This behavior coupled with the construction activity, has resulted in some corridors of the terminal becoming so narrow that passengers can only pass in single file from one point to the next.

Etihad Airway’s lounge in Terminal One is currently closed. All First and Business Class passengers are being directed to Terminal Three, where they must first clear security before gaining access to the lounge. At the lounge, conditions are less than ideal. All the seats in the Pearl Business Class lounge are full from 8 a.m. and during peak periods in the evening the lounge is a messy, overcrowded environment. The lounge staff are overwhelmed.

Any passenger who is scheduled to depart from Terminal One, but chooses to escape the unpleasantness of that terminal for Terminal Three, will be forced to clear airport security twice — once to gain access to Terminal Three and then again at the Terminal One departure gates. Security lines form as much as 45 minutes before boarding time at the Terminal One departure gates and nothing is done to move passengers into the seats on the other side of the security checkpoint. Staff on duty at the Abu Dhabi International Airport claim that they have been told that as much as possible, the internal refurbishment will be completed before the Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix on Nov. 12-14. The influx of transit passengers coming to Saudi Arabia for the Haj has already begun, making conditions difficult for those departing from the Terminal One.