[bally]

I am just so angry!!

I have been looking at complaints against Emirates and I am totally disappointed to discover that this airline, which has been reasonably impeccable all these years, is now rapidly decaying in terms of service delivery.

On Wednesday 21st September 2016, after a long-haul flight from Auckland, we arrived Dubai terminal 3. During the flight I had cause to take care of my 2 year old so I removed my watch and placed it in the small seat pocket (that will be just below where the magazines and stuff are kept in front of the passenger). I did this particularly to avoid forgetting the watch in the bathroom, or otherwise having it fall into the toilet, while changing diapers.

I totally forgot to wear my watch afterwards, but when we left the plane and were almost at the security check, which was not far from the arrival gate, I then remembered my watch. I doubled back to an Emirates stall midway between the arrival gate and security checkpoint, where I solicited the help of the Emirates staff there in contacting the flight crew, who were still inside the plane, to help me get my watch. There was this guy at the stall that seemed to be an airline security staff; this particular guy dived in head-on to commandeer the discussion and silence all other staff. He essentially told me that I will have to wait for about an hour or so while the plane is being cleaned, following which I will have to go to an information desk and have them contact lost and found, to retrieve my watch.

Now, if you have been paying attention, you will realize that this could be a problem. I let this guy know that the item was not lost, that I knew exactly where this item was, and all that is required is for any airline staff to either help me go get it, or ask a member of the crew to get it on their way out. I made this suggestion because I knew that I may not be allowed back unto the plane, which is understandable. However, this guy would not budge, claiming that nobody, including staff, is allowed back into the plane. He conveniently disregarded my request to contact the crew, still inside the plane and ready to also disembark at any time, to simply help me get the watch based on an exact description of its location (my boarding pass was right there with me). The more I tried to reason with this guy, the more he totally ignored me.

Not to be unreasonable, I decided to try it his own way, but I knew it was a long shot. What are the chances of a very portable item like a watch being turned in by a cleaning service, assuming it was even discovered in the first place? I tried to make this guy understand this truth, but he maintained that it will be found because the cleaners do a thorough job, but he didn't comment about the chances of it not being stolen outright by the person that finds it.

I physically went to the information desk three times that morning to find out if the watch had been located, but of course it had not been. I had to get on my connecting flight and travel on; two weeks later I reckon enough time had elapsed for this watch to now be sitting down in lost and found somewhere; I contact lost and found Dubai Airport via email, and basically, this is the final prognosis:

Good Day,

After checking Emirates lost and found system records, we at Dubai airports regret to inform you that we have not been able to find a similar item on record that matches the description of your lost item.

However, for further assistance or clarification, please contact Emirates Lost & Found department

· If you are in UAE:
Please come to the airport [EK Lost & Found - Terminal 3, Arrivals near Exit 1].

If you are outside UAE:
Kindly request you to contact the nearest Emirates Office who will assist you:

You can look up contact information for your nearest Emirates office here: http//www.emirates.com/english/help/offices/local emirates offices.aspx

Important Note:
This response does not mean the lost reported item is located/ found.

I know exactly when I'm being blown away. So essentially, what could have easily been resolved, was totally messed up by just one person of questionable authority who refused to recognize that we, the passengers that fly economy, not the guys that fly business or first class, are what keep the show going. In other words, if I had told him that my seat number was 4A, he may have paid more attention, but even then I'm not too sure with this guy. It seemed he was the sort that took pride in sticking to 'rules', forgetting that those same rules are actually there to make life easier for all parties, but especially for their customers.

I have now lost a beautiful and expensive watch simply because someone insisted on following 'rules' that were originally designed to help keep us all safe. I never asked to break those rules; surely an Emirates staff can radio a crew member to simply ask for an unusual but specific and safe request like mine. All I did was forget, but I remembered when it was not totally late to do so but it still didn't matter. Who is going to compensate me for this insensitivity now? I'm having a rethink on my relationship with airlines because it seems all they ever think of is their safety and security, while forgetting the people that actually keep this well-oiled enterprise going.