Air Arabia gets its second Airbus 320

Air Arabia, the no-frills airline, yesterday announced the arrival of its second leased Airbus 320. The seat configuration of its planes offers two more inches of legroom compared with other airlines, it added.

The airline will run short-haul flights with the two aircraft and have a full fleet of six Airbus 320s by the end of next year.

Explaining the ticketing concept, A.K. Nizar, commercial manager, said Air Arabia's fares will be 20 to 50 per cent cheaper compared with other airlines. He advised passengers to book their seats well in advance to get the maximum benefit of its Eid packages to Muscat and Bahrain.

On Sunday it launched a "visa change" flight to Muscat for a return fare of Dh220. Nizar said the early morning flight is ideal as it lands as the visa offices open in Oman. It leaves at 7.30am and returns at 11am.

"Like all visa change flights, the passenger needs to have a ticket to his home country." At some exit points in the UAE, passengers are asked to deposit Dh1,000 when going on a visa change flight instead of a ticket to their home country.

The leading price for the Eid packages to Muscat and Bahrain is Dh292 and Dh296 respectively. For Bahrain there is a Dh40 surcharge.

The manager said passengers can book flights on the web and pay by credit card. "The confirmation you print out is the ticket, which provides all information in simple terms, the flight time, the ticket price and the tax you pay."

The earlier the booking made, the bigger the savings. "As time passes the leading pricecan change, but rest assured the final price will still be cheaper than other airlines."

The "people's airline" is also planning to deliver the confirmation number at your doorstep, even in Abu Dhabi, if you do not wish to pay by credit card.