For a good writeup on what Baku is trying to become, read this good New York Times writeup from February. Our reader, Heath who’s been to Baku informed us that getting a visa is a time consuming process but definitely worth it. Please take that into account.

Baku, Azerbaijan. Photo: teuchterlad, used under Creative Commons License (By 2.0)

Sample Travel Date:

• January 14th – 21st, 2014

Fare Availability:

• Valid for travel from January 10th, 2014 – March 10th, 2014. Must purchase at least 60 days in advance of departure

How to Search for Availability:

• Use ITA Software Matrix Airfare Search and flexible month search to see availability — enable advanced routing codes and enter “ua dxb” on the outbound advanced routing code field and enter “dxb ua” return advanced routing code field to search for this fare.
• Beginner’s Guide on How to Use Matrix by ITA Software
• How to Read Airfare Rules and Use It to Your Advantage

Elite Qualifying Dollars:

• $559

Routing:

• IAD – DXB (Dubai) – GYD (Baku) – DXB – IAD. The segments between Dubai and Baku are operated by flyDubai and are not mileage earning.

Stopover:

• Not permitted
• How to Take Advantage of a Stopover

Global Premier Upgrade Fare (for United 1K and GS members):

• W Class
• $1,220

Mileage:

• 16,292 miles or 4.4 cents per mile. You will earn 14,138 miles or 5.1 cents per mile  when crediting to United as the segments between Dubai and Baku are non-mileage earning

How to Book:

• Use dates found on ITA Software Matrix Airfare Search and go to Hipmunk.com
• On the From field, enter “IAD::UA DXB”
• On the To field, enter “GYD::DXB UA”
• This will show the itinerary and will link you directly to United.com to book

Accommodations

For hotel bookings, we recommend that you only book using online travel agencies (Hotels.com or Hotwire.com) if it is a non-chain hotel. We don’t want you to miss out on earning rewards with chain hotels.

• Accor Hotels
  • Sofitel, Pullman, M Gallery, Grand Mercure, Novotel, Mercure, Ibis
• CheapTickets
• Country Inns and Suites
• Design Hotels
• Expedia
• Hilton Hotels
  • Waldorf Astoria, Conrad, Hilton, DoubleTree, Embassy Suites, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Inn, Homewood Suites, Home2
• HomeAway.com
• Hotels.com
• Intercontinental Group
  • Intercontinental, Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites, Candlewood Suites
• Marriott International
  • Marriott, JW Marriott, Courtyard y Marriott, Renaissance, Residence Inn, Fairfield Inn & Suites, Springhill Suites, Delta Hotels, Moxy, AC Hotels, TownePlace, Autograph Collection, Protea Hotels.
• Orbitz
• Preferred Hotels & Resorts
  • Preferred, Sterling, Summit
• Radisson Hotels
  • Radisson Blu, Radisson, Park Plaza, Park Inn, Hotel Missioni
• Venere
• Wyndham Hotels
  • Wyndham, Tryp, Wingate, Hawthorn, Microtel, Dream, Planet Hollywood, Ramada, Night, Baymont, Days Inn, Super 8, Howard Johnson, Travelodge, Knights Inn

Car Rentals

• Avis – US and Canadian Rentals
• CarRentals.com
• Fox Rent A Car
• Hotwire
• Orbitz
• Payless Car Rental
• Sixt Car Rental – Good Agency for Rentals in Europe

Background Information:

• Visa: US Citizens – required prior to arrival, $160. Other nationals, check the TIMATIC Visa Database
• Currency: Azerbaijani New Manat (AZN) $1USD = 0.78 AZN

Tips for saving when using credit cards at international destinations:

• No Foreign Transaction Fee Credit Cards to save on international purchases
• Don’t get hit with Dynamic Currency Conversion
• Get your taxes refunded when shopping
• How to Avoid International Data Roaming Charges

For more of the latest cheap Washington D.C. / Baltimore Flight Deals:

• Go to the The Washington D.C. / Baltimore Flight Deals page

* The Flight Deal will receive a small commission if you use the accommodation or car rental affiliate links to make a booking. Thank you for your continuing support.

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The Flight Deal does not sell travel products or services. We provide you with information about third-party travel suppliers’ offers, and link you to their sites. The information posted by The Flight Deal is valid at the time of publication. However, we have no control over the suppliers, and we therefore do not warrant or guarantee that their offers will not change or become unavailable. Nor are we responsible for their products, services or site content. Please see their sites for their most up-to-date offer information and all applicable terms and conditions.