Flights,  The United Arab Emirates

Dubai: Find Cheap Flights and Business Class Deals

Dubai is the busiest destination in the world for travellers. It has worked hard to put itself in the global spotlight in order to attract investment and tourism. The effect of this can be easily seen in Dubai’s aviation sector.

The Dubai Government owns Emirates airline – which is the largest airline in the Middle East. It flies to more than 150 cities across the globe. Its international presence has made it one of the most popular airlines in the word.

Due to demand for low-cost flights, the Dubai Government created FlyDubai airlines, which serves 95 destinations in the Middle East, South Asia, Africa and Europe.

Flying to Dubai’s Airports

Dubai International (DXB)

Dubai is served by Dubai International Airport (DXB), located north-east of the city. It is the busiest airport in the world by passenger traffic. DXB’s Terminal 3 is also the second largest building in the world by floor space.

Dubai International Airport is served by more than 140 airlines to over 270 destinations on all inhabited continents. However, more than half of the passenger traffic at DXB is handled by Emirates airline. 13% if the passenger traffic is handled by the low-cost carrier, FlyDubai.

Shopping at Dubai Airport

Dubai is one of the major points of transit, connecting Asia with Europe and North America. Dubai Airport duty-free shopping is famous worldwide, largely because of the variety of products and services offered compared to other airports.

Dubai Airport’s Duty-Free is located in both the departures and arrivals of each of the three terminals. It is famous worldwide for its raffle and draw of luxury cars. Some of the cars won by people of various nationalities include an Audi R8 RWS, a Mercedes Benz S560 and a Bentley Bentayga V8.

Gold Shopping at Dubai Airport

Buying gold at Dubai Airport is one of the most sought after shopping experiences especially among the Indian and South East Asian community. Dubai Gold Jewellery are known for their exceptional designs, purity and quality, that remains unmatched worldwide.

The Gold Rate in Dubai closely reflects prices in the International Bullion markets. Dubai was known for not charging sales taxes on gold purchases but this has changed with the addition of a 5% VAT on gold.

However, eligible tourists will be able to reclaim the VAT on gold purchases, subject to verification. See https://www.tax.gov.ae/touristRefundScheme.aspx for more info.

By Shopping for Gold at Dubai Duty Free, you can eliminate all hassle of VAT.

Joi [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Limits on importing Gold as baggage into India

Beware that buying Duty-Free in one country does not mean tax-free also in another country. Although there may not exist a limit to the amount of gold you can purchase at Dubai duty-free, the Customs at your destination country might not see it that way.

For example, Women who are Indian Citizens, who have been outside India for more than six months are allowed to bring up to 40 grams of gold up to Rs.100000/- in value, duty-free into India.
For the men who are Indian Citizens, their limit is only 20 grams of gold up to Rs.50000/- in value.

These passengers can bring up to 1 kilogram of gold back to India. They will be subject to a customs duty of 10% if they were abroad for more than 6 months. Otherwise they will be subject to a duty of 36.05% that will be paid in foreign currency.

Al Makhtoum International (DWC)

Dubai’s second airport, Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC), is located south of the city in Jebel Ali. It is designed to be much larger than DXB with a higher capacity for passenger traffic. However, most of its traffic currently is Cargo, which has largely shifted here from DXB.

Sharjah International (SHJ)

The emirate and the city of Sharjah borders Dubai in the north. Sharjah International Airport (SHJ) is located only just 20 km north of Dubai International Airport. It is the headquarters and hub for Air Arabia, a low-cost airline, operating to over 120 destinations in the Middle East, Asia and Europe.

It can sometimes be cheaper to fly Air Arabia to Sharjah than to Dubai, provided it also operates from your closest home-city.

Etihad Express Bus from Abu Dhabi International (AUH)

If you find yourself making an Etihad Airways Booking, you will be flying to Abu Dhabi, which is the only airport it flies to in the UAE. If you are not planning to stay in Abu Dhabi and want to head straight to Dubai, you can take the Etihad Express Bus, which is a complimentary service for Etihad’s Economy class passengers.

The hour-and-forty-minute trip connects Abu Dhabi International Airport with the Mazaya Shopping Centre in downtown Dubai.

Click here for more information about the Etihad Express Bus between Abu Dhabi International Airport and Downtown Dubai.

Where can you buy cheap flight tickets to Dubai?

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Finding discount airline tickets is a job in itself. Airline ticket prices are sensitive to time – when the ticket was purchased and the time of the flight. External factors such as the price of oil and competition also affect airline ticket prices.

Fortunately, there are discount airfare search engines like Jetradar that save a huge amount of time by comparing other discount airfare websites helping you buy Cheap Dubai flight tickets.

