Dubai in February - when to book flights and who with?

[mysteryfairy]

We are going to Dubai in February half term. Not somewhere I ever thought I would go but DH very keen to visit his sibling who has moved there. Was expecting to take secondary aged DC but they have both opted to go on school trips instead. I want to do he flights as cheaply as possible but go direct. We are in the North but as it will only be DH and I now we could drive anywhere. When is the best time to book flights and who will be cheapest?

i would start with skyscanner and Expedia and see who comes up cheapest then check airlines direct. Flights tend to be direct to Dubai anyway.

Exactly. And I wouldn't bother waiting, half term flights unlikely to get cheaper.

Even if you wouldn't have picked Dubai as a destination, you might find you enjoy it - most of my family are the same, would never have thought 'ooh Dubai, must go there' but have enjoyed their stays.

Skyscanner the best place to find flights, cheapest usually with Etihad or BA. Sooner you book the cheaper they are. You may find flying into Abu Dhabi much cheaper, then about an hour's drive to Dubai.

I went this Feb half term and flew with BA, who were reasonably priced. I agree about not waiting to book.
Travel Republic may be worth checking out.

My mother went recently and she ended up going with Royal Brunei.
Was a fairly pleasant experience. Punctual, modern aircraft, onboard food not up to much and doesn't serve alcohol.

Travel supermarket...Turkish Air for MCR via Istandbul

I dont recommend online comparison as they put fares up online. Buy at travel agent as they have special deals and saves money. Plus with the comparison sites, some companies pay them so they are first in line on the website

My DH works in Dubai a lot of the time and some of the flights he has been on aren't direct at all so be very careful when you look at the flight comparison sites. Obviously BA and Emirates are direct but MEA are really cheap but they flight to Beirut I think and stop there first.

We went last year and are trying to book for next year but can't get anything near the price we paid. We went last may half term for 8 nights but only paid for 3 flights as used DH's air miles with Emirates who are amazing to fly with (especially with children).

We've tried Feb half term and Easter so far and the prices are double what we paid last year...waiting for May flights to be released and then see what we will do then.

I know on here Dubai isn't a very popular destination but I absolutely loved it and would really like to go back to do all the things we didn't get a chance to do.

I would agree though that flights to Abu Dhabi are much cheaper and its an easy drive into Dubai (we went to Ferrarai World for the day) so definitely consider that if its just the 2 of you.

If you fly Ethihad to AUH, there is a luxury bus to Dubai stopping on SZR near Al Manara Street (so you can look it up). Takes about 45 mins. AUH is a relatively small airport and its quick to transit.
Qatar airways stop for 40 mins to 1 hr in Doha. Its ok but a pain with kids because they think they've arrived and its and hour to hang around and then another hour on the plane.