Expats fly more frequently thanks to budget carriers frequently

Doha: With budget carriers gaining popularity in the region, an increasing number of expatriates tend to fly home more frequently lured by the highly competitive prices offered in the market.
The Sharjah-based Air Arabia came as a trend-setter in the field, soon followed by several other airlines companies, most of them based in the region. In hardly two years, the number of budget carriers offering connection flights from Doha to various Asian and Middle Eastern destinations has shot up to five, clearly indicating their rising popularity in the market.
Besides Air Arabia, Bahrain Air, the Kuwait-based Al Jazeera and the Air India Express had been successfully operating from Qatar. The latest entrant in the field is Fly Dubai that launched its operations in Qatar only last month.
Travel industry sources say that these carriers have significantly contributed to the price war that the industry has been witnessing now much to the advantage of the passengers.
Majority of their customers are single expatriates from the low and middle income categories, while an increasing number of families are also using their service.
Budget carriers have their limitations as well. For instance, it is not easy for them to operate from the Gulf to European or Far Eastern destinations since they need to use bigger aircraft, which will involve higher costs.
02/12/09 The Peninsula, Qatar

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Categories: Foreign Dec 2009, Low Cost General Dec 2009