Dubai: March 2023: Day 2: Arrival and after-party

Dubai

March 2023: Day 2: Arrival

So many cakes for the employees. This one actually looked good.

Somewhere over Saudi Arabia.

I think that's Carl in the corner.

Mid-flight snacks for Polaris.

Almost there...

South of Turkey and Israel, instead over the Sinai and Saudi Arabia.

Crab cakes for breakfast were a slightly salty surprise.

That's actual crab!

6661 miles so far, 225 miles to go. Cookin' on gas at 717mph ground speed.

Forgot to photograph the mid-flight snack. Some sort of sandwich.

Dubai in the distance.

Final approach to Dubai International Airport (DXB).

Row of Emirates Airbus A380's lined up at Terminal 3 at DXB.

UA 164, arrived.

Tired old Boeing 777-200ER has made it.

Stuffed dates inside.

Welcome to Dubai group shot.

Hey there's a United flight on the board.

Another cake, this time at the JW Marriott.

Just enough time in the room to shower before heading to the after-party.

Jojeh kebab.

Lamb kebab. Just two of many, many dishes at the buffet.

Tom Stuker with Zach Griff from The Points Guy at the official after-party.

Astin and his better half at the after party.

Filling up.

Speeches.

Big crowd.

Posing with Tom.

United senior folks.

Kevin Velovitch, Senior Principal, Alliances at United.

Even the staff were excited.

Blueberry cheesecake was way sweet, gross.

Zach Griff and Patrick Quayle along with Emirates' #1 flyer.

Peak party.

Joined by one of the flight attendants for Wednesday's crew.

Collin and Abhishek.

Flight crew.

Another cake? Another cake! (flight crew said this was the 5th one??)

The inaugural flight of UA 164, EWR-DXB, set a new record for the fastest commercial flight from EWR to DXB at 11 hours and 59 minutes in the air (at least as of 26 March 2023), but 6,861 miles (great circle route) is still a long haul. A window seat made it a bit tough to get up and wander as much as I'd like, but the few times I did, there were plenty of people milling about to stretch their legs and enjoy the festive mood. Over Saudi Arabia near the end of the flight was some spectacular photo opportunities, with patches of clouds casting their shadows on the desert miles below. And like any big celebration, the crew even found a few cakes loaded by catering in celebration.

Pre-arrival meal was a surprise, crab cakes. Quite an upgrade over the expected pancakes/omelet/french toast usually seen, even if the crab cakes were a bit too salty. Arrival itself in Dubai was unremarkable on the tarmac-- no water cannon salute or evidence of press coverage on the tarmac. In the terminal was marginally more exciting, with a big Welcome to Dubai from United, gift boxes of dates, and plenty of airport employees to welcome everyone. Tom Stuker and Carl Brothers, United's most frequent flier of all time and United's most frequent flier in 2022 respectively, managed to get a bunch of us for a group photo as well. Those looking for a band or speeches or any big celebration would unfortunately be disappointed (if there was one, it was limited to employees, with no mere plebes allowed).

Official after-party was at the hotel a few hours later, and unlike previous inaugurals, some of the frequent fliers got actual confirmation we were invited. Ended up being quite a party on an outdoor patio adjacent to the JW Marriott Marquis in Dubai, with plenty of employees, media, and frequent fliers in attendance, plus Carolyn Corvi, part of the board of directors for United Airlines. Quite a bit of fun, stayed way past the official party end time, although regrettably I had plans early the next morning and couldn't stay quite as late as some of the others, who managed close down both the restaurant and the bar with Senior VP Quayle and the pilots!