As Emirates flags a significant peak travel period starting on Saturday 6 July as many families leave for summer holidays, customers are advised to take note of key timings at the airport, grab a complimentary Emirates ice-cream and enjoy the many options for families to fly better.

Emirates is a family-friendly airline that flies more than one million children around the world every year and offers multiple bespoke services for families. This peak travel period, customers departing Dubai with Emirates are advised to plan for extra traffic on the roads approaching the airport, more people at the airport going through Immigration, and the time it may take to travel between Concourses and reach Boarding Gates.

Stick to these handy timelines for stress- free family travel:

• In peak travel times, arrive to the Airport: 3 hours before departure
• Ensure you pass through Immigration: 1.5 hours before departure
• Ensure you reach your correct Boarding Gate: 1 hour before departure

Quicker Ways for Families to Check In

Check in at home –  Emirates customers can opt to use the Emirates Home Check In service in Dubai and Sharjah. Agents complete the check-in process at the customers’ home, hotel, or office, and take the bags on to the flight so that they can arrive a later time with hand luggage. The service needs to be booked at least 24 hours before a flight. The Home Check-In service is complimentary for First Class passengers and Platinum Skywards members.

Use the app or website – Download the Emirates app to book and change flights, download a digital boarding pass for most destinations, get notifications about your flight and even check the menu for your flight. Customers can also purchase preferred seats and an excess baggage allowance in advance, book a chauffeur drive service and pre-select movies to watch via ice inflight entertainment. Customers can also check in on Emirates.com. Online check-in and app check-in are both open 48 hours ahead of flight departure time.

Drop off luggage early – Emirates customers can drop off luggage at the airport the night before travel at no charge. Passengers who are departing from Dubai can check-in early and drop off their bags 24 hours before departure, or 12 hours before departure if flying to the US. Then closer to departure time, customers can proceed directly to the immigration area in the airport.

Check in at Emirates City Check In’s

DIFC – Save time at airport and check in at the Emirates City Check‑in and Travel Store in ICD Brookfield Place, Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) instead. Conveniently located in the heart of the business district, Emirates customers can check in and drop off luggage as early as 24 hours and up to 4 hours before a flight. Customers can check in anytime from 8:00am to 10:00pm daily.

Ajman – If you are travelling from the northern Emirates, you can also check-in at Ajman Central Bus Terminal from 24 hours up to 4 hours before your flight. Customers can check in anytime, 24 hours a day.

Pre-order Duty-Free shopping – Customers who wish to save even more time can pre-order Duty-Free Shopping on EmiratesRED.com and get access to exclusive Duty-Free products, which are then delivered to their seat in the air. The pre-order service is available on most flights, and customers can shop from 21 days up to 40 hours before their flight, providing their flight details during checkout. Emirates cabin crew then deliver the order directly to the customer’s seat inflight.

Enjoy the Emirates Experience for Families at the Airport

Free Ice-cream – Grab a free ice-cream for the whole family until 28 July. Every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday between 12pm and 6pm, customers can visit Emirates red and white striped ice cream carts in Terminal 3 and choose from a range of flavours including vanilla, chocolate, dulce de leche, mango sorbet and lemon sorbet.

Complimentary Strollers – In Dubai Airport, Emirates provides free baby strollers for infants and younger kids, providing comfort for tired little legs.

Dubai Airport Buggies –  Also called Dubai Taxi, are available for all types of customers free of charge, with priority extended to the elderly, families with children and People of Determination.

Kids Play Areas – In the First and Business Class Lounges in Dubai Airport, Concourse A and B, the kids play areas have arcade quality games and Sony PlayStation terminals for gamers. The lounges are also equipped with mother and baby care rooms, comfortable feeding areas and baby changing facilities.

Unaccompanied Minors – Emirates offers a complimentary Unaccompanied Minors service to children aged 5-11 years who are travelling alone, whereby children are accompanied and supervised by specialist Emirates ground staff and cabin crew for every step of their journey. There is a dedicated lounge with video games, free Wi‑Fi, comfortable sofas, and children’s bathrooms.

Children with Autism – For children with hidden disabilities, Emirates supports the travel journey by providing as much information in advance as possible, so that families can plan, rehearse, and be reassured about their upcoming travel. Passengers can check the Accessible Travel page on Emirates.com for information, consult the Autism Friendly Guide to pre-plan their travel and contact their Emirates local office with queries.

Family Entertainment and Comfort Onboard Emirates

Kids Meals – Kid’s meals are served almost all Emirates routes, across all classes and feature tasty and nutritious meals and snackable elements. Organic baby food, milk formula and baby bottles are available onboard for infants if parents and guardians require them during the flight.

Baby amenities – Parents with babies onboard are given an infant amenity kit including diapers, a bib, lotion and a changing matt so that the littlest passengers stay fresh throughout their journey. Most Emirates aircraft bathrooms are equipped with baby changing tables.

Baby Bassinets – For infants under 2 years old, parents can book seats with safe and comfortable bassinets so that their babies can snooze comfortably throughout the flight. Parents can also bring approved car seats onboard for extra familiarity and safety.

Entertainment on ice – Emirates award-winning inflight entertainment ice allows kids to get stuck into movie marathons including new releases, all-new Disney Classics collection, plus Marvel Studios and Star Wars collections, and the complete Harry Potter movies series, CBeebies, Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network. Emirates ice even has up to 100 video games, which can be played by two players in different seats on the in-seat controllers.

Kids Keepsakes – Kids of all ages are offered a selection of toys and giveaways onboard, made from more sustainable materials with each age group in mind. For example, the Fly with Me magazine is a fun-filled activity magazine featuring puzzles, jokes and activities for 3–8-year-olds. To make memories that last a lifetime, Emirates cabin crew can capture kid’s special moments and journeys onboard with an instant Polaroid camera, which is then presented to the family in a limited-edition Emirates photo frame as a keepsake.

Free Wi-Fi – Kids get free Wi-Fi messaging onboard Emirates in all classes – simply add the membership number to the booking prior to the flight. Sign up to Emirates Skysurfers loyalty programme for young travellers and kids between 2-17 years old can earn Skywards Miles on every Emirates and flydubai flight, then spend them on more flights or unique lifestyle benefits.