I tried FlyDubai for the first time on my recent trip to Dubai. I booked everything the last minute and FlyDubai had the cheapest prices so I decided to try them out.
My experience with FlyDubai itself didn’t turn out bad. We started off on the wrong foot since when I tried to check in at the airport I had to wait around 20 minutes because the ticket staff lost the list that contains all the job occupations that can get a visa on entry to Dubai. That was extremely annoying and frustrating. Then once we boarded the plane I thought the interior was gloomy. I think its the color of the seats (brownish orange with a dark blue) made the interior look old. But I thought the uniforms of the flight attendants were cool and trendy plus they were also very friendly and polite. On my way there the seats didn’t have a TV screen but on the return flight there was a screen with a credit card slit. You could use your card to purchase movies or tv shows to watch (movie is 25dhm tv show is 5dhm). You could also order duty free and food items using the screen including alcohol.
Actually my only issue with FlyDubai is the airport they fly in and out from in Dubai. FlyDubai uses Terminal 2 which is one of the saddest airports I’ve been to (and I’ve been to quite a few). After falling in love with Dubai on this trip (mostly because of Dubai Mall and Burj Khalifa) I found the airport a step in the opposite direction. It was old, small, dark and had no source of entertainment whatever. The Duty Free looked very poor and the only restaurants available were McDonalds, a Kebab place and Costa. On the bright side there was free wifi at the terminal but after spending time in a very futuristic and modern city to end the trip in that depressing airport was an extreme let down. The airport sadly is a deal breaker for me which is a shame since everything else wasn’t bad at all.
41 replies on “My FlyDubai Experience”
I have heard really bad and negative reviews about fly dubai that’s why i have been avoiding them like the plaque…
Then my brother told me that their service is actually great -if you overlook the sad terminal- and that they do fly promptly on time. I was told that they fly really late before.
Now your review with my brothers review are making me think of trying them on my next trip. I tried Jazeera Airways and Emirates Airways. The Emirates Airways is just out of this world… so AMAZING especially compared to Terminal 3 where Kuwait Airways and Jazeera fly from..
I think flydubai has like 4 or 5 flights a day from Kuwait to Dubai so timings are good. I want to try the new Terminal 3 since I heard its amazing but only Emirates lands there but their ticket prices are also a lot more expensive.
sooo true prices are like 3 times that of al jazeera… booked it myself…
the terminal once you enter is pretty quiet… remember my son telling me their is no one here ;P
you do your own check it through kiosks…
passport control is fast…
and they have a similarly huge shopping area like terminal 1 where the other airlines land….
but for some reason i found jazeera’s seats way more better than emerite’s economy seats… emerites feels soooo compact compare to aljazeera.
Unless you’re really scared about your dental health, I think you meant “avoiding them like the plague”
So if the airport is “sad” the airline is also consequently bad? (deal Breaker!)
I guess you “could” have had a fantastic experience if you “could” pay more!! try Emirates from terminal 3 and then let’s see what you have to say.
viks I actually said flydubai is good so not sure how you understood the airport being a deal breaker as the airline being bad. if you go with flydubai then you have to use terminal 2 which is an airport I never want to use again. I could pay more and fly with Emirates and go to Terminal 3 but that’s not something I want do. What I will probably do next time is fly jazeera since price wise they are similar to flydubai except they fly in and out of Terminal 1.
lolz haha they lost the list.
man u should go for emirates,seeing their planes i feel their service is good.and their service is actually good.
Both times I’ve had to use FlyDubai I only landed in Dubai but never departed from there with them. Therefore, I found Terminal 2 to be a breeze because you’re out of there in no time, unlike the main terminal 1 where you walk and walk forever!!!
true
Yup, terminal 1 you need to wait in line for a very long time and walk alot but terminal 2 is a really quick which is why I prefer T2.
I’m flying with them every 2 weeks and I must say they are just great( for economy and a low price airline).Always the cheapest price, new planes und good staff and service (no I’m not working there).I prefer terminal one in Dubai because it’s very quick, its by far faster then the other terminals in Dubai. Yes its not entertaining but its so quick, you can make it even you arrive 20 minutes before the plane takes off.
