UAE holidaymakers get up to 70% cuts on X-Mas, New Year travel

Booking for the holidays is never an easy task, especially when you are the typical Dubai traveller who waits until the last minute to finalise travel plans.

But it’s not all gloom and doom this peak Christmas and New Year period, with increased capacity across several sectors working in favour of passengers looking to book themselves for the holidays, with a difference in airfare of up to a 70 per cent drop for those flexible with dates.

Speaking to ‘Emirates24|7’, Claire Flintoff, who is looking to fly to Manchester, UK, over the Christmas period to be with her family, confessed her displeasure at the lack of direct connections and the high fare she was being forced to pay.

“We are a family of four flying home to my parents over Christmas, but the combined airfare between us is nearly Dh20,000 if we choose to fly direct to Manchester with Emirates,” said Flintoff.

She added: “Plus, it’s not even the date we want, with a December 21 departure not even available on the airline. And if we choose to fly with Etihad, the only other direct carrier, then we should be ready to pay nearly Dh28,000.”

The Flintoff family is not alone in this plight, with many sectors booking out well in advance for the peak travel dates over the seasonal holiday period.

Carol Joseph, who is booking flights to Kochi for Christmas, said: “My husband, son and I are travelling on December 18 to India, with return even before New Year Eve.