Flight review: Flydubai still not quite up to the standards of Ryanair

Every time a Ryanair flight lands on time in Europe a claxon sounds. Flydubai would claim an 85 per cent on time service from Dubai. But it was not like that on our short Dubai to Muscat flight before Christmas.

Admittedly the two hour delay was better than our awful experience a year ago (click here). However, two hours is still unacceptable even if fog in Kandahar did leave Dubai cut-off and cause a backlog of planes as the pilot belatedly informed us.

Poor ground staff

It would perhaps be easier to bare if ground staff had been better informed. But then the flydubai check-in team was one of the slowest and least competent we have encountered in many years. There is a lot of excess baggage from Dubai shopping trips heading back from Dubai to Muscat, why not prepare for it? Certainly the chatty staff slowed up the process further.

And why are there no premium passenger lounges in Terminal 2 in Dubai? Many travelers get them free with credit cards these days. All you are left with in Dubai is a rather bleak sub-standard terminal with O’Brien’s sandwich shop, Costa Coffee and McDonalds. Flydubai could always charge for it.

The Muscat ariport put Dubai’s terminal 2 to shame with its Plaza Premium Lounge available for carriers of the right pass. All the same the shorter walking time in the smaller Dubai terminal does offer significant convenience, particularly when landing at night so that you can get into a taxi as quickly as possible.

Inflight service on flydubai is not bad and follows the Ryanair model. You pay for a limited food and drinks service if you want it, or for films and TV. Do go for the extra leg-room in the emergency exit seats, also available for modest extra charge. You also pay for luggage, though not for hand baggage.

Cost advantage

Cabin staff seem polite enough and the on-screen security briefing is very amusing with some Arabic cartoon characters cleverly showing you what to do. Where you win of course is on the cost.

This is low-cost traveling and if you took the most basic options the Dubai to Muscat round-trip is around a third of the Emirates full-fare. Those passengers with excess baggage from their Dubai shopping would have made up some of that difference. But if you do decide to buy half a shopping mall and fly it home then it is never going to be that cheap.

Would we flydubai again? Well they are getting better, and without the delays this would be a very cost-effective and convenient business or leisure travel option. We will have to check it out again.