UAE Flights: Residents Save Up To 30% On Airfares Using Travel Hacks

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)

As UAE residents prepare to return from their summer holidays, many are feeling the burden of steep airfare prices as tickets on some sectors costing nearly four times more than usual.

However, some residents have found clever ways to bring their travel costs down, saving anywhere between Dh2,300 and Dh1,100 through smart booking tricks, alternate routes, and group fares.

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Saving Dh2,700 with group fare

Zeeshan Syed, a Sharjah resident, is travelling back to the UAE with 13 other family members, including his wife, three sons, daughter, and his two brothers' families.

“We were waiting for a family wedding to be confirmed before booking our return tickets,” said Zeeshan.“Once the date was finalised, we booked (them) on August 13 to fly back on August 28.”

The tickets from Mangalore cost Dh1,600 each, but because they were a large group, the family's travel agent offered them a special group fare.“We were expecting 10 per cent off, but to our surprise, we got a 13 percent discount. We ended up saving around Dh2,700,” Zeeshan said.

“Travelling with 13 people can get expensive very quickly, so this kind of saving made a big difference. It's something not many people know about - even if you're not a tourist group, you can still ask for bulk rates,” said Zeeshan. He added that only a few airlines offer this fare.

Longer drive, cheaper flight

For Siddharth Bapat, an engineer working at a fintech firm and a JLT resident, said that switching airports helped him avoid extra fares. The Kolhapur native normally flies from Goa, just six hours from his hometown. But this time, flights were too costly.

“From Goa, I would have paid over Dh8,500 for four tickets. So instead, I looked at flights from Mumbai,” Siddharth said.

Even though it meant an 11-hour drive, nearly double the distance, the fares from Mumbai came to just Dh6,200.“We saved over Dh2,300, which made the longer drive worth it,” he said.

“The cost of getting to the airport was the same either way, but Mumbai had better options and more availability,” he added.

Farhan Hassan, a logistics expert living in Arjan, found another smart workaround. Instead of booking the fastest flight from Chennai to Dubai, priced at Dh1,350, he chose a flight to Ras Al Khaimah for just Dh950.

“I booked the tickets for my family and will pick them up from Ras Al Khaimah myself,” he said.“It's not a big deal, just a 2-hour drive from Dubai.”

The flight includes a two-hour layover in Mumbai.“But honestly, the savings were huge, and the layover is manageable,” said Farhan.“When flights are this expensive, it's worth being a bit flexible.”

Cashback, miles

Jordanian expat Firaz AbuNael was caught off guard when an emergency delayed his return. By the time he was ready to book tickets for his family, prices had jumped to Dh1,289 for each traveler.

“I knew I had to do something,” Firaz said.“So I used my credit card that offers travel cashback and booked two tickets first. When I got the cashback, I used it to book the remaining ones.”

He also made use of his airline loyalty miles and had set up fare alerts.“I received a notification when the price dropped slightly to Dh980, so I booked quickly,” he said. In total, he saved around Dh1,000.

“Airfare prices these days are unpredictable, but if you stay alert and know how to use your cards and points, you can still save,” added Firaz.

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