01
Check both terminals first
The terminal is on your ticket. A connection within Terminal 3 is a walk; a connection to Terminal 2 is not, and the difference is easy to miss when booking two separate flights.
Dubai · DXB · Terminal to terminal
DXB terminal to terminal booked, not improvised.
A connection that leaves from a different Dubai terminal is not a walk. Terminal 2 is on the far side of the airfield from Terminals 1 and 3, and the move is a drive on public roads. Universal Airport Transfer books that drive ahead with a named chauffeur and a price fixed before you pay, so the tightest part of your itinerary is the part already arranged.
Dubai International Airport (DXB) Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC)
At a glance
What a terminal transfer includes
- Your chauffeur waits 30 minutes from your flight’s actual arrival time.
- A full quote before you pay, usually within two hours, including any late-night, public holiday, short-notice or toll charges.
- The price is fixed once you pay — no meter, and no surge because the connection is tight.
- Booked ahead, so the car is assigned before you land rather than found at the kerb.
- Four vehicle classes, from sedan to van, for passengers and bags together.
- The booking desk answers 24 hours a day if the inbound flight moves.
Price
What your quote depends on
Every journey is quoted on its own rather than sold from a price list, so the figure you receive is for your booking and not an estimate that changes later. These are the things that move it — and once you accept the quote and pay, the price is fixed.
Which two terminals
A move to Terminal 2 crosses to the far side of the airfield. Between Terminals 1 and 3 is shorter.
Or which two airports
DXB to Al Maktoum is not a terminal change at all — it is a journey across the city.
The hour you connect
Late-night, public holiday and short-notice transfers can carry a charge, named in the quote.
Passengers and bags
On a self-transfer everything travels with you, so the vehicle is chosen for the full load.
Connections
Why a Dubai terminal change is a drive
Three terminals, one airfield, and a good deal of distance between them.
02
Your inbound flight is tracked
The chauffeur is timed to when you actually land, and the 30 minutes of waiting runs from that moment rather than the schedule.
03
Clearing the first terminal
On a self-transfer you collect your bags and leave the arrivals hall before the drive. That time is part of the connection, so count it when you decide whether the gap is enough.
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The drive itself
Between Terminals 1 and 3 it is short. To Terminal 2 it is right around the airfield on public roads, and about a fifteen-minute drive in ordinary traffic.
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Arriving for the second flight
You are dropped at departures for the terminal on your onward ticket, with the price already fixed however long the road took.
The three terminals
Terminal 1
Most international airlines arriving in Dubai use Terminal 1, at Concourse D.
Terminal 2
On the opposite side of the airfield, about a fifteen-minute drive from Terminal 1, handling flydubai and a number of regional carriers.
Terminal 3
The Emirates terminal and the largest of the three, with Concourses A, B and C connecting to it.
If your two flights are on separate tickets, the airline will not move your bags or hold the second flight. That is the case where booking the drive ahead matters most.
DXB
Dubai International Airport (DXB)
Terminal 2 sits on the opposite side of the airfield from Terminals 1 and 3, so moving between them is a drive on public roads rather than a walk inside the airport.
Terminals Terminal 1, Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 — tell us both and they go in the quote
More about transfers at Dubai International Airport
Get a DXB quoteDWC
Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC)
Connecting between Dubai International and Al Maktoum is a different journey again: the two airports are on opposite sides of the city, and it is booked as an airport-to-airport transfer.
Get a DWC quoteServices
Connections we move people between
Terminal 1 to Terminal 2
Across the airfield by road — the move most people underestimate.
Terminal 3 to Terminal 2
The Emirates terminal to the flydubai and regional side, again by road.
Terminal 1 to Terminal 3
The two main international terminals, with bags and passengers in one vehicle.
DXB to Al Maktoum (DWC)
A different airport on the other side of the city, booked as an airport-to-airport transfer.
Terminal to a hotel and back
A long layover spent somewhere other than the terminal, with the return already booked.
How it works
How to book a terminal transfer
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Send both terminals
The arriving flight, the departing flight and both terminals, using the form below.
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Receive a full quote
Usually within two hours, with any late-night, public holiday, short-notice or toll charges included.
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Pay online
By secure payment link or bank transfer. Card details never reach this website.
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Booking confirmed
Confirmed once paid, with the chauffeur’s name and the vehicle on your voucher.
Questions
DXB terminal transfer questions
Can I walk between terminals at Dubai airport?
Not to Terminal 2. It sits on the opposite side of the airfield from Terminals 1 and 3, and getting there means a drive on public roads of roughly fifteen minutes in ordinary traffic.
How long should I allow for a terminal change at DXB?
Allow for clearing the first terminal with your bags as well as the drive itself. The drive to Terminal 2 is around fifteen minutes in ordinary traffic; the part before it depends on immigration and the baggage belt.
Is a terminal transfer quoted differently from an airport transfer?
It is quoted the same way: individually, with a full quote usually within two hours, and the price fixed once you pay.
What if my first flight lands late?
The inbound flight is tracked, so the pickup moves with it and the 30-minute wait starts from your actual landing. If the connection itself is at risk, call the booking desk — it answers 24 hours a day.
Can you take me between Dubai International and Al Maktoum?
Yes. The two airports are on opposite sides of the city, so it is booked as an airport-to-airport transfer rather than a terminal change, and quoted on the same terms.
Can we wait somewhere else during a long layover?
Yes. A drive to a hotel or an address and back to departures can be booked as two journeys, or as an hourly chauffeur booking if the gap is large.
Waiting time, changes, cancellations and refunds are set out in full in our Terms & Conditions.
Request a transfer
Tell us the flight. We hold the car.
Under five minutes to complete. We come back with a fixed price, usually within two hours. Nothing is charged until you accept the quote.
Airport arrival Airport → your address
Your chauffeur tracks the inbound flight and waits 30 minutes from its actual arrival time, then meets you kerbside or in the arrivals hall.
- Flight tracked live
- Waits 30 min after arrival
- Meet and greet option
Airport departure Your address → airport
Pickup timed backwards from your check-in cut-off, with traffic and terminal drop-off built in so you arrive with margin, not stress.
- Timed to check-in
- Traffic buffer added
- Terminal drop-off
Terminal to terminal Terminal → terminal
For self-transfer connections between terminals or nearby airports. We need your onward departure so the connection window is protected.
- Connection protected
- Luggage handled
- Onward flight watched
Hourly chauffeur As directed, by the hour
A car and chauffeur held at your disposal for a block of hours — meetings, site visits, or a day of stops without rebooking each leg.
- Car stays with you
- Stops as directed
- Held by the hour
Point to point Any address → any address
A single fixed-price run between two addresses with no airport involved — hotel to office, city to city, venue to station.
- No airport needed
- Fixed price per run
- One-way or return