Sorry I mean Terminal 2 😉
Mark, I recently used flydubai and must say they were not the cheapest airline for me. For the same day / around the same time Jazeera had fares which were abt 20 KD lesser than flydubai. Moreover, you had to pay 10 bucks if we had to check in luggage. Was forced to use them as visa was issued by them. Terminal 2 was not all that great but no issues either.
hi..!
is it easy to avail visit visa in terminal 2?…my 1st time to go via terminal 2..T1 & T3 i used to..
thank you..
I agree with the last 2 comments, when I used to fly to dubai routinly and use the old terminal i used to have to walk for HOURS and 3 escalators and wait for a looooong time for pasport control when Id much rather be spending my time IN dubai. So terminal 2 is perfect. get there last minute check in and board. who still hangs out at airports?! but if you have to an iPad is a life saver
Every flight we have ever booked with Fly Dubai has suddenly been cancelled at the last moment with no explanation – causing absolute chaos to our travel plans! They give cash back vouchers (not cash) which is not much help at all.
Fly Jazeera airlines. Cheap flights to Dubai and you land at terminal 1. Which is a nice clean, modern airport with loads of restaurants and Duty free shops. If you want to push the boat out: fly Emirates and land at the fantastic amasing brand new terminal 3!!! A different world! Dubai world!!! 🙂
Terminal 2 and Bahrain airport are the worst terminals I’ve ever been into !
Yes T2 was small , but the duty free has nothing like T1-3 . and it took me more than an hour to pick up a rental car !
Terminal 3 ( emirates airlines ) has the whole 1st floor for first and business class its amazing especially if you are planing to stay for a long time at the airport .
i get to the airport 2-3 hours early so this is why i prefer a larger airport than a smaller one.
What about the planes? Are they reliable and safe?
They use brand new 737-800s. Very reliable aircraft and the most popular aircraft of all time.
On my way we had an old plane. The seats were new but you could tell from the overhead baggage pulldowns and the controls on top of your head that its an old plane. On the way back it was a newer plane.
well we’re flying w/ Flydubai next week so here’s hoping to the best …
The T2 in Dubai is in operation since 1998, it was basically setup for Haj passenger progress; so the reason for the low marks on the visual and functional glam.
Think again Mark…T2 is brilliant as walking distances are very short and immigration queues are very short…very practical although I fully agree as short on the wow factor. Guess you need to experience T3 at peak hours to realise that the glitter can fade quickly (although it is still one of my top 5 terminals)
lol is everyone here that unfit that walking distance at an airport is a problem?
It’s only a matter of time, no one is talking about physical efforts.
T3 is great, clean and spacious but it is very, very big. After the initial 15 minutes of stretching your legs from the flight, you kinda wonder when will the hallway ever end (same with T1).
By the way, it also has free wifi, greenery (trees) and a pink birdhouse 🙂
The saddest airport by far is Doha. At least at Bahrain you get some shops to kill the time. Doha airport reminds me of a Greyhound bus terminal.
Terminal 2 is worse than Doha sadly. That’s how bad it was. At least Doha you had the fake A&W lol No but seriously the Doha airport is at least bright while T2 was gloomy. In any case I heard they shut that airport down and opened the new economy terminal.
So how do you compare this to “Alwataniya” for example?
I had the same issue with FlyDubai, I hated the terminal, this terminal is for cheap flights which are mainly used asians or expats coming to work in and out of Dubai Eg. Drivers, housemaids, etc. Thats why they dont bother fixing the airport or adding more entertainment to it. Id rather pay extra money than to experience that terminal EVER… AGAIN.
Don’t check your baggage!!
They lost my bag (never found). After filling out the official lost baggage report, placing over 20 follow-up phone calls and sending numerous emails, I haven’t received a single response from Fly Dubai. Not even a sorry, better luck next time.
Now I know why they’re so cheap; they must save a boatload of money by not having a customer service department! Genius really! How can you complain when there’s no one to complain to?
