Emirates ramps up Rome flights: shorter Dubai transits from QF1

Emirates is ramping up its Dubai-Rome flights from later this year, which means shorter transit times in Dubai for passengers arriving on Qantas flight QF1 from Sydney.

From October 26, EK99 takes to the skies at 3:55am, arriving at Rome’s Fiumicino Airport at 7:35am that morning.

On the return, EK100 is wheels-up at 11am, reaching Emirates’ Dubai mega-hub at 7:35pm on the same calendar day.

With Qantas’ flagship QF1 service touching down in Dubai at 12:40am from Sydney, these passengers can enjoy a shorter transit before jetting onwards to one of the world’s coffee capitals.

Currently, Qantas flyers have to wait for either 8hrs 30m or a staggering 14hrs 25m on the ground in the U.A.E. before flying onwards to Rome – but that’s cut to a mere 3hrs 15m from October 26.

The EK100 timings don’t quite align with QF2 on the return, although Emirates’ existing EK95 flight from Rome to Dubai allows 4hrs 10m in transit.

For Melbourne passengers, EK99 jets off before QF9 reaches Dubai, while EK100 arrives nearly six hours before QF10 heads back to the Victorian capital.

That sees Emirates' existing Rome services a better fit for these flyers, with transits of just 2hrs 25m available from QF9 and a quick 1hr 55m when jumping on QF10.

Qantas hasn’t yet placed its code onto these new flights, but with QF codeshares available on all of Emirates’ current Rome services, it’s likely we’ll see these appearing sooner rather than later.

"We’ll review this opportunity to apply for approval to codeshare on this flight," a Qantas spokesperson confirmed to Australian Business Traveller.

Serving alongside the Airbus A380 superjumbo found on Emirates’ other Rome flights, a Boeing 777-300 will run on EK99/100 – now bookable via the Emirates website:

Skywards members and Qantas frequent flyers can unwind in the new Emirates Rome Lounge before the journey home, whether booked on a QF or EK flight number.

From October 1, Qantas Club members can only access the space if booked on a QF flight number, but with the Qantas Club joining fee currently waived, it could be worth the investment if Qantas codeshares are available on your preferred flights.

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Chris C.

Chris is a a former contributor to Executive Traveller.