Dubai award flights ! Help
Mar 12, 2019, 10:08 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 1,872
Dubai award flights ! Help
Hello,
I have UA & AA miles. I am planning a short round trip to Dubai for two of us and our 4 year old. It will be flight out of ORD & we prefer Biz class for three of us. What partner awards I can , should book on and where do I search for them? Is it for AA partners, I should look at BA website, & for UA partners, just look at UA website? Are there any direct flights there? I also need to look at hotels and I have status and some points from Club Carlson, Hyatt.
Thank you
I have UA & AA miles. I am planning a short round trip to Dubai for two of us and our 4 year old. It will be flight out of ORD & we prefer Biz class for three of us. What partner awards I can , should book on and where do I search for them? Is it for AA partners, I should look at BA website, & for UA partners, just look at UA website? Are there any direct flights there? I also need to look at hotels and I have status and some points from Club Carlson, Hyatt.
Thank you
Last edited by Blueskyheaven; Mar 12, 2019 at 10:15 pm
Mar 13, 2019, 12:18 am
#2
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Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: MEL CHC
Posts: 21,009
I have UA & AA miles. I am planning a short round trip to Dubai for two of us and our 4 year old. It will be flight out of ORD & we prefer Biz class for three of us.
What partner awards I can , should book on and where do I search for them? Is it for AA partners, I should look at BA website, & for UA partners, just look at UA website? Are there any direct flights there?
I also need to look at hotels and I have status and some points from Club Carlson, Hyatt.
What partner awards I can , should book on and where do I search for them? Is it for AA partners, I should look at BA website, & for UA partners, just look at UA website? Are there any direct flights there?
I also need to look at hotels and I have status and some points from Club Carlson, Hyatt.
Business class award availability with AA ff miles will be an issue
EY----> Booking AA Award travel on Etihad / EY (master thread July 2017 onwards)
Route---> Great Circle Mapper
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abu_Dh...tional_Airport
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dubai_...tional_Airport
Mar 13, 2019, 9:09 am
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 1,872
For AA you can take AA partner EY to ORD-Abu Dhabi and then a shortish 72 mile bus/limo ride to DXB.
Business class award availability with AA ff miles will be an issue
EY----> Booking AA Award travel on Etihad / EY (master thread July 2017 onwards)
Route---> Great Circle Mapper
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abu_Dh...tional_Airport
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dubai_...tional_Airport
Business class award availability with AA ff miles will be an issue
EY----> Booking AA Award travel on Etihad / EY (master thread July 2017 onwards)
Route---> Great Circle Mapper
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abu_Dh...tional_Airport
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dubai_...tional_Airport
Mar 13, 2019, 10:35 am
#4
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: WAS
Programs: Free Agent
Posts: 1,757
Or you can fly to AUH and take a short ride.
Mar 13, 2019, 11:51 am
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 1,872
Once in AUH, how do you take the short ride toDubai area hotels? Local trains and buses? We have a minor child with bags and that's only why , otherwise I wouldn't mind.
Mar 13, 2019, 12:17 pm
#6
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Location: MEL CHC
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Those are with AA awards right? United website I checked shows 92k or 95K one way biz class per person and that too with mix cabin. It is better to try to use AA miles for this?
Once in AUH, how do you take the short ride to Dubai area hotels? Local trains and buses? We have a minor child with bags and that's only why , otherwise I wouldn't mind.
Once in AUH, how do you take the short ride to Dubai area hotels? Local trains and buses? We have a minor child with bags and that's only why , otherwise I wouldn't mind.
No trains UAH DXB. All by road on a bus/tax/limo.
Do a google search. Samples-->
EY https://www.etihad.com/en-nz/plan-an...tihad-express/
How to: Get from Dubai to Abu Dhabi without a car
The better use is the business award you can find. For 3 seats from USA that will be hard to very hard with any frequent flyer program.
Edit
https://www.etihad.com/en-au/plan-an...ook-chauffeur/
Last edited by Mwenenzi; Mar 20, 2019 at 10:29 pm Reason: EY Chauffer drive
Mar 13, 2019, 1:18 pm
#7
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Chicago & AUH
Programs: AA PLT Pro, EY Gold, Hilton Gold, Marriott Gold, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 172
Etihad flies nonstop Chicago ORD-AUH. Once in Abu Dhabi you can either spend a night or two there (which I would recommend as there is plenty to see and do) or jump in a taxi or car service and take the (approximate unless dealing with rush hour) hour long drive to Dubai. It's 140,000 AA miles pp RT. The catch here is that you most likely will not find 3 award seats for these flights. Etihad normally releases 2 seats at a time, however, last year I was able to snag 4 J seats at the time of booking.
Mar 13, 2019, 1:46 pm
#8
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 1,872
Does it normally cost more miles with UA vs AA for this trip on any airlines? I see the Etihad has free bus service to Dubai for those who booked economy class, but what about for those on Biz class?
If I can't find any Etihad flights on BA site, then I can just do a search on United? I want to avoid UA flights and would prefer any partners airlines. But their partners cost more when booking J seats right? If we can't find any J seats, then coach will be fine. Might find ones that flies to DXB right?
If I can't find any Etihad flights on BA site, then I can just do a search on United? I want to avoid UA flights and would prefer any partners airlines. But their partners cost more when booking J seats right? If we can't find any J seats, then coach will be fine. Might find ones that flies to DXB right?
Mar 13, 2019, 2:51 pm
#9
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Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: MEL CHC
Posts: 21,009
Does it normally cost more miles with UA vs AA for this trip on any airlines? I see the Etihad has free bus service to Dubai for those who booked economy class, but what about for those on Biz class?
