Dubai airline Flydubai: reviews. Paid food and drinks - flydubai Let's compare what a feast for the stomach they brought us

We used FlyDubai airlines in February 2018 when we flew to Dubai on vacation.

Until this moment, absolutely nothing was known about the airline. But this flight prompted me to write a review about FlyDubai. We flew on a package tour. Ordinary seats, ordinary flight attendants, nothing special.

The most popular destinations of FlyDubai airline are Dubai, Colombo, Zanzibar, Maldives, Kabul, Kathmanda and others.
After they didn’t feed us, we got worried, thought there was a charter flight, but nope...

FlyDubai- positions itself as a low-cost airline, so you have to pay for everything (for food, for luggage, for choosing a seat).

Baggage
Hand luggage is allowed up to 7 kg, baggage up to 20 kg, you will have to pay extra for excess.

Nutrition
Unfortunately, free meals are not provided on board FlyDubai. A hot meal can be ordered in advance 7 days before departure for a package tour and 24 hours before departure when purchasing a ticket separately. You can do this when booking your flight. Meals are paid and cost $20 for a set of hot dishes, which you can choose from the menu( dishes: “Chicken in oyster sauce”, “Omelet with spinach and chicken sausages “chipolata””, “Cutlet Kiev”, “chicken tikka kebab”, “Vegetable cutlet”, “Omelette with chicken chipolata”, “Chicken a- la King" etc..)
And this service is used during the flight; according to the lists of passengers, hot meals were passed through and distributed.

Those who haven’t done this can order snacks and drinks from the menu during the flight; the prices are certainly steep.
KOKA noodles - 3 dollars (according to our doshirak)
Sandwiches - 5-6 dollars (large selection)
Rolls - 5-6 dollars
Nuts - 3 dollars, Pringles chips - 3 dollars, Mars, Snickers, Bounty chocolates - 2 dollars.

Soft drinks
Mirinda, Pepsi, seven up 0.33l for 2 dollars. Coffee - 3 dollars.

Alcohol
Beer 0.33l - 8-9 dollars, a small bottle of Prosecco 0.2l - 9 dollars, gin 0.05l - 8 dollars, Chivas for 50 ml 8 dollars, Russian Standard vodka 50 ml - 8 dollars.

Airplane seat
Seats in the aircraft cabin are also bought or sold to passengers. A seat in the back of the cabin costs $3, in the middle - $5, seats with additional space in the middle of the cabin where emergency exits are located cost $35, a seat in the front rows of the cabin immediately after business class costs $10.

Entertainment on the plane.
Most passengers prefer to sleep during the flight with headphones in their ears while listening to music, but for those who cannot sleep or are cramped or uncomfortable on the plane, there is a special terminal in the form of a tablet, which is located on the back of the seat in front. Through this terminal you can order food and drinks during the flight, read the news and monitor the trajectory, time, and altitude of your flight. You can also watch movies and TV series, listen to music and play games for an additional fee of $5. You can also use Wi-Fi by paying the same 5 dollars.

You have to pay for everything, they don’t even offer water for free, there are Russian-speaking staff on board. When we were flying back, I got a seat in the rear section on the edge of the aisle, it was very uncomfortable to sleep since the passengers were constantly touching me with their clothes or their hands when going to the toilet, and the queue was very long.

In general, FlyDubai is not a bad airline if you know in advance about all the pros and cons of this company, but if you have plenty to choose from, then it is better to use the services of another airline. I really hope that my review of FlyDubai will be useful to many tourists.

Flydubai is one of the fastest growing airlines in the Middle East. The company was established in 2008 by the Government of Dubai, becoming the city's first low-cost airline.

Baggage transportation

Hand luggage

A passenger has the right to carry free of charge only one piece of hand luggage (56 cm x 45 cm x 25 cm), no more than 7 kg, along with one small bag with a laptop or a small handbag.

Checked baggage

Checked baggage weight is no more than 20 kg and is limited to 3 items. Each item or part must not weigh more than 32 kg and the dimensions must not exceed 75 cm x 55 cm x 35 cm. Checked baggage that exceeds the specified weight or size will not be accepted for carriage.
Upon special request, a passenger can increase the weight of luggage, as well as choose any seat on the plane, from the most economical to the most spacious (tariffs can be found on the airline’s website.

