Carriers looking for ways to fill up plane seats after winter, school break
Airlines have rolled out discounted fares for passengers traveling from the UAE to various international destinations in a bid to stimulate ticket sales after the holidays.
UAE-based carrier Emirates, as well as Oman Air, Kenya Airways and Cathay Pacific, recently unveiled special fares, promising travellers a chance to save money on their next trip.
The ticket sales were launched just as when hundreds of UAE travelers returned home from their winter break and schools resumed classes.
Among the deals up for grabs, are return economy tickets worth less than 1,000 UAE dirhams ($273) as well as all-inclusive holidays for under 3,000 UAE dirhams.
According to Premjit Bangara, manager for travel at Sharaf Travel Services in Dubai, the airlines are looking for ways to fill up plane seats as the lean season sets in.
“The demand for seats has greatly reduced and we are seeing a lull in leisure travel,” Bangara told Zawya. “This is due to the fact that most expatriates have returned from their winter break and schools have opened.
Emirates is offering return fares worth less than 1,000 UAE dirhams for flights from Dubai to select cities, including Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, Beirut and Kuwait, as well as less than 2,500 UAE dirhams for trips to London and Bangkok, among others. The airline is also offering travellers from London a chance to secure seats on flights to Dubai, Perth, Auckland and Bangkok for less than 800 UAE dirhams.
According to Bangara, the latest deals from Emirates are “certainly value for money,” citing that the average fare to Perth alone is already 4,600 UAE dirhams, while flights to Auckland and Bangkok normally cost 5,400 UAE dirhams and 2,700 UAE dirhams, respectively.
Emirates’ reduced fares are valid for travel today until November 30, 2020. However, the deals will expire in nine days.
Kenya Airways has also offered promotional fares across its network, offering a price rebate of 25 percent, according to Bangara. The airline’s website featured flights to Nairobi for a little over 1,000 UAE dirhams, as of January 14, 2020.
At Oman Air, travellers from the UAE can avail themselves of special packages to Kuala Lumpur with land arrangements for 2,720 UAE dirhams. Cathay Pacific is also offering special rates from Dubai to Australia, China and Japan.
Holiday spending is a huge part of the household budget for UAE residents.
According to published figures from Euromonitor International, travelers from the country spent a total of $20.8 billion (76 billion UAE dirhams) on air tickets, hotels and other travel-related expenses in 2015 alone. That means per capita travel spending in the UAE stands at more than 8,000 UAE dirhams.
