Transitting in Dubai Terminal 3. Mother travelling alone with 4 year old child

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Your flight from London is on the A380, and your connecting flight departs from gate A18 and is on a 777.

This means you'll have to take a train from the dedicated A380 terminal.

Normally, this can take anywhere between 30 - 45 minutes; as there is a considerable walk, a security check, train ride, and then elevator / escalators till you reach the main transit area lobby.

Although Emirates provides complimentary baby strollers, they may not be available right at the gate - sometimes those signature red bins are empty.

Your best chance of grabbing one is if you manage to deplane early.

Unfortunately unless you are handicapped you cannot book the golf-cart trolley in advance. However, the trolley station is only a few meters away ... once you get past the jet-bridge and then through security.

The good news (if I can say that) is that your walk consists mainly of travelators and lifts / escalators. However, it still is a significant walk - plan on wearing comfortable shoes.

The other piece of good news is that you are traveling in the summer peak season - which means a lot of families and kids. You are sure to find some help with your fellow passengers and Emirates staff are especially on alert these days due to the large influx of passengers. Their entire purpose in life is making sure you don't miss your connections so they will do whatever they can to get you to your gate.

The biggest part of your journey is getting to / from the train. The walk within the transit area is easier to manage (make sure you grab one of the duty free shopping trolleys to help manage your luggage).

There are dedicated quiet and play areas for kids as well.

Upvote:2

Dubai's Terminal 3 is a large complex of three buildings, divided into concourses A, B, and C. The B and C gates are connected directly, while getting to the A gates requires a short train ride. There are also buses that connect the C gates to the A gates, to save you a long walk. Gate assignments are subject to change at any time, so there is no guarantee as to how long it will take to travel between gates. The airport authority describes it as a "maximum walking time of 30 minutes." As you've observed, you'll walk through corridors to a security checkpoint, then into the terminal to go to your gate. Emirates and airport staff are available to provide directions and assistance.

Emirates provides complementary baby strollers, and they are described as "at every Emirates gate" and "everywhere around the terminal". They appear to be stored in red cabinets; if you don't see one, ask the ground staff meeting your flight. While they seem to have many available, there's no guarantee and the service is first-come-first-served. If you can arrange a seat closer to the front of the aircraft, that might help, or look for one at another gate.

It appears that the Marhaba service only provides a buggy with their expensive Marhava Elite service. You can contact Emirates to see what complementary assistance they can provide, though I suspect they may simply tell you about the strollers.

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