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My Dad is stuck in Bangladesh. He went for a 2 months holiday and then COVID19 kicked in and Bangladesh stopped all flights in and out of the country. Qatar airways cancelled the return leg. The govt. has recently permitted certain airlines from landing again but flights are severely limited and flight prices are also through the roof!

I have been trying to bring him back to the UK ( where my family lives ). I booked flights on Gulf and then on Turkish and both cancelled flights suddenly.

I have managed to work out a combination.
Dhaka > Dubai with Biman - T2 at Dubai
4 hours transit
Dubai > London with Emirates - T3 at Dubai

Now, my Dad holds a Bangladeshi passport with UK ILR visa i.e. Visa on arrival at UAE does not apply to him.

I was wondering if he checks in checked baggage at Dhaka, can he somehow get this onto the Emirates flight? I contacted Marhaba and they said they can't.

Would he need to pass through immigration for going from T2 to T3?

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    Marhaba said they can't transfer the baggage? This is a service they normally do offer. It is one reason why DXB is so popular as a transit point.
    – Michael Hampton
    Commented Jul 6, 2020 at 1:05
  • Did they offer an explanation as to why they can’t? Too short? Either (or both) airlines they don’t work with? Service currently closed? Out of capacity on that date? Something else?
    – jcaron
    Commented Jul 6, 2020 at 7:41
  • Here's the email they sent. Greetings from marhaba Services! This is to acknowledge the receipt of your email.
    – Maverick
    Commented Jul 6, 2020 at 9:49
  • We are glad to assist you with your concern. We do apologise for the inconvenience, kindly be advise that we at marhaba Services cannot provide a Baggage Transfer assistance with passengers departing with Emirates Airlines. For better assistance we highly suggest you coordinate directly the airlines you will be travelling with. Should you require assistance or have any inquiry, please email [email protected] or call +800 696274222. Our Call Center is available 24hrs/7days.
    – Maverick
    Commented Jul 6, 2020 at 9:49
  • I'm surprised they don't offer the service with Emirates, as this is the largest airline at the airport! However Biman is actually an interlining partner of Emirates, so it may be worth it calling them to see if they can check your luggage through to the final destination. Note that Biman have a direct flight to London on Sundays, though it does not come cheap. Note also that separately booked flights put your father at risk if one of the two flights is cancelled. EK have DAC-DXB-LHR flights available (though affordable ones only from end of July).
    – jcaron
    Commented Jul 6, 2020 at 10:08

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Just about anyone can transit (including a change of terminals) at Dubai without going through immigration. I was able to do so when all entry into the UAE for foreigners was suspended earlier in the covid-19 pandemic and I needed to get home. Though of course the situation is dynamic and subject to change, I'd be surprised if Dubai continued operating flights but not allowing people to transfer among them.

The main difficulty might be convincing Biman to let your father onto the initial flight without evidence that he can enter the UAE upon arrival, though hopefully it will be sufficient to show the ticket for onward travel. It might be worth contacting the airline to see if they are okay with this.

As you mention, Dubai is usually one of the few airports in the world where there is a service to transfer your checked bags for you without clearing immigration when checking the bags through to the final destination is not an option, but it appears from your research that this service is unavailable to you for some reason I don't understand. It, again, might be worth contacting Biman to see if they have a way to check the bags through to London. Failing that, your father may have to travel with carry-on luggage only.

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    Timatic does include a note for people on separate tickets arriving at DXB so it should be OK.
    – Michael Hampton
    Commented Jul 6, 2020 at 20:32
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    I spoke to Emirates today. Once my dad lands at DXB, he needs to approach the transfer desk at T2 and ask for the interterminal baggage transfer service. This costs $90 USD. This can also be paid for by calling Emirates 48 hours before the flight.
    – Maverick
    Commented Jul 7, 2020 at 0:37
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The problem is with Bangladesh govt and Biman. They invented their own rules that unless you have a UAE visa, you will not be allowed to board the flight from Dhaka.

Hence, I ended up cancelling all flights.

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