Travel Smart: Proven Tricks To Find Cheap London To Dubai Flights

The flight route from London to Dubai is popular among travellers for business and leisure. The charm of Dubai lies in its stylish skyscrapers housing luxury hotels and famed restaurants. Dubai’s world-class shopping malls, historic old souks, and cultural experiences like camping in the desert make it a trending destination for travellers worldwide.

However, the demand for London to Dubai flights is also higher on this route, making it difficult for travellers to get good deals on flights to Dubai. Several airlines ply this route with direct flights between the two cities like the Emirates and British Airways. Airlines like Turkish Airlines, Qatar Airways, Lufthansa, Air France, etc, fly indirectly to Dubai with stopovers. Several options and choices are available for travellers, making it a daunting task to find the best Dubai flights online.

Don’t worry TravelUp, the UK’s leading travel company, creates a comprehensive guide full of working tips and tricks to get you good deals on Dubai flights!

1. Book in Advance

Booking in advance is a good and efficient way to book cheap flights to Dubai. Another benefit of booking in advance, at least 6 months before your travel dates, reduces the cost of flight fares. Generally, airlines tend to release flight tickets 10 – 12 months in advance.  If you have Dubai as your next travel destination, it is recommended to book Dubai flights as early as possible to get the best deal. However, if early booking is not possible, then at least try booking your flights between 6 to 3 months before your journey date. Beyond that, flight prices become more expensive. Set up flight fare alerts on fare comparison websites. This way you will be notified of the lowest flight fares and can book easily.

2. Use Flight Comparison Websites

There are several popular flight comparison websites such as Skyscanner, Kayak, Google Flights, etc. These websites allow travellers to check and compare prices from multiple airlines. These websites also showcase the direct and layover flights, along with recommendations for the cheapest flight prices. Travelers also get amazing insights in the form of graphics, for instance, the cheapest days in the week, the cheapest month to fly, and general flight pricing trends.  Check different days of the week as prices tend to drop during the mid-week and surge during the weekends.

3. Be Flexible with Dates

Be flexible with your travel dates while looking for London to Dubai flights. Flexibility with the dates often leads to lower flight prices. If you are booking well in advance (around or more than 6-months) before your travel dates, try changing the dates to see the available flight fares. Generally, during the summer months, Dubai flight fares tend to be on the lower end. If you are keener to enjoy Dubai’s best weather, between November to March, then be prepared to pay more for flight prices. If you are booking in advance, then you can get the lowest fare of the peak travel season as well.

4. Consider Budget Airlines

Budget airlines offer a cheaper alternative than the premium airlines like the Emirates and British Airways. These airlines focus on keeping their prices low for the London to Dubai sector. These airlines often sacrifice some services like in-flight meals, checked luggage, etc to compensate for the lower flight fares. Some budget airlines also prefer to use alternate airports in London other than London Heathrow, and London Gatwick. Some of the airlines flying between London to Dubai are Wizz Air, flydubai, Smartwings, and Air Arabia. However, do remember that budget airlines charge extra for in-flight meals, seat selection, and baggage.

5. Search for Flight in Incognito Mode

Always search flights in Incognito mode. Airlines and flight booking websites use cookies to track user search behaviour. If they notice that a particular user is checking flights for a particular route frequently, they tend to show increase in prices, hurrying the user to book flights quickly. Avoid booking if you see an increase inflight prices after multiple flight searches. In this case, switch to the incognito mode of your browser, which doesn’t allow any tracking cookies and check out the actual fight fares. Another option is to clean your browser history and cookies to get the actual flight prices.

6. Book One-Way Tickets or Mix and Match Airlines

The general perception is that return flights with the same airline tend to be cheaper. However, that’s not the case always. Booking one-way tickets with different airlines tends to be cheaper than the return flights with the same airline. Look out for one-way London to Dubai flights and note out the cheapest flight deals. Next, search for Dubai to London flights and check out the cheapest fare. Finally, compare it with the London to Dubai return flights. If you find one-way flights are cheaper than the return flights, don’t hesitate to book. Another option is to check multi-city flight searches with a short layover to Dubai. Several airlines fly to their hubs in Istanbul, Paris, Doha, etc for a short layover before flying to Dubai. Often these flight prices are cheaper than direct flights.

7. Consider Nearby Airports

While searching for London to Dubai flights, try looking for flights departing from alternate airports to London Heathrow. Even though, Heathrow is the main international airport with a maximum number of flights from all over the world, smaller airports like London Gatwick, London Luton, London Stansted, and London City, have cheaper flights to Dubai. Check out flights from these alternate airports and compare the prices and flight options with that of London Heathrow. Several budget airlines also operate from these secondary London airports, adding options for travellers looking for cheap flights to Dubai.

8. Check Alternative Routes

Sometimes, flying to alternate airports or flying on alternate routes can lead to saving money on flight fares. Instead of flying directly from London to Dubai, look out for flights to nearby cities of Dubai like Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Doha, and Istanbul. Dubai is a short flight distance from these cities with plenty of cheap flights with wide range of airlines. Another option is to fly to a layover destination, break the journey, rest and explore a new destination before boarding your Dubai flight. The layover airports also offer comfortable lounges where travellers can rest, refuel and rejuvenate before continuing the journey. However, do check the prices of these single-stop or multi-stop layover prices and compare them with direct flight prices.

9. Keep an Eye on Special Promotions and Sales

There are special promotions and flight sales scheduled throughout the year. Airlines frequently run promotions with flight discounts and coupons for added savings.  Even travel websites run anniversary sales and special promotion campaigns with airlines along with Black Friday Sales, Boxing Day Sales and New Year Sales with special flight deals and promotions. It is recommended to follow some of the popular airlines like Emirates, British Airways, Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways, etc. on Instagram and Facebook pages for updates on special campaigns and promotions. Also check out the websites and social media pages of popular travel sites like Expedia, Flightradar, Skyscanner, etc. These sales are the best bet to secure cheap Dubai flights.

10. Use Airline Miles or Points

If you are a frequent traveller, chances are that you may have signed up with a particular airline for rewards and loyalty programs. Several airlines offer points or miles for your previous journeys that can be redeemed for future flights, and upgrades. Frequent flyers travelling on the London to Dubai route can also significantly add miles or reward points which can be cashed for a free or discounted flight fares. Do check with your airline for the existing miles or points and make sure to leverage them while booking your flight or to upgrade your flight.

11. Sign Up for Airline Newsletters

Several airlines and travel websites offer exclusive deals and promotions through their newsletters. Most of these newsletters are often ignored by travellers as spam and directly go into junk box. However, these emailers often lead to amazing deals on flights, hotels, and holidays. Signing up for these newsletters are useful for budget- travellers looking for cheap flight deals. Go to the websites of popular airlines like Emirates, British Airways, Wizz Air, etc, and sign up for their newsletters. Some of these newsletters also provide early access to special deals which are available even before it goes live for the public. It is also beneficial to subscribe to newsletters from a few reputed travel websites for bundled deals on flights and hotels.

Conclusion

Finding cheap flights to Dubai from London doesn’t have to be a stressful experience. By following these tips and tricks, you’ll be well to secure the beat deals and enjoying a cost-effective journey to one of the world’s most iconic destinations. Remember to book in advance, use flight comparison tools, stay flexible with your travel dates, and keep an eye out for promotions to maximise your chances of finding the best Dubai flight fares. All it takes a little planning and some smart searching!

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