Travellers looking to score a deal on flights from Vancouver to Dubai can shave several hundred dollars off the ticket price by adding a stop in Paris to their itinerary.
Cutting-edge entertainment, romance, fashion, and world-famous landmarks are just a few of the the things these two top destinations have in common. Tourists are also flocking to the iconic cities thanks to the popularity of hit shows such as Emily in Paris and Dubai Bling.
Ticket prices to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) from Vancouver International Airport (YVR) have dropped significantly over the past few years, with round-trip options starting at around $700, although tickets at this price are limited, and several hundred dollars below seasonal averages.
Locals hoping to fly to Paris for this price must travel during the off-season (outside of winter holidays and the summer), for trips happening now or in the early spring. For now, prices for trips in the early fall remain elevated. Most low-cost options involve a stopover, although they don't necessarily involve a painful wait; many affordable flights have layovers of under two or three hours.
Travellers planning a trip to the United Arab Emirates face dramatically higher flight prices, irrespective of when they travel. According to Google Flights, the cheapest round-trip flights to Sharjah International Airport (SHJ) in Dubai from YVR start between $1,250 and $2,000. Most cheaper tickets involve a stopover but a couple of round-trip, nonstop options with Air Canada start under $1,500 this winter.
Thankfully, Paris is always a good idea...especially in this case.
How a flight from Vancouver to Paris saves hundreds on a trip to Dubai
To get the lowest price on the trip, travellers must book two separate round-trip tickets. If they try to book four separate tickets the overall price will cost about $100 more.
A round-trip WestJet flight departing from YVR to CDG on Tuesday, March 4, and returning from CDG to YVR on Wednesday, March 19 costs $694 booked through third-party supplier Expedia (see slides two and three). The itinerary includes one stopover in Calgary in either direction for about an hour and 15 minutes.
If this trip is booked directly through the airline it costs significantly more, at $802. Several other third-party suppliers are also offering the return trip at varying prices.
A round-trip Pegasus flight departing CDG for SHJ on Thursday, March 6, and returning from SHJ to CDJ on Thursday, March 13 costs $346 through Bookmytrip. The itinerary includes one layover in Turkey in either direction. The stop on the outbound flight is just over an hour and a half while the return one is three hours and 45 minutes (see slides three and four).
The trip costs marginally more if booked directly with the airline, at $354.
According to Google Flights, this price is considered "low" for economy or $269 cheaper than usual.
The total cost of both return flights works out to $1040, which is at least a couple hundred less than the cost of a return trip to Dubai from Vancouver if not significantly more.
If these travel dates don't work for you, try using Google Flights' "search anywhere" option to find a low-cost flight to Paris. From there, you can try to find a trip to Dubai that lines up with your available dates.
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