Emirates Slashes Fuel Surcharge, Etihad Offers Special Promotion Fare

Emirates, the largest airline in the Middle East, has ensured that holidaymakers this summer have a reason to smile.
The airline announced on Sunday the withdrawal of its fuel surcharge on all of its flight tickets as the oil prices went tumbling down recently. With this move, Emirates hopes to attract holiday travellers during the peak travel season.
Tim Clark, President of Emirates Airlines, was quoted by different news portals as stating, “In line with the recent decrease in fuel prices, Emirates has removed its fuel surcharge on all tickets.”
“The removal of this surcharge reflects our longstanding commitment to our customers. We promised our customers from the outset that we would eliminate the surcharge as soon as it was commercially viable and this has now been done. We continue to closely monitor the situation,” Tim Clark continued.
The slashing of air fares is surely a welcome announcement for vacationers who were hoping to book tickets on cheap flights. Emirates, an airline with its hub at Dubai airport, may not be known for its cheap flights but the decline in airfares is surely going to attract passengers who prefer luxury along with some affordability.
It was on April 18 that Emirates announced its latest fuel surcharge on flight tickets. While announcing the hike, the Emirates’ spokesperson had stated, “Due to the current volatility of oil prices, Emirates is introducing a fuel surcharge to reflect the substantial recent increases in our fuel costs.”
The spokesperson was additionally quoted as saying, “Emirates has already incurred substantial costs by absorbing the recent price rises, but the surcharge gives us the ability to respond faster to market conditions, rather than a lengthier process of incorporating them into fares.”
However, Emirates’ this particular fuel surcharge lasted only three month, much to the advantage of the travellers.
Another major Middle East airline, Etihad Airways, also announced a new sales promotion offers for its UAE and GCC based travellers. The new promotional offer allows its travellers to fly cheap as the airline is offering return economy class air fares with up to 40 per cent discount on regular air fares for the month of May for journeys to be completed in May.
“Last week we were recognised as the Middle East’s Leading Airline at the region’s World Travel Awards, so we are very excited to offer these sale fares to complement the win, designed to help all our UAE based customers choose their perfect holiday or short break during May,” Hareb Al Muhairi, Etihad Airways’ Vice President Sales UAE was quoted as saying by various news websites.
On the other hand, travel experts believe that not many carriers are going to follow Emirates and Etihad Airways in terms of slashing air fares.