Flydubai announced it will transfer ten of its routes from Dubai Airport's Terminal 2 to Terminal 3 effective December 2. Rostov-on-Don is among the Russian destinations added to the list, according to Travel.ru's own correspondent.
Passengers to these ten destinations will fly from the airport's newest terminal, featuring numerous shops, a wide selection of cafes, and other services. Business Class passengers will likely use Emirates' expansive business lounges instead of flydubai's mini lounge.
Moreover, passengers on these ten routes will have easier access to the airport by public transport—there's a metro station near Terminal 3, while the cramped, hangar-like Terminal 2, from which all flydubai flights currently operate, is only accessible by bus. Even this is quite difficult at night, and there are no shuttle buses in the public area between the terminals.
Furthermore, passengers on these ten routes (in addition to Rostov, the list also includes Belgrade, Bucharest, Helsinki, Krakow, Prague, Catania, Bishkek, Dushanbe, and Salalah) will have significantly simplified connections with Emirates flights, which also operate from Terminal 3, starting December 2. Apparently, these ten flydubai routes have the highest percentage of passengers connecting with Emirates.
As a reminder, Emirates and flydubai signed a codeshare agreement last year, simplifying the purchase of tickets for connecting flights with both Dubai-based carriers. Furthermore, starting in August, flydubai will begin using the Emirates loyalty program.
At the same time, connections to other flydubai routes remaining in Terminal 2 will take longer, as they require a shuttle bus ride within the airport. Such connections will likely require more than two hours.
The further transfer of flydubai flights to Terminal 3 is planned for spring 2019. It is not yet known which destinations will be transferred to the new terminal next, and whether any flydubai flights will ultimately remain in Terminal 2.
Source: travel.ru