Saturday 17th April @ Dubai Airport...............ALL day!

Alarm @ 5.30am...bus to airport 6am.....Departure board informs me = Hamburg flight cancelled!

Liquid breakfast.......(NO ALCOHOL here!)..Freshly juiced fruit..'Cancer Killer and Bladder Cleanser' ...!!
Lynne flew out to Brisbane. I connected with Hollie who had spent the night at the airport with no progress on the standby flights! Hollie is from New Zealand travelling to UK for 6 months to train polo horses. We decided to link up and share accomodation so I booted up Kelly having plugged her into the battery charger Hub to recharge her batteries. This is where many of us spent the day coming and going while one or other of us stayed with everyone's gear! We shared all our resources. Kelly helped many people trying to book accomodation on line as Emirates had stopped giving vouchers. Emirates claimed that, as the occurence was 'an act of God', they were no longer responsible for duty of care after the 48 hours they had given most people support!!! This knowledge was devastating for so many people who just had no money! I decided that I was going to get a bed regardless, so had very early on in the day and luckily, booked the last room at the Premium Hotel for Hollie and me. Most people could not get a room anywhere by about midday!
I still couldn't get my bag so we caught the shuttle bus to the hotel where, Paul, an Englishman and the Manager of Premium Hotel, suggested that I try really hard to get an accomodation voucher..with it he could then help us...so....we returned to the airport where I was treated VERY badly in my quest to get the voucher! Doggedly determined and angry...because I could see others walking away with these precious vouchers....I succeeded!!!!!!!....YES!
Still no bag though! Tempers and energy was very negative in the bag retrieval counter as people, who had rebooked flights to fly to accessible destinations, desperately needed their bags! Back to the hotel where Paul and the whole staff there were SOOO supportive and helpful. Paul organised a refund on both nights I had paid for and he made a temporary booking to stay for 1 week with the voucher ruling for bed and food until Emirates decides not to support the transient travellers!
Hollie went straight to bed as she had slept at the airport last night.
I went to dinner and celebrated with a much needed glass of red (AED $35 = A $12!)
Showered....washed nickers and socks...fell into bed for some good old Brutysleep!....knowing there will be no flights scheduled until 6am Monday 19th April....