I have a choice between Air Arabia and Flydubai to fly to KTM and hesitate on which one to choose. My conclusions up to now are as follows:

1) terminal location
I guess that DXB2 is a little more convenient than SHJ for many but not hugely so unless you hit the Sharjah-Dubai rush hour traffic. I am coming from AUH at non-rush hour so the difference is not significant.

2) terminal ambience
Both pretty basic and comparable from what I can gather. There is a (pay for entry) lounge at SHJ but it does not look like it is that great anyway. Not sure whether there are significant differences in queues early morning (7am/7.15am departure).

3) check-in time deadlines identical.

4) baggage allowance:
Hand baggage allowance identical for both (7Kg+laptop bag). First checked bag free on Air Arabia but at a charge (50AED) on Flydubai

5) comfort on board look pretty similar on both. Advance seat assignment at a charge on both (Q: different or similar charges?)

6) on-board catering. BoB on both. Air Arabia is dry whereas Flydubai is not. OTOH, Air arabia offers some hot meals whereas Flydubai don't.

7) Both airlines seem comparable in terms of reliability of schedules.

All in all, I struggle to see any significant difference between the two so it is ultimately a question of price/schedule differences both of which are virtually identical in my case (7.15 departure from SHJ vs 7.00 from DXB for same price of AED350 on both airlines). Am I missing anything significant?