slinky09 wrote:It could be a day flight out, then a late return same day ... kinda makes sense to me since I would assume that many passengers are booked via VHols. If so it then frees up a slot pair at LHR ... for what I wonder?
If the route is indeed predominately VHols as has been suggested, then a daytime flight out / later daytime return would make a lot more sense for Hols customers. Their hotel rooms would be ready on arrival in Dubai without having to pay for an extra night for early check-in.
Ditto for departure - request late check-out, which most hotels can oblige with for a very minimal (if any) fee & not ling until your transfer to the airport. The only killer may be the arrival time at LHR, possibly requiring an overnight stay, depending on where you live / your class of travel (i.e. if you get a CDC & live close to LHR).