Airfares are set to drop significantly across various sectors with peak summer season ending and carriers offering “special” rates to fill their seats.
Fares are likely to drop between 25% and 50% in various sectors for outbound and inbound travel in September, inquiries reveal.
Return economy fare to New York from Doha in a direct carrier will drop to QR5,800 for travel between September 10 and October, an industry source said yesterday. An indirect carrier is offering economy fare of QR5,400 during the period.
London Heathrow, a sought-after destination, can be flown for QR5,400 (outbound travel – September 3 and inbound September 20) and still cheaper at QR4,100 if one makes the outbound travel around September 10.
A return economy class ticket to Thiruvananthapuram in India that costs about QR3,500 for outbound travel on September 2 and inbound on September 11 may drop to QR2,700 (September 2, 20) and QR1,950 (September 2, 25), it is learnt.
Return economy fare to Mumbai is set to come down to QR1,820 (September 2, 20) from QR2,490 (September 2, 10).
Prospective travellers to Colombo in Sri Lanka can make use of cheaper fares if they fly out and come back between September 2 and 20. An economy class ticket is available for QR1,580 to the Sri Lankan capital during the period compared with current rates of QR2,500 or more.
Another popular destination, Manila will also see cheaper fares next month, a travel agent said. Return economy fare of QR3,460 (September 2, 20) will drop to QR3,060 for outbound travel on September 9 and inbound on September 27.
Return economy fares to Karachi hover around QR1,500 in September, an industry source said.
Most of these routes saw exorbitant fares for many weeks from the last week of June due heavy rush for seats.
A “scramble for seats” was seen on some routes, particularly, Philippines, India and Malaysia and greater demand in many sectors in South Asia.
Total utilisation of mainly low-fare seats on key sectors from Doha was seen in July and the whole of this month. Such seats, particularly in economy class, were “totally” booked as a significant number of residents took off on annual holidays.
A travel agent said rush for inbound travel would continue from many places until mid-September.
This was because many Qataris and residents would be returning to Doha in time for schools’ reopening around September 10.
Gulf Times
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