File photo. Image used for illustrative purposes.
Release Date: Wednesday, August 21, 2024 at 6am
As the summer holidays draw to a close, some residents returning to the UAE are being stymied by rising airfare costs, with direct flights no longer an affordable luxury for many. To combat the rising fares, they are opting for connecting flights in other countries, despite the longer travel time.
Alex J., a 52-year-old Canadian who lives in Jumeirah Village Circle (JVC), is returning to Dubai with his family from Montreal, with two stops in Europe. He said that by choosing this route, he could save AED 1,200 per person, or about AED 6,000 for the whole family.
“A direct flight from Montreal to Dubai costs 3,700 dirhams per person and the travel time is 13 hours. But the connecting flight has a total travel time of 28 hours, so five tickets will cost you around 12,000 dirhams,” said Alex.
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“On the way back, we will do some sightseeing in Venice. We have a six-hour layover in Venice, and a seven-hour layover in Vienna. With that much layover time, the trip won’t be tiring. It’s like taking a break during the flight,” Alex said.
Schools in the UAE are due to reopen on August 26, putting families under pressure to secure flights as soon as possible, but with direct flights prohibitively expensive, connecting flights or flying to neighbouring countries have become popular options.
Amar B., a businessman from Abu Khair, was returning to Dubai with his family as a direct flight from Mangalore to Dubai cost a steep price – around 300,000 rupees (13,150 dirhams).
But by opting for a connecting flight via Muscat, they were able to cut the cost by almost half. “The price of direct flights has almost doubled since we left for our summer holidays. We noticed a big difference in the fare by opting for a route via Muscat,” Amar said.
Amar is travelling with nine people including his wife, five children and parents on August 24. “A direct flight would cost 35,000 rupees (1,534 dirhams) per ticket, but if we book our flight to Muscat it will cost just 12,000 rupees (524 dirhams) per ticket, saving us over 70% on this itinerary,” says Amar. This huge savings is a huge relief for the large family returning to Dubai.
Besides the money he saved, Amar decided to make the most of his time in Muscat by spending two days at his brother’s house. “This stopover will allow me to take a break from the journey while enjoying quality time with my brother’s family and other relatives,” Amar said.
After their stay in Muscat, the family will drive to Dubai. The journey will end with a five-hour drive from Muscat to Dubai, arriving in Dubai refreshed and ready to resume their daily lives. “Not only will we be able to save on travel expenses, but we will also be able to spend quality time with my brother’s family. The children will have more time to spend together before resuming their studies,” Amar said.
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