Middle East - from US to Dubai

Can anyone suggest which airline would be best flying from the USA? I will be moving to Dubai in August, so I know I will have excess baggage. So far, the least expensive flights seem to be Turkish Airways, but I can't quite figure out their luggage costs, so that might make them more expensive in the end. I suspect you on this forum might be able to give me better advice than my own research :-)!

Why not an non-stop on EK? Especially the EK A380 which is very nice in all classes. And if you are going to be living in Dubai, it would be very useful to join the EK mileage program.

Uh, this may be a stupid question, but I have no clue what "EK" is. Can you clue me in?:confused:

Not a stupid question. Us frequent flyers use codes too often. EK is the airline code for Emirates. They are the home airline for Dubai. They fly non-stop from Dubai to a lot of major cities around the world. And they have a large growing number of A380's which they install super nice luxury features on, such as shower spas, stand up bars, etc.

See here for the Flyertalk Emirates forum. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/emirates-airlines-skywards-490/

Ah ha!~ Sounds awesome, and I'll immediately go check the costs. Thank you for understanding...much of all this is entirely new to me!:)

If you're flying from New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles or Houston then Emirates (EK) has direct flights to Dubai which I personally prefer to connecting.

The A380 mentioned above is a fantastic plane and flies from JFK (New York) to Dubai daily. Usually Emirates is more expensive than Turkish, Lufthansa, ... but I think their service is better and definitely the in flight entertainment system on Emirates can't be beat, this becomes very important for a 14-16 hour flight.

Usually luggage is free on international still, unless you're going over the limit.
Turkish Luggage allowance: http://www.turkishairlines.com/en-INT/help/faq/general_baggage_information.aspx
Emirates luggage allowance: http://www.emirates.com/english/plan_book/essential_information/baggage_allowances/baggage_calculator.aspx

United flies their upgraded 777s from Dulles (IAD) nonstop to Dubai. The advantage of UA for me are the good connections home in the U.S., their great frequent flyer program and Economy Plus (5-6 inches of extra legroom). After just 25,000 miles (about two round trips) you get Economy Plus for free and a three bag allowance. You can also buy an annual Economy Plus deal for about $450. The service and food are mediocre on UA (especially compared to Emirates, Etihad or Qatar who also fly non-stop from The Gulf to the USA), but for me, their flight times, frequent flyer program and economy plus compensate for it. Another advantage of UA is that you can probably fly them all the way to your point of origin in the US. So, if there's a problem along the way, you just have to deal with one airline.
Welcome to the Gulf.

United flies their upgraded 777s from Dulles (IAD) nonstop to Dubai. The advantage of UA for me are the good connections home in the U.S., their great frequent flyer program and Economy Plus (5-6 inches of extra legroom). After just 25,000 miles (about two round trips) you get Economy Plus for free and a three bag allowance. You can also buy an annual Economy Plus deal for about $450. The service and food are mediocre on UA (especially compared to Emirates, Etihad or Qatar who also fly non-stop from The Gulf to the USA), but for me, their flight times, frequent flyer program and economy plus compensate for it. Another advantage of UA is that you can probably fly them all the way to your point of origin in the US. So, if there's a problem along the way, you just have to deal with one airline.
Welcome to the Gulf.

Sage advice, although I admit I'm a 1k and biased.