Airlines Charging More for Flights Out of The Gulf

Airlines operating in the Middle East routinely charge more for return flights out of the region than those into the Gulf, a study by Arabian Business has found.

A review of flights over the Eid holiday period shows that return flights from the UAE to various destinations around the world are, in general, priced much higher than return flights into the UAE.

While a Dubai-London return flight booked over the Eid holiday period with British Airways cost AED2,645, a London-Dubai return flight on the same carrier over the same time period is priced eight percent cheaper.

Similarly, Emirates Airlines charges 13 percent more for Dubai-London return than London-Dubai return over Eid. The same can be seen in hubs across the world and, in most cases, it is more expensive to fly out of the Middle East than it is to fly into it.

Etihad Airways charges 31 percent more for customers to fly return from Abu Dhabi to London than it does for British passengers to fly return to the UAE capital. French national carrier Air France demands 37 percent more for return from Dubai to Paris, then return to Dubai from the French capital.

This trend was confirmed by Mark Reed, general manager of Arabian Pacific Travel and Tourism LLC who said “flight cost is always done from origin and based on many factors. It is true that on many routes flight prices starting in Dubai tend to be higher than say the reverse.”

A comparison of Emirates Airlines fares shows that the prices vary and New York is 25 percent more expensive to fly to, as are Paris (nine percent), LA (10.5 percent) and Johannesburg (53 percent). There are however some exceptions and return fares to Singapore and Sydney are actually both cheaper coming from Dubai.

When asked about the difference in return fares in favour of passengers flying into Dubai when the airports, air space, costs and dates are the same, an Emirates Airline Spokesperson said: “Eid is a traditionally busy period for travel from the UAE with large numbers of residents flying out of the country. Like every commercially-oriented business, Emirates regularly reviews its fares to reflect market dynamics including, seasonality and demand.”

Reed added that the reason Emirates charges more for flights out of Dubai is because the Dubai carrier has the largest network from the emirate and has “a captive audience if people want direct services to many worldwide destinations.

Sunil D’souza, regional travel manager for the UAE and Oman at Kanoo Travel, the largest travel management company in the Middle East, said the reason was down to basic aviation economics. Flights into Dubai usually have more excess capacity than those going out of Dubai, therefore aviation prices of supply and demand means that flights from the emirate are priced higher to cater to the higher demand.

However, it is not just the regular carriers who charge more; the low cost carriers are also in on the game. A return flight with flydubai to Beirut costs AED1,800, while return from Beirut to Dubai on the same airline and on the same dates costs only AED984.

A flydubai spokesperson said: “All flydubai’s flights are priced in the same way regardless of the direction in which the passenger is travelling. We have a certain number of seats on every flight available at the cheapest price, but once they are sold, the price increases to the next level, when the next level is sold fares increase again. If there is a price differential it is because there is a greater demand for that particular flight.

“If a customer tries to book a seat on a very popular flight at short notice, it will be more expensive. This is a standard way that most low cost airlines operate. flydubai aims to offer the cheapest prices on the routes we fly. The secret is to book early before all the lowest fares are sold.”