If I can't find any Etihad flights on BA site, then I can just do a search on United? I want to avoid UA flights and would prefer any partners airlines. But their partners cost more when booking J seats right? If we can't find any J seats, then coach will be fine. Might find ones that flies to DXB right?
If I can't find any Etihad flights on BA site, then I can just do a search on United? I want to avoid UA flights and would prefer any partners airlines. But their partners cost more when booking J seats right? If we can't find any J seats, then coach will be fine. Might find ones that flies to DXB right?
EY is an AA partner. Look at the linked AA thread about EY as post 2 above. Open the wiki. Easy to follow.
For UA & star alliance/non alliance partners look at the UA web site & UA FT forum. Look for 1 seat first, then 2 & then 3.
For Star Alliance airlines that fly to/from DXB look at the DXB wikipedia entry as post 2 above. Work backwards.
A very general guide, but does not included all airlines/ffp's---->https://www.awardhacker.com/#f=ORD&t...=0&c=j&s=1&p=0
Consider these Award booking services - a list and some reviews
Edit
https://www.etihad.com/en-au/plan-an...ook-chauffeur/
Last edited by Mwenenzi; Mar 20, 2019 at 10:29 pm
Mar 14, 2019, 1:26 pm
#10
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Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Not here; there!
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 29,570
Does it normally cost more miles with UA vs AA for this trip on any airlines? I see the Etihad has free bus service to Dubai for those who booked economy class, but what about for those on Biz class?
If I can't find any Etihad flights on BA site, then I can just do a search on United? I want to avoid UA flights and would prefer any partners airlines. But their partners cost more when booking J seats right? If we can't find any J seats, then coach will be fine. Might find ones that flies to DXB right?
If I can't find any Etihad flights on BA site, then I can just do a search on United? I want to avoid UA flights and would prefer any partners airlines. But their partners cost more when booking J seats right? If we can't find any J seats, then coach will be fine. Might find ones that flies to DXB right?
https://www.aa.com/i18n/aadvantage-p...ward-chart.jsp
With AA miles, you could redeem on QR via DOH, RJ via AMM, or AY via HEL (but AY's ORD-HEL service and its HEL-DXB service are both seasonal, and I don't know if the two "seasons" overlap).
If you are willing to spend more miles, you could go the long way -- via HKG on CX -- but AA would require two awards for that routing, for a total of 110K miles per person one way in Business. You would, however, be able to stop over in HKG, if desired, since you would be traveling on two awards.
Going via the Atlantic on one of AA's other partners would be cheaper. (Review the partner award chart for details.)
Mar 15, 2019, 2:47 pm
#11
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: WAS
Programs: Free Agent
Posts: 1,757
AA partner award chart here:
https://www.aa.com/i18n/aadvantage-p...ward-chart.jsp
With AA miles, you could redeem on QR via DOH, RJ via AMM, or AY via HEL (but AY's ORD-HEL service and its HEL-DXB service are both seasonal, and I don't know if the two "seasons" overlap).
If you are willing to spend more miles, you could go the long way -- via HKG on CX -- but AA would require two awards for that routing, for a total of 110K miles per person one way in Business. You would, however, be able to stop over in HKG, if desired, since you would be traveling on two awards.
Going via the Atlantic on one of AA's other partners would be cheaper. (Review the partner award chart for details.)
https://www.aa.com/i18n/aadvantage-p...ward-chart.jsp
With AA miles, you could redeem on QR via DOH, RJ via AMM, or AY via HEL (but AY's ORD-HEL service and its HEL-DXB service are both seasonal, and I don't know if the two "seasons" overlap).
If you are willing to spend more miles, you could go the long way -- via HKG on CX -- but AA would require two awards for that routing, for a total of 110K miles per person one way in Business. You would, however, be able to stop over in HKG, if desired, since you would be traveling on two awards.
Going via the Atlantic on one of AA's other partners would be cheaper. (Review the partner award chart for details.)
Mar 19, 2019, 11:24 pm
#12
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 1,872
I read somewhere that EMIRATE airline flies to DXB from ORD , JFK. I looked for flights on alaska website using miles and find none in DECEMBER. I only have enough alaska miles for coach for 3.
But have enough AA & UA miles. We plan to travel in late December for a week but are flexible from 3rd week of DEC until 1st week of JAN. I don't mind coach if J will be hard.
But have enough AA & UA miles. We plan to travel in late December for a week but are flexible from 3rd week of DEC until 1st week of JAN. I don't mind coach if J will be hard.
Mar 20, 2019, 10:11 pm
#14
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 1,872
Yes I know that for sure! I was asking for other flights with UA OR AA miles.
On AA.com, I found some Royal Jordanian airlines -ORD-AMM-DXB. with 2 hour connection to 7 hours. On coach. Do you know we get any free checked bags with this?
Is that good coach deal on miles? t I have UA miles too but always end up using AA miles for the trips I have taken so far? I am asking myself cos I need to be using UA miles.
Pls educate me, UA or AA miles on coach for this partner award.
Thanks
On AA.com, I found some Royal Jordanian airlines -ORD-AMM-DXB. with 2 hour connection to 7 hours. On coach. Do you know we get any free checked bags with this?
Is that good coach deal on miles? t I have UA miles too but always end up using AA miles for the trips I have taken so far? I am asking myself cos I need to be using UA miles.
Pls educate me, UA or AA miles on coach for this partner award.
Thanks