9 Hours In Abu Dhabi ??

[rollsroyce]

Hi i am coming over next month, will have to spend 9 hours at the airport, anyone done this ? any tips welcome. ie, is there anywhere to store your case,? how about going "down town" ? do they take £ ? what to do at airport or to see down town. i have asked this question on trip advisor, you would have thought i came from Mars lol !! obviously thousands do this every month i would imagine. still i am saving enough to pay my hotel bill. thanks in advance.

[wasabi]

9 hours I wouldnt want to spend 9 seconds there again. My flight from Heathrow was full of Pakistanis and when I landed in the Abu Dabi terminal I then understood why,it is a major hub for Pakistanis returning to Pakistan.Not only was the terminal crowded with Pakistanis from My flight but full of Pakistanis flying back. I never left the terminal,so I hope somebody can tell what delights are to be found outside.

[Yasojack]

bet you got your ticket from ebookers, there trying to sell stupid tickets

[natalie8]

I live in Dubai and I go to Abu Dhabi quite regularly. I would recommend the bus tour, which lets you get on and off at any point and you can see the main sights. Abu Dhabi Sightseeing Bus | Hop On Hop Off Abu Dhabi | Big Bus Tours They probably have a stand at the airport and you can buy the tickets there.

[taxexile]

if you are booked through to bangkok then I think you will get directed into the transit lounge from which there is no escape

[astasinim]

^
Yup.

Get yourself in the Irish bar and settle down with a book or something. Engage in some people watching, that should pass an hour or two. Lots of duty free shopping to be done. Get in the business class lounge if you want peace and quiet, free food and booze.

By the time you`ve done all that, your flight will have been called.

[Bettyboo]

I wouldn't buy a ticket with a 9 hour stop in transit...

Having said that, the bar is the bar, so enjoy... Won't be cheap; probably about 300 baht per pint x 10 = 3000 baht; how much extra was a direct flight?

[Gerbil]

You're lucky you're not going during Ramadan. All the bars and restaurants are closed in the terminal then.

[leemo]

Ditto on the Pakis, and Jeddah was even less fun as we were delayed for 2 hours and the peaceful guys wouldn't let us off the plane. I don't blame them, if I had a country it wouldn't allow them to soil it either.

[somtamslap]

Rule number 1:

Don't burst into the prayer room fumbling your trousers down after mistaking it for the shitter.

[kingwilly]

I wouldn't buy a ticket with a 9 hour stop in transit...

Agreed.

[DJ Pat]

Did 7hrs in there last year. Stayed in the bar next to the smoking room the whole time drinking pints.

Got tiresome after a while. No choice though.

[rollsroyce]

reply to Betty Boo i paid £530 they want over a thousand quid to go the dates i wanted, as i have said before on this site last year i paid £680 non-stop this year its £1244, so you can see my logic for the sake of 9 hours i have saved 100s of pounds and this has in fact paid for my accommodation

[DJ Pat]

I drank about 11 pints at £7 each. Bastards.

And I sat chatting to Fiona from Price Waterhouse Coopers Singapore for 5 hrs..shame she had to leave

[Gerbil]

And I sat chatting to Fiona from Price Waterhouse Coopers Singapore for 5 hrs..shame she had to leave

Took her 5 hours to give you the slip?

[rickschoppers]

How about watching some camel races?

[Smug Farang Bore]

I got delayed there for a few hours.

Got off the flight half pissed from Bangkok, headed for the lounge and finished the job off.

Drank all the champagne I could eat.

[the dogcatcher]

Think the bum guns there have warm water.
Good place to leave some shit.

[dobella]

Abu Dhabi, so assuming it is probably Ettihad then they will have a lounge for long staying guests transferring.
You can go to the information desk and pay around £50 and all inside is free from drink, food and even shower facilities.
I have done it with Emirates and friends of mine have done it with Qautar Air so i would think Ettihad would also do it.
Cheaper than swilling £7 pints for 9 hours.

[Tickiteboo]

eply to Betty Boo i paid £530 they want over a thousand quid to go the dates i wanted,

You did well to get that price. I'm going Dec 11 for a month and had to pay £720 with Jordanian Airways, including a shitty 4 hour stop coming back.

[taxexile]

the toilets there are none too pleasant, not surprising considering the numbers of people using them and some of the countries they come from, but there is an army of bangladeshi mopsters on continuous clean up duty.

[cyrille]

As others have said, you'll be stuck in the terminal.

If you're flying Etihad you'll be in the spiffy new terminal. If you're using another airline you'll be stuck in the infamous 'magic mushroom'.

So if you're flying Etihad you made the right move.

[DJ Pat]

^great choice of catering, maybe you're not fussy?

[cyrille]

I have no idea what you're on about with that, pat.

I didn't say anything about the catering.

I was pointing out that the new terminal is much better than the old one, and that if you have 9 hours there it's a good idea to fly Etihad because it uses the new terminal.

Personally I have no great expectations of the food at any airport or economy section.

Maybe daddy springs for business class for you? Or is that only for the flights when he 'orders' you to fly home.

[DJ Pat]

I meant great choice of food options given the abnormal hour of the night