's previous behaviour is unacceptable. Unlike us, the airline knows both sides of the story.
Etihad is one hour away and travels to the UK. If willing to do a stop over he can take Saudia or Qatar Airways. Or spend 100€ to Oman and fly out from Muscat. So is he stranded? Don’t think so. I’m in Dubai and I’m not going anywhere. It’s more than safe. Emirates, the world’s largest airline for international flights, won’t change its rules for a single passenger and have the right to do so.
Is the apparently nicer first class in business class services that you are always promoting worth going to an area where there are literally bombs falling from the sky? That just doesn't seem like a good idea if one is transferring planes anyways and can has other options.
Echoing others… I don’t think we have the full story. But a ban is a ban… maybe think twice before crossing a company if you may want to do business with them in the future
@JustinB
Oh, you mean like Ben and his interaction with Egypt Airport Authority?
Feels like BS. Emirates aren’t the only game in town. Grab a taxi to one of the neighboring countries.
Let's be honest! Airlines do not ban passengers for no reason and at this stage, given the circumstances Emirates has a long list of honest passagers with a clean record, that would take priority over this guy.Sorry, not sorry!
P.S. Surely there are stories to write about.
Seems fishy because so much does not make sense.
1. His possible reasons for the ban sound superficial, especially the 1st one. He is definitely leaving out important details.
2. If he is banned, why can't his wife and kid fly out? Unless whole family is banned. So I'd go back to #1 above
3. If the whole family is banned, why wouldn't he drive down to Muscat, Abu Dhabi, or even Doha?
Is Etihad, which is right down the road too good for him? Stranded? Hardly
No one is stranded. Taxis are running between cities. Even to Riyadh. Not inexpensive but doable. If someone wants to leave, they can leave.
Separately, Park Hyatt Dubai is closing May 1st for a "6 month renovation" - given developments, I'm guessing it'll be closed longer than this.
Maybe they should start those renovations sooner, since I doubt anyone’s gonna be visiting for ‘fun’ or ‘work’ anytime soon…
Park Hyatt was a hit, on fire, having a blast, blowing competition away, thier last guest is probably Katy Perry.
The owners now have to bite the bullet so it's customers can have a bang for their bucks.
…fiiiirework!
There is always more to the story! Airlines do not Ban you for small reasons. SCAMMING is a serious offence.
You can still get back to UK without flying emirates. And cry me a river. After you stop trying to scam.
“This is gonna ruin the tour… (what tour?) the world tour…”
If this is legitimate and he is unable to find passage via other nearby countries like Oman or Saudi, he should first contact his own Embassy and then contact UAE Foreign ministry. I am sure they would rather find a solution than a social media video going viral of being hostage considering their "Safety" video campaign.
He should also prepare never to go back there so he isn't stuck again for any other reason.
When the "victim's" side of the story kinda smells like month old fish, you know his argument sucks. Those convoluted, unlikely, stories of his. It all comes off like he's a scam artist who isn't even any good at it. EK knows this and banned him. He F'd around is is now finding out.
My sympathy for his situation is very limited.
Sounds like something he should have been cognizant of when making his travel plans in the first place. Didn't Alaska Airlines ban a state senator or something for refusing to wear a mask during covid then being abusive to staff? Awfully hard to get to Juneau for the legislative session if you can't fly AS - they said, well, sorry, guess you'll have to take the boat or fly Delta ANC-SEA-JNU when in season.
...Sounds like something he should have been cognizant of when making his travel plans in the first place. Didn't Alaska Airlines ban a state senator or something for refusing to wear a mask during covid then being abusive to staff? Awfully hard to get to Juneau for the legislative session if you can't fly AS - they said, well, sorry, guess you'll have to take the boat or fly Delta ANC-SEA-JNU when in season.
Actions have consequences and he knew he was going to somewhere that the primary means of leaving isn't welcoming. That's his risk.
What happens when any of us goes off on Hertz for something like claiming we stole a car, get banned, then find ourselves at an airport with Hertz is the only car rental agency and the one airline flight a day cancels? Well, there are other options. Not all good, not all cheap, but there are options we are left with as we rolled the dice.
If you just remain there long enough that UAE Immigration Authority will convince her colleagues at EK to let you on. Might even be free. :-)
The guy doesn't seem to be the sharpest knife in the drawer but I don't understand why he would be banned. Sounds like he may have been a victim of a phishing scam and submitted a best price claim based on Google flights search results which are often inaccurate. If that is all he did Emirates seems pretty douchy.
Glad I live on the West coast and can stick with Asian carriers going west and European and US carriers going east.
Ban should remain. Emirates may likely make an exception if there are plenty of seats to fill and no one taking them (but that is not the case right now!)
He can rent a camel.
“Sorry, we’re out of SUVs and camels, but we do have a Camry or a donkey still available…”
Actions have consequences. Is his family banned too? I'm sure he can get them out on Emirates and find an alternative routing himself.
I guess he wont be submitting fake information to anyone in the future.
The behaviour of this person seems questionable at least. If you want to evacuate your family and genuinely make sure they are at a safe place, send them home first on Emirates and handle your own transport separately, out of a different country. Surely the evacuation does not seem that urgent, if he has time to raise a request to be unbanned and wait for a response (which I can imagine might take a long...
The behaviour of this person seems questionable at least. If you want to evacuate your family and genuinely make sure they are at a safe place, send them home first on Emirates and handle your own transport separately, out of a different country. Surely the evacuation does not seem that urgent, if he has time to raise a request to be unbanned and wait for a response (which I can imagine might take a long time these days). Seems like he is trying to use the circumstance to get unbanned more than genuinely evacuate asap. Too suspicious if he is looking only for the easiest/most comfortable option to fly out of the area.
(Justified or not originally) the ban should stay in place. He's not only finding out now when trying to leave; he knew he was banned before coming into UAE - didn't attempt to resolve. Are there no other airlines flying out of UAE? Could he not bus over to AUH and take Etihad? Many people are trying to leave; space is limited; can't blame airline that he's not a priority.
He needs to do what so many others are doing and getting to Muscat, it’s a pain but plenty of options if not direct can reposition and will get home eventually.
I think the ban should be upheld, he can find transportation to Oman or Saudi Arabia. I am also curious of why he was banned from the viewpoint of Emirates.
If he needs to travel drive to Muscat and catch an Oman Air flight to Europe. Two sides to a story and we only have his.
Oh man, I mean, Oman…
While this isn't ideal, I think the best course of action for the family would be to find a way to get to Muscat, Riyadh, or Dammam via land for a reliable flight home (or fly Air Arabia out of SHJ to somewhere and book a separate ticket to the UK) Otherwise, I suppose they could just make the short trek to AUH as well and fly home on EY (but that is if there...
While this isn't ideal, I think the best course of action for the family would be to find a way to get to Muscat, Riyadh, or Dammam via land for a reliable flight home (or fly Air Arabia out of SHJ to somewhere and book a separate ticket to the UK) Otherwise, I suppose they could just make the short trek to AUH as well and fly home on EY (but that is if there are seats available). If they are desperate to get home, I think this would be the best course of action.
I do understand how the traveler's situation is frustrating though.
It's difficult to say because the reason the passenger mentions doesn't sound like justifying a ban. So either the passenger is telling nuts, or Emirates is exaggerating (or both).
On one hand, he left out the nasty details.
On other hand, this is ME3 we're talking about. Just like their shiny propaganda airline ads that bloggers and flyer praise, inside and behind the scene is rotten to its core.
ME3 is very good until something even little goes wrong.