List of items prohibited from being carried in luggage

Carry-on or checked baggage must not contain any of the following items: 1) items that may jeopardize the safety of the aircraft or persons or property on board the aircraft as specified in the ICAO Technical Instructions for the Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air and Transport Regulations IATA dangerous goods, and the relevant airline regulations. For more detailed information, please contact airline representatives or their authorized agents;
2) items that are prohibited from being carried in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, orders or government policies of any state from or to which flights are operated;
3) items that are reasonably considered unsuitable for carriage because they are dangerous or unsafe or because of their weight, size, shape or nature, are fragile or perishable, taking into account, for example, the type of aircraft used;
4) military materials;
5) the passenger must not include in checked baggage fragile or perishable items, valuables (including, for example, money, jewelry, precious metals), computers, personal electronic devices, data storage devices, any medications or medical equipment, which may be required in flight or during travel, or which cannot be quickly replaced if lost or damaged, house or car keys, valuable documents (including, for example, business documents, passports and other identification documents, valuable paper, etc.) and similar things.

List of items prohibited for carriage in hand luggage:

1) real, replica or toy weapons, weapons and ammunition, explosives or items containing explosives (such as Christmas crackers or fireworks) and incendiary materials; knives of any kind/type/shape or size; knives for opening envelopes; metal cutlery; catapults; slingshots, razor blades and straight blades (excluding safety razors and related cartridges); instruments, darts, scissors, nail files, needles and syringes (unless required for medical reasons and accompanied by a medical certificate confirming the disease); knitting needles; corkscrews; sports bats (including, for example, baseball and softball bats, golf clubs, cricket bats, but excluding tennis, badminton and squash rackets); hard sports balls (including, for example, cricket, hockey, billiards or snooker balls); cues for playing billiards or snooker; martial arts equipment.
2) any item that, in the opinion of the airline and in the opinion of airport security personnel, could be used as or adapted to be used as a weapon that has the potential to cause injury or incapacitation or pose any other safety hazard.
If an item of carry-on baggage becomes checked baggage (whether at the request of the passenger or because airport officials require it), the passenger must immediately remove from it all items that are prohibited from being carried in checked baggage.

Travel for pregnant women and newborns

Pregnant women will be accepted on board after the completion of the 27th week of pregnancy only if a medical report or letter is provided, signed and stamped by a physician or midwife who, in the opinion of the airline, is sufficiently qualified, indicating the exact number of weeks of pregnancy, expected date of delivery, provided that the pregnancy is normal, with confirmation that they are able to endure at least a one-way trip. If the medical report or letter does not cover the return flight booked, another medical report or letter must be obtained. The medical report or letter must be written in English and the date of issue must be no later than seven (7) days before the date of departure.
The airline will refuse transportation after the 35th week of pregnancy. Any return flight must be scheduled and carried out before the completion of the above-mentioned 35th week.
For multiple pregnancies, such as twins or triplets, the airline will accept you on board for transportation until the completion of the 32nd week of pregnancy. Any scheduled return flight must be made before the completion of the above-mentioned 32nd week.
If this category of passengers provides incorrect information about the duration of pregnancy, and subsequently requires medical assistance during the flight, or the flight route is changed to provide medical assistance in connection with pregnancy, the passenger will be required to reimburse all expenses incurred by the airline in this regard.
Transportation of newborn children will be allowed after 14 days after birth. When flying with a child (aged 14 days to two years), the child must sit in the parent's seat. If a child turns 2 years old during travel, an additional seat for the child must be purchased. An adult can accompany no more than 2 children, with one child (minimum age 6 months) sitting in a child car seat that is attached to the aircraft seat. An additional seat must be purchased to secure the car seat.

Flight of unaccompanied children

The airline does not accept on board children under the age of 12 (as of the date of the relevant flight), unless accompanied by at least one parent or guardian who is at least 16 years old. The accompanying parent or guardian must be able to travel based on the same booking confirmation.

Flight of passengers with disabilities

Where required by local laws, a passenger with reduced mobility requiring special assistance may carry 2 mobility aids free of charge. Such rights may be granted upon 48 hours' prior notice due to possible space restrictions on board the aircraft and subject to the application of relevant legislation relating to the carriage of dangerous goods. If special assistance is required because the passenger is unable to feed himself or use the toilet without assistance, or evacuate the aircraft cabin without assistance, or has special needs that require special equipment, the airline will only board if:
- before boarding, the passenger received permission from a doctor whom the airline considers sufficiently qualified;
- the passenger is accompanied by a person who is able to help him.

Transportation of animals

Pets are not accepted on all flydubai flights.

