Hi Dubai friends,

Welcome to Week 5, Edition 118

I’d just like to ‘put it out there’ how much work goes into creating this newsletter each week.

Imagine how many headlines about Jordan and Dubai I’ve had to sift through to get to the ‘real’ news this week😄!

Here’s your latest edition of Dubai news, deals & tips, every Friday, in 10 mins or less.

⚠️ Security and Flight Updates

🚗 Wheely

❌ Palm Monorail

❤️ Pierchic

🛬 Emirates to recruit 20,000

🛂 Preclearance at AUH

🏨 Two more Waldorf Astorias

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Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) have signed an agreement with Emaar to increase passenger capacity at one of Dubai’s busiest Metro stations - Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall.

Capacity is planned to increase from 7,250 to 12,320, and increase daily handling capacity up to 220,000.

Emaar also have announced plans for the ‘world’s tallest metro station’ at Dubai Creek Harbour.

🔗 Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall Metro Station Expansion (official press release)

Did you see the wingsuit team from XDubai fly through the world’s tallest hotel, Ciel Dubai Marina?

Watch the video for the BTS to see how they did it.

It seems the Palm Monorail is still “temporarily suspended until further notice due to maintenance”.

As the news was first announced on their Instagram page, that or the website is likely to be the best source of updates.

🔗 Palm Monorail

As if there wasn’t enough ways to be driven around Dubai in posh cars, how about Wheely?

The thing that caught my eye was Acqua di Parma car diffuser - as I’m a big fan of their scents - which is a nice touch.

The challenge with articles like that though is they never disclose things like the cost, if it was a collaboration or anything that you can compare with say, Blacklane or Black Limo, both of which are more established worldwide and in Dubai.

It might seem like a ‘dirty little secret’, but occasionally those cars you see on the ridesharing or chauffeur platforms are available in other places too, and often, you’re paying varying prices due the platform charges.

I’m not saying this is the case with Wheely, but there are some excellent chauffeur companies around Dubai that you can deal directly with.

So be sure to look into if your driver and vehicle is exclusive to the platform, or an outside contractor, as sometimes you can just hire the car one-to-one cheaper. I’ve seen the Lexus limos that often lurk around hotels, malls and the airport also be on the ride platforms, but also work for themselves and driving companies.

The issue with drivers working several different platforms or sources is often they may try to fit ‘just one more job in’, whereas at least if you’re paying for exclusivity you have more reassurance.

🔗 Wheely

Have a look at these construction photos of Burj Khalifa, which started in 2004 and was completed in 2010.

If ever you’ve tried to decide which to visit out of Mall of Emirates or Dubai Mall, this is a pretty good comparison.

Whilst this isn’t really a tip about Dubai, it’s pretty timely.

I’m always a little wary about posting updates about security situations, because they need to be read in context and understood objectively, when the ‘clickbait’ media sites often dramatise unnecessarily.

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) is the ‘de facto’ travel advice source for UK citizens, though it’s also useful for a general source for other nationalities about specific countries on matters such as health, entry requirements, safety and security.

Note - If you would like to read more about these security updates, FCDO and what they have meant previously, please check the archive here, and enter “FCDO” into the search box.

If a country is marked as “Do Not Travel” by FCDO, this can impact your insurance cover. If a country is not marked as ‘Do Not Travel’, it does not necessarily mean it’s ‘safe’, but the ’Safety and Security’ page will explain the current situation.

There is clearly a “heightened risk of regional tension”, due to the situation in Iran and the US warning a “massive Armada” was heading into the region. Consequently, some airlines such as KLM and Air France temporarily suspended flights to Dubai and other Middle Eastern cities.

Situations like these are always somewhat fluid, and may even be a bit ‘off then on’, as seen with Air France, whichreinstated flights between Paris and Dubai one day later and KLM, has also restarted but with warnings of possible changes and cancellations.

My advice in situations like this is :-

🔗 Travel Advice for the United Arab Emirates  (FCDO)
🔗 Flightradar24 - check their airport disruption map, flight number, route and/or carrier
🔗 FlightAware - as above, check airports and flight number, route and/or carrier

If you’re looking for a romantic restaurant, always start your search with Pierchic. It has a unique location, and it’s always a special ambience.

It’s also featured in this list of ’12 unique restaurants’ in Dubai.

If it’s not for you, try these “romantic restaurants in Dubai to watch the sunset” or these from Michelin Guide.

🔗 Pierchic

A good point if you’re ever Googling for Dubai information, is that sometimes the terminology is different. Beer and wine for instance, are known as hops and grapes, respectively.

As I was writing a Dubai Guide for a traveller this week who wanted ‘high tea’ on their itinerary, I wrote a list of options (see below, for your perusal) and mentioned that they should also search for ‘afternoon tea’ as well as ‘high tea’. I’m not sure why the different term is used, but it could be the case if you were to Google you may not always get as many results.

Or alternatively, try this list of Bridgerton-inspired afternoon teas.

Ramadan will soon be upon us, and so the flurry of Iftars has started 😄

If you happen to be in Dubai during Ramadan, please do try out an Iftar as they are always a lovely event. Many will offer variations on a theme, and it’s a terrific time to ingratiate yourself into local culture by ‘breaking the fast’ in style.

Here are “26 ‘best Iftars in Dubai for Ramadan 2026” for instance, or these from Visit Dubai

Here’s a great interview with Mark Kirby, President of One&Only, particularly about moving from being General Manager at Armani Hotel Dubai with Emaar, joining Kerzner International and One&Only’s global growth strategy. (Archived page here).

Hilton and AVENEW Development have announced plans for two new properties on Dubai Islands :-

Branded residences are really a thing in Dubai at present, as there’s been massive growth in brands from watches, cars, fashion designers and more aligning with Dubai developers to develop the ‘residences’ market.

It’s not unusual in Dubai for a hotel to have a separate residence operation, either for longer-term stays or to align more with multi-bedroom or ‘apartment’ style with self-catering facilities.

Emirates needs to hire 20,000 ‘operational staff’ by 2030, to cope with its high travel demand and delivery schedules. The roles will include technicians, crew, pilots and airport staff, according to Adel Al Redha, Chief Operations Officer.

This recruitment drive tallies with news that Emirates have agreed to construct new a new ‘Cabin Crew Village’ at Dubai Investments Park (DIP) that will accommodate up to 12,000 staff.

The new village will be a similar distance between both Dubai airports, Dubai International (DXB) and Dubai World Central (DWC), which is clearly a nod to their future shift to Al Maktoum International once the upgrade words are complete.

In a recent media roundtable, Adel Al Redha, Emirates’ deputy president, was asked if shower spas will be available in First Class on the new Boeing 777x.

His answer? “Not yet ….. maybe in the future”.

Is Premium Economy Worth The Upgrade on Emirates?

Emirates will partner with Marriott International to reopen its Wolgan Valley resort in Australia, which has been closed since 2023.

The property is expected to open mid-2026, and will be the world’s first Ritz-Carlton Lodge.

In a recent newsletter, Emirates has reiterated its plea to “unlock” Berlin, which may mean it has to sacrifice other German destinations as its current agreement only allows four destinations.

Did you know about these ‘perks’ with flying Etihad?

The Preclearance facility is excellent if you’re travelling from Abu Dhabi to the US, because you effectively ‘clear immigration’ before boarding and so when you land Stateside you arrive as if you had on an internal flight, with no need to clear immigration again.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Preclearance is available in 15 locations worldwide, and it’s well worth doing if you’re travelling to the US.