Festive rush grounds passengers' plane travel programmes

With Eid around the corner, travel agencies are extremely busy trying to find airline seats for holidaymakers.

"Sorry, sold out," said one agent, commenting on promotion packages to nearby Middle East destinations. There is also the usual rush of people to the Indian subcontinent and Sri Lanka.

Expatriates had booked at least a month in advance for Eid and now they crowd at travel agencies for the tickets, said one agent. Industry sources said airlines will have a relatively good year after huge losses last year due to the SARS scare and the Iraq war.

One senior sales manager at a leading agency in Sharjah said people are looking for short breaks.

Expatriates who had booked in advance for their Eid trips home would have saved about Dh300, he said. "Since this is the peak season, you will have to pay, say, about Dh250 more including tax for Dhaka."

Pakistan's national carrier, PIA, is also busy for Ramadan, running extra flights to Peshawar, Lahore and Islamabad. It does not run special flights to Karachi as a number of airlines fly to that busy port city from the emirates.

Khalid Mohammed, manager of Ajman National Travel Agency, said the peak period is between November 18 and 26.

Hamid Shah, ticketing agent at Bin Bakheet Travel Agency in Ajman, said Thiruvananthapuram and Chennai are the two other hot destinations to India, besides Delhi and Mumbai. Its Dh675 plus tax to Thiruvananthapuram in the south Indian state of Kerala.

Reem Salim, Holidays Consultant at Orient Travel, said the Istanbul break for Dh700 has been sold out.

The Salalah break for Dh650, which includes two nights stay at a four-star hotel, has also been fully booked.

The only packages still open at this agency are to Thailand, Hong Kong and Malaysia, but cost over Dh2000 and include a three-night and four-day stay.

Mohsin Kidwai, manager of the same agency, said there is also a big demand for Umrah flights, despite the security concerns in Saudi Arabia.

Airlines are running extra flights for Umrah, he said. Saudia is the only airline which flies directly to Madinah from the emirates.

Agents note that the Christmas rush begins immediately after Eid. That rush is from December 15 to 24 and the bookings will start by end of November. Expatriates plan for these holidays six months in advance.

Not only will the outgoing flights but the incoming flights will also be full as university students from the UK and US come to visit their parents here for the Christmas break.