DYKWIA

It's one of the better deals, and very tempting for me. 100k points for about £1400.

The previous was a 30% bonus, so you could have got enough points for a Europe-Dubai F trip for < £2000.

DeeGee26.2

How likely am I to find an Emirates sale for flights in February next year? I've been advised that it's not a good idea to book right now as the tickets are released, but I'm wondering how long to hold on for.

I have found a pair of flights UK-DXB from an airport and at times that really suit me, and they look likely they'll be at a price I can afford, but I don't want to be buying right at the top of the prices.

The departure day is the first day of the English February Half-Term holidays, so is a relatively high demand date for Dubai, I'd have thought. Coupling this with the fact that we're going for the Expo, would demand be inflated and prices to match?

I'll book direct with EK, but I've got Skyscanner set to give me price alerts. I'm travelling with my 11 year old son, though, so the departure airport and flight times are the most important concern over saving a few quid on flights.

We're only going to be travelling Y, I don't have any status with EK and not enough Amex points sloshing about in my account to pay for upgrades.

DYKWIA

Anything less than £400 is a good price IMO. I think I saw MAN-DXB as low as £300 at one stage last year - but there wasn't much chance of actually flying it!

DeeGee26.2

Thanks, that gives me a reasonable target to aim at. I've got an OTA offering £440/pax at the moment, but I don't want to take that because a) it's an OTA and b) Emirates themselves aren't selling the tickets for those flights.

Skyscanner will give me a quote for £939 with EK for the pair of us, but if there's a chance of getting it below £450/pax then I'll sit tight. I'm very keen to get these two specific flights, though, so availability is going to trump price.

nauce

Hi friends!

I've only ever upgraded Cash Tickets in Business to First on EK (using miles or cash at the ticket counter.) Reading up on this forum and lurking on other posts suggest that I can book a mileage ticket in business (with EK miles) and later use additional miles to upgrade it to first if availability exists closer to takeoff. (Obviously, this assumes that the Mileage ticket isn't available in First to begin with.) Please correct me if this is wrong!

If the above is true, this brings me to my next question: If I book the mileage ticket in Business via Alaska Airlines using AS miles, can I later upgrade that flight to First using EK miles? Or am I only able to upgrade this through AS? And, if so, would they force me to cancel and rebook or otherwise mess things up?

Does anyone have any experience using AS to book flights on EK in similar situations?

(Route is SEA-MLE if it matters!)

Thanks in advance for your insights!

Alec84

Does anyone have a 10% promo code that would work from Europe/Finland?I only managed to find SG and AU. I'm trying to book a FZ flight via EK for better conditions and a 10% discount would make the price the same. The student discount works, but only 2/4 of the party would qualify, which is a problem if someone checks.

modularmayhem

Simple answer is no. You cannot book using AS miles and then later upgrade using EK miles. However if F becomes available you can call AS and change to F and pay the difference in miles

DYKWIA

You can't book EK F with AS miles after 1st April, so that may not be an option.

standbyalldtime

I have a question regarding Emirates Ticket Flexibility options.....a few weeks ago I initiated a destination change within the same region. Now, I would like to change dates as well. My travel still falls under the Sept 30th window for the policy, but I'm not sure if the policy is intended to be one-time use only, or if you can make multiple changes without an issue as long as travel still falls within the waiver window. The policy page does not mention this detail. Does anybody have any firsthand experience?

thijsseh

I have changed dates several times on one itinerary under the current policy. Also (on a different ticket) first changed the destination and then made the ticket ‘dormant’ (or whatever it is called when the flights are removed but the ticket number remains valid). You should be ok.

flying_pig

I am hoping the experts can help me with a bit of a newbie question (I should know the answer, but I don't!). Can someone please enlighten me on the mechanics of airport upgrades with miles? I am travelling with a colleague who has J entitlement, whereas I will be in F. He is going above and beyond to accompany me on this trip, so I want to make it as comfortable as possible by trying to get him into F with me. Strangely there is no Z-class availability on the flight in question (DXB-BEY), despite it being wide open. I had him waitlisted but was told not to hold my breath as there is already a reward passengers booked in F (plus obviously me, revenue).

I think an airport upgrade will be the more likely option. Believe it or not, I have never done one of these. I'd like to think that with the current relatively light loads the chances will be better, but I am not an expert of the BEY route.

So, here is what I am wondering:

• I understand that upgrade requests at check-in go through as long as there is any seat available (revenue classes included). How are they processed in DXB? Is it first-come first-served, or do they collect requests and then prioritise by status (he is gold, so might help slightly)?
• Is there any chance to put the request in via call-centre once online check-in open, or does it have to be done in person at the airport?
• If in person at the airport and timing of the request matters, how early can it be done? We'll be taking a meeting very close to the airport the day before; I could go in if that helps.
• Does anyone have any experiences with the BEY route? I see most April flights being wide open with F4A4 and all biz buckets at 7, but again I know things can tend to be very different on the day.

I know it's a short flight and it wouldn't make a big difference, but it's about the gesture (and, no, I cannot swap seats as that would violate our travel policy; something I do not want to encourage someone who reports into me to do).

Thanks in advance for any input!

m3red

it may open up at online check in or there may be an email offer to F...if not then try at physical check in and it should be okay. If not then you will be waitlisted in terms of status and ticket type and they get processed 1 hour before boarding. As an F passenger you can guest him in the lounge.

Im guessing you’ll get this sorted.

chongl

Can someone help explain why there is no F space when doing a multi-city award search, yet the individual legs themselves have awards in F available? Is this something that can be bypassed by calling in to book?

kamadzu4

Newbie to EK and will be traveling with my mid-60s parents through DXB, business class. We will have a 3-hr connection in the early morning, presumably when banks of A380 flights arrive and then leave. I am worried that the business lounge may be too busy to have a chance to shower, which will be crucial to break up the 24+ hour journey.

I see that EK allows paid upgrade to the first class lounge for $150, or $125 if signed up for a Skywards account, although I'm not sure that would work with an award booking through Alaska Airlines. Anyhow, is it possible to pre-book the upgrade so that we smoothly proceed to the first class lounge?

https://www.emirates.com/us/english/...lounge-access/

thijsseh

When are your flights going to be? Currently the lounge situation in DXB is unusual as the regular F lounge is closed and a portion of the J lounge is used for F. I have not personally used it, so cannot comment on the shower facilities (which are certainly available). And I also have not showered in the ‘J side’ recently. In the past there could indeed be a bit of a wait at times for a shower, but never so long as to prevent having one with a 3 hour layover (with plenty of time to spare).
At the moment there are hardly ‘banks of A380’s arriving and leaving’, we can only hope this will change in the not too distant future (but I have my doubts). On the other hand, the majority of the 77W’s are flying.

To answer the question, I don’t think you can pre book the lounge upgrade, but it should not take so much time as to interfere with the shower time. I would wait and see how busy the lounge actually is before doing the upgrade. DXB is a big but efficient airport and 3 hours is a long layover (it is the usual time for my most frequent route). Chances are that you’ll be fine for a shower in the J lounge.