Meals on board

The airline provides a wide selection of hot and cold snacks and a wide range of drinks. Meals are not included in the ticket price and can only be purchased on board the plane; menu prices are presented on the airline’s website.

Change of first/last name

Any change to the first/last name of the issued ticket is not permitted.

At the beginning of this year, Maxim and I flew to Goa with Flydubai, and now I’m ready for a detailed review. FlyDubai is an Arab low-cost airline. The flight went well both there and back. The main thing is to know what to expect and what not to expect from low-cost airlines. And then you can avoid disappointments and spend your time on the flight and at the airport simply and stress-free. Here we go! It will be long and boring.

What is low-cost

Low-cost airlines are airlines that sell tickets at a low price and offer a minimum of service. Such carriers refuse many services that traditional airlines provide, which allows them to reduce the cost of transportation. You need to buy airline tickets online, you have to pay extra for food on board, you have to pay extra for watching movies, and there are separate rates for luggage.

Flydubai - brief description

FlyDubai is a low-cost Dubai airline created with the participation of Emirates, which offers flights to Asia, Russia, Africa and other destinations.

The company was founded in 2009.

Official website of the airline: www.flydubai.com

The base airport is Dubai.

Flydubai operates 19 Boeing 737-800 NG aircraft. The planes, whose cabins are designed for 189 passengers, can cover a distance of 5.6 thousand km. These Boeings are considered the safest, most reliable and economical aircraft in the world. If you think that low-cost airlines have old, rickety planes, then you are mistaken. At least in the company of Flydubai everything is fine with the sides.

Where does Flydubai fly?

• Near East:
  UAE: Dubai, Abu Dhabi.
  Saudi Arabia: Tabuk, Dammam, Medina, Yanbu, Abha, Riyadh, Jeddah.
  Iraq: Baghdad, Erbil, An-Najaf, Basra.
  Oman: Salalah, Muscat.
  Lebanon: Beirut.
  Türkiye: Sivas, Istanbul.
  Kuwait: Kuwait City.
  Jordan: Amman.
  Syria: Aleppo, Damascus.
  Qatar: Doha.
  Sudan: Khartoum, Juba.
  Yemen: Sana'a.
• Europe:
  Russia: Saratov, Mineralnye Vody, Volgograd, Ufa, Kazan, Rostov-on-Don, Yekaterinburg, Krasnodar.
  Ukraine: Kharkov, Odessa, Donetsk.
  Romania: Bucharest.
  Macedonia: Skopje.
  Serbia: Belgrade.
  Georgia, Tbilisi.
  Moldova: Chisinau.
• Middle and Far East:
  Bangladesh: Chittagong, Dhaka.
  Kurdestan: Suleiman.
  Turkmenistan: Ashgabat.
  Nepal: Kathmandu.
  Afghanistan: Kabul.
  Bahrain: Manama.
  Tajikistan: Dushanbe.
  Armenia: Yerevan.
  Sri Lanka: Colombo.
  Pakistan: Multan, Sialkot, Karachi.
  India: Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Mumbai.
  Azerbaijan, Baku.
  Kyrgyzstan: Osh, Bishkek.
  Maldives: Male.
• Africa:
  Ethiopia: Addis Ababa.
  Djibouti: Djibouti.
  Egypt: Luxor, Alexandria, Cairo.

The directions are constantly expanding. And they may vary in different cities. So it’s better to check on the company’s website.

But for some destinations it’s better not to even look at flights. For example, to fly from Krasnodar to Istanbul, you will have to spend a day. But the flight from one point to another is less than two hours! But almost all Flydubai flights fly through Dubai. That is, you fly first to Dubai, stay there for several hours, and only then to Istanbul. It is clear that it is easier to buy tickets on the Turkish low-cost airline Pegasus. Therefore, when choosing air tickets, carefully look at connections and the total travel time.

Flights Flydubai

Like many low-cost airlines, Flydubai tickets are non-refundable. If you change your mind or are unable to fly, your airfare will not be refunded. This is bad news.

But there is also a good one. Instead of air tickets, you will be given a voucher for the full amount of air tickets. You can redeem vouchers for tickets to any Flydubai destination throughout the year. If you go nowhere within a year, then the vouchers will expire.

You need to buy air tickets on the Flydubai website. There is a Russian version, everything is clear.
Payment is made by Visa or Master Card. Please note that there is a commission when paying. We paid about one and a half thousand commission in rubles for two tickets.

How does a Flydubai flight work?

