UAE Families Take 'Delaycation', Save Up To Dh8,000 On Return From Summer Break

Many UAE residents who travelled home for the summer holidays chose to delay their return journeys after being surprised by the high cost of August flight tickets. With fares from some countries soaring to more than Dh2,000 per person, families were left with a tough choice - to pay extra or wait until prices decreased.

For those who waited until the first week of September, their efforts paid off. Ticket prices dropped to nearly half the August rates, allowing residents to save thousands of dirhams while also squeezing in extra days with family back home. Some residents are even calling it a 'delaycation' - a short extension of holidays that came with big savings.

For Dubai resident Salik Ahmed Kazi, this summer was all about careful planning. He travelled with his family of eight to Mangalore in early July, dropping off his children to spend the vacation with their grandparents. After just 10 days, he returned to Dubai alone to take care of his business, planning to fly back later to bring his family home.

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In mid-August, Ayyub started checking fares.“I asked my travel agent to look for tickets between August 20 and August 25, just before the schools reopened,” he said.“Every single ticket was over Dh1,800, no matter which South Indian city I checked.”

That meant he would have had to pay more than Dh14,000 just for the return journey. Instead, Ayyub decided to wait. His family stayed back a little longer, giving him the chance to attend his cousin's wedding in India and enjoy more family time.

When he finally booked tickets for September 7, the prices had dropped to Dh986 each.“I saved over Dh1,000 a ticket. For eight of us, that's a saving of around Dh7,000 to Dh8,000,” he said.

Omar Mansour, who lives in Sharjah travelled with his wife and two children to spend the holidays with his parents. Like many others, he initially planned to return before school started in late August.

But ticket prices stopped him in his tracks.“The lowest fare I could find was more than Dh1,600 per person during August. For four of us, that was at least Dh6,400,” said Omar.

After speaking with his employer, Omar extended his leave by a week and decided to wait for prices to drop. Tickets fell to around Dh876 per person for September 7.“We paid about Dh3,500 in total for four people. Compared to August fares, that's almost Dh3,000 saved,” he said.

The delay also had another benefit: Omar's children got to attend a family gathering, and he was able to spend a few more days with his ageing parents.“It wasn't only about the money. The extra time in Alexandria was precious. And coming back in September meant we avoided the peak rush at the airports.”

Neha Sharma, a finance professional and a resident of JLT, had planned a short trip to Delhi with her two children in early July. Her husband returned to the UAE after a couple of weeks to resume work, while Neha planned to bring the children back before the new school term.

But as the holidays came to a close, a family emergency changed everything.“We had to stay back a little longer than planned,” Neha said.“It wasn't easy, especially with schools reopening, but family always comes first.”

While she was still working out her return plans, the UAE government announced a public holiday for the private sector on Friday, September 5, to mark the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). That meant a long weekend, with Saturday and Sunday automatically off.

“I thought, why rush back in the last week of August when there's a long weekend right ahead? We decided to return after that break, so the children could settle in calmly after the holiday,” she said.

Her children got to spend a few more days with their grandparents and cousins, while Neha had the comfort of supporting her family through the emergency.“It all aligned in a way we didn't plan. We stayed back because we had to, but then realised it gave us more family time and a smoother return.”

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