Would you spend an extra day travelling if it meant saving your family thousands of dirhams? For some UAE residents heading to India this summer, the answer is yes.
With airfares on several India routes climbing sharply, travellers are getting increasingly creative to cut costs — from flying into a different city and continuing by domestic connections, to using alternate UAE airports or redeeming airline miles.
Travel agents said that some residents are becoming more flexible as summer demand pushes ticket prices higher. “To save significantly on travel this summer, some of our clients are preferring to fly to Mumbai and then take onward journey on trains to south Indian cities,” said Subair Thekepurathvalappil, senior manager at Wisefox Tourism. “This also helps them to relieve the moments of the past.”
‘Direct tickets were too expensive’
For Aslam K., a marketing manager based in Sharjah, travelling home to Kochi this summer meant thinking beyond direct flights. After seeing return fares for a family of four touch around Dh18,000 even on budget airlines for a round trip, he decided to take a different route.
Instead of flying directly to Kerala, his family will travel on Emirates to Mumbai and then take an IndiGo flight to Kochi.
The family also plans to spend two days in Mumbai before continuing their journey south. “Direct tickets were too expensive. Even after including domestic travel, flying via Mumbai worked out much cheaper for us,” he said.
“My relatives are in Mumbai and children also wanted to spend time with their cousins,” added Aslam.
The total travel bill comes to around Dh10,000, nearly Dh8,000 less than flying directly. And the trade off is the journey stretching between 48 and 56 hours, including the stopover and onward travel.
Travel operators said that such workarounds are becoming common with some residents.
“Some travellers are now taking connecting flights, and flying to Mumbai first has become a common option for people travelling to Kerala,” said Subair.
According to him, residents are prioritising savings over convenience as summer fares climb.
Looking beyond Dubai airports
Another hack gaining popularity is departing from airports outside Dubai.
Bibin Poojary, a businessman living in Dubai Marina, chose to fly from Abu Dhabi to Mumbai after comparing fares. The switch helped his family of three save around Dh2,800. “The drive to Abu Dhabi is worth it if it helps save on tickets,” he said.
Travel agents said that residents are checking fares from Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and even Ras Al Khaimah before booking.
“Travellers are comparing airports and also keeping their travel dates flexible to find better fares,” said Bharat Aidasani, managing partner at Pluto Travels.
He added that flights for August are filling up quickly as families plan trips around school holidays.
Using loyalty programmes and credit card rewards
Some travellers are also turning to loyalty programmes and credit card rewards. Salim Sheikh, who is travelling to Bengaluru this summer, said he redeemed Emirates Skywards miles to reduce his travel costs.
“The miles helped bring down the final fare considerably. Along with that, my son has an Emirates voucher which he will be redeeming it this holidays. This will also save a significant amount and in total I may have to spend just Dh6,000 for the family,” said Salim.
Meanwhile, his friend, Rakesh Sharma, an engineer travelling to Bengaluru, is relying on credit card reward points to offset part of his airfare.
Travel operators said that such programmes can reduce costs, especially for families travelling during peak seasons.
Taking longer routes, shifting travel dates
For some residents, summer travel this year has become a balancing act between time and money. Some are taking longer routes, accepting layovers, or combining multiple airlines to reduce expenses.
Others are shifting travel dates by a few days to avoid peak fares.
With flights already filling up and demand expected to remain strong through August, travel agents said that residents who can be flexible, whether with airports, routes or dates stand the best chance of saving money.
Source: Khaleej Times