Business Traveller (India)

flydubai Business class Delhi-Dubai

- Riaan Jacob George

BACKGROUND The Dubai-based all-737 carrier started its operations in June 2009. This month, it marks its 10th anniversar­y. The airline flies its B737 aircraft to eight Indian cities — Mumbai, Lucknow, Kozhikode, Kochi, Hyderabad, Delhi, Chennai and Ahmedabad. The airline o‡ers great connectivi­ty to lesser served, smaller cities in eastern Europe, the Middle East and even Africa and codeshares with Emirates.

BOARDING After a smooth and seamless check-in and immigratio­n process at Delhi’s IGI Airport T3, I walked towards the gate for aerobridge boarding. The boarding process was quick and there was a priority lane for business class passengers. On the aerobridge there was a long queue of slowly boarding passengers but a flydubai sta‡ member ushered me straight to the top of the queue.

THE SEAT flydubai’s Delhi-Dubai flight is operated on a two-class-configured Boeing 737-800. The business class cabin features three rows in a 2-2 layout. I was assigned seat 1A. This is an extremely comfortabl­e product for short and medium haul flights — a leather seat with a more than decent recline and an extended leg rest. The arm rest has a cubby to place small personal belongings like a phone. Good quality headphones are provided to enjoy the 12.1-inch entertainm­ent screen. The centre console also features a charging point.

WHICH SEAT TO CHOOSE I personally prefer window seats as the cabin wall is a great prop to lean or sleep on.

THE FLIGHT On boarding, I was off‡ered a welcome juice, a towel and a menu card. flydubai o‡ers a competitiv­e bar service, including champagne. My breakfast included bread, fruits, yoghurt and an egg main course, followed by a cup of Nespresso. After take-o‡, the crew o‡ers extremely soft, large blankets to relax. I explored the entertainm­ent system, which o‡ers an excellent selection of movies and TV shows, free of charge. I spent the rest of the flight catching a quick nap. The amazing, smiling cabin crew even o‡ffered me a takeaway co‡ffee prior to landing in Dubai’s Al Maktoum Internatio­nal Airport. VERDICT A perfectly competitiv­e narrowbody product from India to the Middle East and onwards. We love the network connectivi­ty as well as the codeshare with Emirates, off‡ering maximum flexibilit­y.

The Dubai-based all-737 carrier that started its operations in June 2009, celebrates its 10th anniversar­y this month

 ??  ?? Excellent inflight BESTFOR service and connectivi­ty CONFIGURAT­ION 2-2 SEATWIDTH 21 inches FLIGHTTIME Approx. 3 hours 50 minutes PRICE Internet rates for a return flight in June 2019 is ₹45,000 CONTACT flydubai.com
Excellent inflight BESTFOR service and connectivi­ty CONFIGURAT­ION 2-2 SEATWIDTH 21 inches FLIGHTTIME Approx. 3 hours 50 minutes PRICE Internet rates for a return flight in June 2019 is ₹45,000 CONTACT flydubai.com
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