Note that all prices are stated in US Dollars and the fares initially exclude baggage fees.

Flying a low-cost airline is always a strong option to score the cheapest flights to Dubai. You can find good deals by creating a FlyDubai airline booking for one leg of your trip or for your entire trip. If you do not mind flying to Sharjah, Air Arabia is another great alternative.

Flying Business Class to Dubai

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If you are taking a long-haul flight to Dubai from an international destination like Singapore, Manchester, Dublin, London Heathrow, New York City, Sydney or Manila, you will expect to be in your seat for 7 hours to 14 hours non-stop.

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To maximize your savings when looking for the cheapest air tickets to Dubai, Tuesday mornings tend to be the best times to search business class discount airfare. Airlines usually announce deals on Monday evenings and ticket prices climb higher as the week progresses into Friday.

Julian Herzog [GFDL or CC BY 4.0]

Flying in Emirates Business Class

Emirates connects Dubai to more than 150 cities across the globe. Its international presence has made it one of the most popular airlines in the word. This has, in turn, made Dubai International Airport very popular with transit passengers whose initial or final destination is not serviced by a North American or a European Airline.

Emirates has consistently aimed to provide superior service to its First and Business class passengers. As of writing, business class seating in Emirates is inspired by luxury brand sports cars with their faux wood-trim. A personal mini-bar-fridge is also part of a Business Class and First Class seat on Emirates.

Emirates is known to provide an exclusive selection of alcohols to its First and Business Class passengers. Be forewarned that although alcohol is freely provided to passengers on a plane owned by Dubai, passengers have been arrested on the ground at Dubai Airport (even in transit) when they were found with blood alcohol levels of more than zero.

Emirates is known for providing cutting edge entertainment system to its passengers of all classes. The high-definition individual screens in Emirates Economy class are the largest in the skies. There are more than 3500 channels of movies, TV shows, music and games provided on demand. In addition, you can also keep up live sporting events on Emirates on all flights.

Emirates is one of the few airlines in the world that provides a chauffeur service to its business class passengers connecting Dubai International Airport to/from anywhere in the UAE. See https://www.emirates.com/english/experience/chauffeur-drive/ .

Emirates Business Class Lounges

Business class passengers to/from Dubai flying Emirates have free access to their Emirates Lounges in Dubai – of which there are seven. Emirates branded Lounges are also found in more than 30 other airports around the world.

Emirates Lounges are stylish and have a modern feel. They are proud to offer healthy choices in their meals with a program called Health Hub. The lounges in Dubai also feature boarding flights directly from the lounge.

Economy Passengers can also avail the facilities of Emirates Lounges for a fee. See https://www.emirates.com/english/experience/our-lounges/paid-lounge-access/.

Priority Pass Lounges at Dubai International

Emirates Business class Passengers, as well as Priority Pass members, also have access to five Marhaba lounges at Dubai International Airport, which are located in Terminal 1 Concourse D, Terminal 2, and Terminal 3 Concourses A, B & C.

Travelling in FlyDubai Business Class

FlyDubai is owned by the Government of Dubai, to serve the demand for low-cost routes in the Middle East, Europe and Asia. It servers around 95 destinations with a fleet of Boeing 737. These are narrow-body medium range aircraft that carry 156 to 189 passengers in the Economy and 12 to 16 in Business Class.

Business Class is not available on all flights with FlyDubai. This may be true especially on destinations with the shortest flying times. A single class economy aircraft may also be used on times and days that are not favourable or popular with business class travellers.

On FlyDubai’s Boeing 737, there are 3 or 4 rows in the Business Class cabin. each Row has 4 Seats in a 2-2 configuration. The seats are recliner types, with a width of 21-inches, which are still more comfortable than in the economy class.

Business class passengers are provided complimentary meals and beverages. The premium entertainment package and music is also free.

WiFi, however, is not free on FlyDubai and there are are a few packages to choose from, such as a 30 minute all access, messenger access, live stream access and all access throughout the flight. See https://www.flydubai.com/en/flying-with-us/onboard-experience/onboardWiFi.

Faisal Akram from Dhaka, Bangladesh [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

FlyDubai Business Class Lounge

The FlyDubai Business Class Lounge is located in Dubai’s Terminal 2 after security. This is a basic lounge providing complementary food, beverages, snacks and a place to be away from the crowds.

The FlyDubai lounge has a main level with the food and seating. The upper level has more seating and screens to watch flight information and television.

Because FlyDubai is a low-cost airline with most of its routes short haul, there are no showers, business amenities, laundry facilities or children’s play area in its lounge.