Luggage at Flydubai

You can take up to 7 kg in hand luggage, and up to 15 kg in business class. Hand luggage is free.
You have to pay for luggage. 20 kg of luggage – 50 dirhams, 30 kg of luggage – 100 dirhams.

1 dirham = 0.27 dollar

On some routes, baggage up to 20 kg is free. When booking flights, luggage information will be provided.

If you are flying with Flydubai from Russia to India, Africa or Asia and have a layover in Dubai, you do not need to re-check your baggage. He goes straight to the final destination.

But if you fly to Dubai with one company, and then transfer to another company’s plane to fly further and change terminals, you will have to suffer with your luggage. To have your luggage transported from one terminal to another and processed, you need to pay $90. It's cruel, but these are the rules.

On board a Flydubai plane

The airline's planes are excellent - new, with comfortable seats and clean toilets. The flight attendants are polite and beautiful. There is no free food. Lowcost, whatever you want! We flew to Dubai at night, the departure was at one in the morning, so we didn’t want to eat at all. But they carried the sandwiches on the plane without any problems. We ate them later at the airport. The neighbors ate and drank on the plane. If you don't want to buy nuts or crackers for $10, take your food with you. Coffee on board costs $3.

The seats on board recline and there are brand new video panels. But to watch a movie or play a game you have to pay. In business class everything is free, of course.

Hot sandwiches and rolls must be ordered in advance on the FlyDubai website. During the flight you will not be able to buy them unless you have ordered them in advance, only snacks.

For business class passengers there is a separate menu and everything is available - both drinks and hot dishes. I don’t know if it makes sense to take business class if you’re flying low-cost (what’s the point of a cheap flight then, which isn’t cheap at all), but on our flight business class was almost completely booked.

Animals are not allowed onboard Flydubai. Baby strollers are also not allowed, they need to be checked in as luggage.

Dubai International Airport

Flydubai is based in Dubai. Planes arrive at the second terminal. Almost all flights from Krasnodar have a long layover, either to Goa or to the Maldives. The worst thing is that the second terminal is the smallest and noisiest. After 8 hours of waiting there you will go crazy. But you can’t go out - you need a visa.

If the transfer takes a couple of hours, then everything is in order. You can hang out in one of the cafes or hang out on the Internet. Wi-Fi is free for half an hour. Then the connection is interrupted and you need to log in again.

I liked the third and second terminals much more.

Visa to Dubai

If you want to travel to the city, you need a transit visa. A transit visa valid for 96 hours can be issued upon arrival directly at Dubai airport. To do this, no later than 24 hours before departure, you must notify the airline about the need for a visa and provide a copy of your passport.

Upon arrival, you must provide a passport valid for at least 6 months, tickets and fill out a visa application. Please note: you must have a hotel reservation! Otherwise, there may be problems and you will have to book on the spot for a very high price.

A visa is issued provided that the waiting time between connecting flights is at least 8 hours. Costs 200-220 dihrams. According to some sources - 200, according to others - 220. I don’t know what it depends on.

Pros and cons of Flydubai

Minuses:

1. Low-cost airline is such a low-cost airline! For any services, be it food, a glass of juice or watching a cartoon, you need to pay separately.
2. Connections between flights take place in the second terminal of Dubai Airport, and this is not the most convenient terminal.
3. You cannot get a refund for a purchased air ticket.

Pros:

1. Reliable aircraft fleet. This is without fools. Arabs are extremely attentive to flight safety.
2. Reasonable price for air tickets.
3. There are flights from Russian regions. To get to Goa or the Maldives you don’t have to fly to Moscow.

It is profitable and convenient to buy air tickets on the low-cost airline Flydubai for certain destinations. Don't forget to book the services you need in advance when booking your tickets and choose your travel dates carefully for an easy and successful flight.

The most popular destinations of Flydubai are Goa, Maldives and Dubai. You can compare airfare prices.

Good day!

FlyDubai flew for the first time, and the choice in favor of these particular airlines was made for several reasons:
♡ at that time it was the most economical option (there was a discount on certain destinations)
♡ according to reviews on the Internet (about the same level as Aeroflot, modern aircraft).

We booked tickets online through the official website. The process is simple, as standard you need to enter data, dates, select whether you need meals or not (for an additional fee), select seats (for an additional fee). If you don’t indicate it right away, seats are given at the airport.
There are restrictions on luggage: per person it is permissible to take 20 kg (50 dir.) + hand luggage (free). If more, you will have to pay another 50 dirhams ~ 700 rubles. At the end we pay for the ticket with a card.
Next, a ticket with all the necessary information will be sent by email. Tickets are checked at the airport, unlike our Transaero. So be sure to print it out and bring it with you.
Our flight was relatively short - 4 hours.