I’ve read all comments about flydubai and got really confused. can some one tell me if – generally speaking- flydubai good or bad?
I have recently experienced flydubai terminal 2 combo. Not a bad experience and I can try that again. Just keep ipad or stuff to prevent boredom. The duty free is good, so are the restaurants considering the fact that you are not living there forever (:
I had a very bad experience with Fly Dubai, especially with their offer, Pay Once Fly Twice offer, I have booked a ticket from an outside destination to Dubai, when I sent my request to claim for my free ticket of the same travel destination they have refused, and simply said that this offer is applicable for flights originating from Dubai only !, although this information was not clear in the advertisements in newspapers & their agents offices, the customer service was rude & arugant, being a Low Cost Airliner, everything is cheap in it all over, I myself will not use unless I’m really forced to, and will be always my last preference
T2 is not old at all ! It was built FOR flydubai.
It isn’t ‘sad’ it is just small, that’s all. If u want big, noisy terminal, please overpay then and don’t complain. thx
whilst their flights are OK for the money, their car rental service is abismal. I purchased a flight/car rental combo, only to discover that the car was to be picked up and returned in Terminal 1, and I needed to take (and pay for) a taxi both ways. Never during the reservation (on flydubai.com) did the tell me that I would need to take a taxi and waste time on my trip on the contrary, they asked me to reconfirm my fligh number to ensure the car would be waiting for me on time. I felt decieved. No flydubai for me ever again.
I’m heading to Nepal via Dubai in a couple of weeks, arriving on Emirates then onwards with flyDubai. What is the terminal transfer process like? And, can I spend my spare time in the ‘better’ terminal before moving across to the other?
Fares Al Haj Ali airport service supervisor at Fly Dubai refused me to check in saying my passport had been deteriorated. I was surprised as they just sold me a ticket not refundable I paid cash, and had flight a few days before in Saudi and Bahrain. 2 weeks after with the same passport and nothing else I went to Oman and went to Dubai without any problem. So Mr Fares Al Haj Ali promised me that with a letter from my embassy saying my passport was good enough for them for me to travel, I would not lose my money, I would be able to fly. He even said that he would personnaly look for me to be refunded. He looked in my eyes and promised. Gave me his card. So I went to my embassy because Fly dubai let us talk asked me this letter, so I went there and for 160 dirrhams made this stupid letter, useless for me. And Fly Dubai dared to answer that there was no refund because I was supposed to travel with the documents being required. It is such a schizo attitude. Why asking me this document if it is to tell me that I was supposed to travel with a letter that no one required beside this stupid air flight company and this guy so arrogant Fares Al Haj Ali. I guess he just wanted to spoil my day, to destroy someone life, it must be fun to forbid a human being to take the flight just for fun, just to annoy this person, and to make her lose all her money. 700 plus 160 for this letter that no one beside them ask me. Ghaith Al Ghaith would not approve I am sure, but he will never know I guess. It is just a total lack of competence, and cruelty, sadism from his staff.
the seats are too small and narrow.
i found out too late that fly dubai has their own airport and so when they landed i thought we landed at the kuwait airport and my husband was on his way to pick me up from kuwait airport. i got stuck at fly dubai’s own airport and then i had to use their taxi to get out of their airport. fly dubai should notify customers that they have their own airport so that travelers can arrange with their family/friends to pick up the traveler from flu dubai airport. my husband was so angry to not see me at the usual kuwait airport. he wasted his time to pick me at the kuwait airport , because he took off work to pick me up, but I ended up in fly dubai airport without prior warning nor knowledge.
i didnt see any cars coming to pick up customers from the fly dubai airport.. I dont know if that means it’s not possible to get out of fly dubai airport without using their overpriced taxis.
Fly Dubai clearly mention which airport they’re flying from and landing at when you book the ticket. When you select Kuwait as your departure or arrival airport it mentions “Sheikh Saad Terminal”, so its your fault not theirs. Also cars can of course pick up and drop off customers at the Sheikh Saad Terminal… it’s a normal airport just like any other.