December airfares too high? Get bargain deals now

UAE residents who have been fretting about the spike in airfares in the month of December may still have the option of going ahead with their winter break, albeit with some changes to their itinerary.

If you can manage to take an early break in December, you will be able to save a considerable amount of money on airfares that shoot up especially during the second half of December.

Granted, this may not be a feasible option for several residents with school-going children as most schools in the country close only after the second week of December. In addition, for many, it’s only around Christmas time that they would like to visit their families back home.

But for those who may have a few extra days in their holiday entitlements, or those who don’t mind leaving earlier, the option of advancing your vacations may be financially viable.

“My kids will be off school in the beginning of December due to National Day holidays and then they will be off again after December 15. I may go before the National Day break and save on a lot of money,” said an Indian national living in Dubai.

This, of course, will be difficult with children in higher grades as parents wouldn’t want them to miss out on their studies.

If you do, however, decide to fly a bit early, there are airfare deals that you can take advantage of.

For example, Sharjah-based budget carrier Air Arabia has an online promo offer for 48 hours promising you better savings if you fly between now and early December. The travel period is between the November 17 and December 10, 2014.

The company is offering tickets to Delhi for Dh389 one-way for most of the days in the month, but prices do start inching up towards the end of November.

The price for this route (one-way) on December 10 is Dh570, but surges to Dh765 the next day. Prices shoot up for most destinations after this date. You can get a one-way ticket to Cairo for Dh680 on December 10, but will have to shell out at least Dh1,053 if you have to fly just the next day.

Other promotional routes include Sharjah to Lar from Dh549; to Tehran from Dh599; to Mumbai from Dh799; to Amman, Beirut and Cairo from Dh899; among other destinations. These are all-inclusive return fares.

Dubai-based Flydubai is also offering deals on some of its destinations.  The booking must be made until November 21, 2014, and you can get a 30 per cent off on the ticket price. The travel period is between November 25 and December 16. This offer is available on the lowest return economy class fares from Dubai.

Under the offer, tickets are for Dh427 to Doha; Dh627 to Thiruvananthapuram; and Dh642 to Colombo among others.

The price difference is apparent even for full-service airlines. For example, if you fly to Geneva via Emirates, a return ticket will cost you Dh2,795 on December 5, but it is priced Dh3,975 on December 18. The fares also peak during the National Day holidays but dip soon after to rise again close to the Christmas period.

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