‘Unacceptable’: Emirates CEO’s issues apology to passengers

The major airline has issued a 570-word apology letter acknowledging their response was “far from perfect” amid the Dubai storms chaos.

Emirates boss Sir Tim Clark has issued a lengthy open letter to customers apologising for “unacceptable” delays amid record storms in Dubai.

The 570-word apology letter comes after the United Arab Emirates faced its highest rainfall in 75 years, bringing one of the world’s biggest airport hubs to its knees.

The UAE recorded its heaviest rainfall in 75 years. Picture: AFP

The storm first hit Oman, killing at least 20 people, before pounding the UAE on Tuesday.

More than 1200 flights have been cancelled and 40 diverted in Dubai since the flooding began, which is the home of Emirates.

In the letter, Sir Clark acknowledged their response had been “far from perfect”.

“We acknowledge and understand the frustration of our customers due to the congestion, lack of information, and confusion in the terminals,” he said.

@brightlifeproject We flew Perth to London through Dubai. We have just met another couple we lost their bags two days ago and I’ve just come back to the airport to get them. The only reason they knew the bags were here because they had air tags. #emirates #lostluggage ♬ original sound - BrightLifeProject

“We acknowledge that the long queues and wait times have been unacceptable.”

During the flooding, users have been posting to social media about the delays at Dubai International Airport with one encouraging others to “change your flights” after showing a video of huge lines at the luggage carousel.

Passengers wait for their flights at the busy airport. Picture: AFP

“If you’re planning on flying through Dubai on Emirates … change your flights if you can … It is absolute mayhem here,” one user wrote.

On Friday, one woman said her elderly parents have been stuck at the airport for more than 30 hours.

“There is no food or water provided, and there is no one to guide or provide service from Emirates please help them they are in dire need,” she wrote on the airport’s X page.

The recent unprecedented weather event in the UAE and the operational disruptions it caused at #DXB have been a great challenge for us all, but it has been the most challenging for our guests who’ve had to spend much longer than they expected at our terminals.

To bring some… pic.twitter.com/1FYJSQLaaS

— DXB (@DXB) April 20, 2024

A passenger who wished to remain anonymous told news.com.au they spent 25 hours on an Emirates flight from Brisbane to Dubai from boarding to disembarking.

“No food was offered during this time, only small cups of water and soft drinks and there were no food stalls open to purchase food if you were brave enough to start the queuing process again,” he said.

Passengers queue at a flight connection desk at the Dubai International Airport after scores of flights were cancelled or delayed. Picture: AFP

Sir Clark said the flooded roads impacted the movements of customers, pilots, cabin crew, and airport employees to reach the airport.

However, he said that as of Saturday, all regular flight schedules had been restored.

“Passengers previously stranded in the airport transit area have been rebooked and are en route to their destinations,” he said.

“It will take us some more days to clear the backlog of rebooked passengers and bags, and we ask for our customers’ patience and understanding.

“We take our commitment to our customers very seriously, and we have taken leanings from the last few days to make things right and improve our processes.”

He said in the letter more than 12,000 hotel rooms had been secured to accommodate disrupted customers in Dubai with over 250,000 meal vouchers issued.

“I want to offer, on behalf of myself, and all the teams across Emirates, our apologies to each and every customer affected by this disruption,” he said.

“We will continue to work hard to live up to your expectations.”

Meanwhile, in a statement on Saturday, Dubai International Airport also acknowledged it’s been a “great challenge” as a result of the unprecedented storms.

“We understand the frustration and distress that the past few days have caused many travellers, and we thank you all for your patience and understanding as our operations recover. Please know that your welfare is, and will always continue to be, our number one priority,” the statement read.