The plane was small, three seats on the left, an aisle, three seats on the right.

When we flew there, we took our own food. We got acquainted with the menu directly on board. The choice is small: sandwiches, drinks, there is even vodka and whiskey. We wanted a muffin, but there wasn’t one on our flight, although it was on the menu. Therefore, you need to clarify what the flight attendant has and what he doesn’t have.

The staff is multinational. There were no Russians on our flight. It is necessary to express yourself in English.

There is a duty free shop on board. Offered are perfumes, cosmetics, watches, and accessories. But the prices are kind of steep. Even though I had my eye on a couple of things, the toad wouldn’t let me buy it. It will be cheaper in Rive Gaucher.

The flight both there and back went well, although the flight back was delayed. If there are free seats, you can ask to move there, and that’s what we did. Although you need to pay extra for seats immediately behind business class, when you are already seated, they do not require payment, only for seats with emergency exits. The fee for them is 100 dirhams-1300 rubles.

There are screens on the seat in front of the person sitting,

Possible for for free:
1. Monitor the flight on the map.
2. Read about directions
3. Order online on the screen food and drinks and goods from the duty free shop (the service is free, the order itself is not))

UPDATE!
Now there is Wi-Fi on board and you can watch all this from your phone, games are also included, and for a fee you can use the rest of the Internet.

For an additional fee you can: (~35$)
1. Listen to music
2. Watch TV, TV series, new movies
3. Play games.

We watched movies on our PC.

There were no incidents in the form of drunken or inappropriate passengers; we landed well and no luggage got lost.

FlyDubai specializes mainly in destinations of the Middle East and Asia; there are a couple of flights to Russia. Including to Yekaterinburg, Ufa, Kazan, Samara, Rostov, last year they opened a flight to Moscow (Vnukovo). Also on the list are some European cities - Stockholm, Sofia, Prague, Reykjavik).

Bottom line: overall I was pleased with the flight and the airline. A decent option for the money. The downside is that there is no free food on board and no greater baggage allowance.

And finally, a photo of Dubai at night.

We chose this airline only for reasons of economy. Since the trip was planned before the New Year, we wanted to save on the flight. The journey from Moscow to Dubai, and then to Bangkok (we had transit through Dubai) left a not very pleasant aftertaste. We, of course, read reviews and watched reviews about this airline and, in principle, were prepared for what awaited us. And so it happened. The first thing I didn't like was the long flight delays. From Moscow the delay was 2 hours. Accordingly, we arrived in Dubai late at night, which changed our plans. Boarding is very late, and then there is a lot of waiting. To conclude, I absolutely don’t like the work of organizing boarding the plane. To fly away, we had to constantly wait. This is very exhausting, especially if the flight is transit. On board, of course, everything is for a fee. And if your flight is delayed, if you don’t buy food, then your prospects are not very good. We ordered food on the airline's website. The food is generally edible, but expensive. There are no complaints about the work of the service personnel on board. They do their job well and efficiently. Attentive. Now about Terminal 2 in Dubai, where the plane lands. Perhaps this information will be useful to someone. There is no way to get out of this terminal except by taxi into the city! There are no other options. And having arrived at night, you simply do not have the opportunity to look for an alternative. Taxi prices are very high. But a more interesting situation is when you travel from the city to this terminal. We took the metro to Terminal 3 and asked how to get to Terminal 2. To this we were told, by taxi or bus. You can't get there, there are no shuttles. And a huge queue for a taxi. The drive to the Terminal takes 2 minutes and 15. We have never experienced anything like this on any of our trips. I really didn't like this fact. That is, having arrived, we are always forced to travel only by taxi, without alternatives. And a taxi is a significant expense. If we ever decide to fly to Dubai, it will not be with this airline or to this terminal. Travel should be comfortable. And if the passenger paid money for the service, he should receive it. We were disappointed and had to make expenses that we did not plan to do. Everything is fine with luggage. Transit luggage is delivered to its destination without any complaints. We received it safe and sound. On the plane to Bangkok it was somehow stuffy and unusually warm. You always freeze on planes because of the air conditioning, but here it was the opposite. We have flown with many airlines and have something to compare with. We are unlikely to decide to travel further with this company. There are significant disadvantages that left an unpleasant aftertaste and memories. We draw conclusions: when reading reviews, you need to weigh your decision. And often reviews coincide with reality.