Oneworld member Finnair sells discounted business class tickets for their winter service to Dubai. Nonstop flights from Helsinki are available at €969 between November 2022 and March 2023. Flight from other Northern European cities like Oslo or Gothenborg are even cheaper, but require a change of planes in the Finnish capital.
The quoted price is Finnair’s new business class light fare. It does not include checked bags, priority services, or lounge access. You’d have to select the business class classic fare for this, adding roughly €160 to the price.
These tickets are not refundable. Finnair’s rebooking policies are quite restrictive and only allow for the rebooking fee to be waived under certain conditions. You’d still have to pay the fare difference if you opt to change dates, which can easily double the price of the flight. Their policy ends on May 31, 2022.
You can buy premium tickets for less than €1,000 with departure from:
- Oslo at €826 (~NOK 9,499)
- Gothenburg at €833 (~SEK 9,382)
- Tallinn at €904
- Vilnius at €914
- Riga at €931
- Helsinki at €968 (nonstop)
Finnair plans to use their Airbus A330 fleet between Helsinki and Dubai. These planes feature lie-flat-seats in an alternating 1-2-1 and 2-2-1 seating pattern.
Search & Book
According to the fare rules, tickets are on sale for flights without a specific travel period. The fare has no expiration date and can thus be withdrawn anytime. Stopovers are not permitted. We have found availabilities during the first three months of 2023.
We recommend using Google Flights to find out when the lowest fares are available (instructions). Finnair sells the cheapest tickets themselves.
Why is booking with an airline better than with an online travel agency?
More often than not, online travel agencies offer lower fares than airlines do. We still recommend booking with the airlines directly. There are three main reasons for that:
- The Covid-19 Pandemic
During the worldwide outbreak of Covid-19, planning international travel got more and more risky because of ever-changing restrictions. In contrast to many online travel agencies, most airlines modified their terms & conditions to become more customer friendly. Rebooking conditions are eased, change fees are waived and cancellations are much easier when there is no third party involved.
Further, by adding an OTA to your plans, you increase the risk of one service provider involved going bankrupt. Now, the airline and the online travel agency involved could vanish along with your money. - Better Customer Service
In case any problems like delays, cancellations or missed connections arise, you can communicate directly with the airline. The airline has to take care of you because you have a contract with them.
If a travel agency issues your ticket, you may have to reach out to them first. You also depend on your OTA to forward you information like flight changes instead of receiving them directly from the airline. You may get a prime exhibition of responsibility shifting rather than problem-solving.
This especially applies to premium tickets. You don’t want to spend more than €1,000 to wind up with some budget OTA’s telephone hotline in case anything goes wrong. - Baggage Fees
Economy fares not including hold luggage are more and more common. In most cases, travel agencies charge much higher baggage fees than the airlines themselves. If bags are not included in your fare, airlines are often the cheaper alternative.
Mileage
Finnair issues tickets for all flight segments in booking class I. Most Oneworld frequent flyer programs credit 125% of your travel distance for these tickets. The nonstop flights from Helsinki will get you:
- 8,458 Avios + 280 TP on British Airways Executive Club
- 7,048 Avios + 60 Qpoints on Qatar Privilege Club
- 7,048 Avios + 450 TP on Iberia Plus
- 7,048 Miles on American AAdvantage
- 7,048 Miles on Alaska Mileage Plan
- 7,048 Miles on S7 Airlines Priority Club
- 7,048 Miles on SriLankan FlySmiles
- 5,638 Award Miles + 70 Tier Miles on Asia Miles
- 5,638 Miles on Royal Air Maroc Safar Flyer
- 5,638 Miles on Malaysia Airlines Enrich
- 3,948 Miles on Japan Airlines Mileage Bank
- 1,410 Miles on LATAM Pass
If you’re going to use this deal as a mileage run, feel free to use our status calculator to see how much more you’ll need to reach a certain status:
Destination
Hotel prices in Dubai usually start at roughly €50, depending on the hotel category. Whichever category and hotel you opt for, make sure to get the best price! Our recommendation is to search on booking.com, or even on our own Travel-Dealz hotel search:
Information & Tips for Dubai
Thanks to oil billions, Dubai has created a world of splendour and glitter that is second to none. Whether it’s an artificial island or skiing in the desert, everything is possible there. Thanks to Emirates, there are non-stop flights to many destinations worldwide, from Europe you can reach Dubai within 5-6 hours even with cheap flights.
The Best Time to Visit
Dubai reaches temperatures of up to 45° in summer, and even in winter, the weather is hot. The best time to travel is from November to March when temperatures are comparatively low.
From the airport to the city
A taxi from the airport to Jumeirah Beach (where many hotels are located) costs around €13 – €17. By metro, the journey to Burj Khalifa takes about 20 minutes and costs only €1.
→ All Dealz for Dubai
Cover Picture: © Finnair