Employers in the UAE are looking for cheaper contractual flights home for staff amid rising airline ticket prices.
Human resources managers in some companies have urged employees to be more “flexible and realistic”, as the cost of international travel in recent months has almost doubled in some cases.
Employees in the Emirates typically have one flight a year to their home countries as part of their contracts — some even for their entire family.
But this is proving a challenge.
Even fares for short-haul journeys to places such as India and Bangladesh have risen to more than Dh2,500 ($680) per ticket, while flights to London top Dh4,000 ($1,090).
I have asked my employees to postpone their flights home until later in the year, when the prices are more reasonable. We just can’t accommodate that expense at the moment
Siama Qadar,
small business owner
“A lot of companies are asking staff not to take direct flights home this summer because the costs have gone up tremendously,” Dubai-based HR consultant Rohini Bhalla Gill said.
“In some cases the prices have almost doubled — especially to the UK — so employees need to flexible about that.
“In one case, I worked with a company that had one staff member threaten to resign recently if they didn’t get the same flight they always used in the past.”
Aviation fuel prices up 45 per cent this year
The increased cost of fuel has pushed up the prices of flights.
The challenge for companies has been compounded with many staff hoping to return home this summer for the first time since the pandemic started in early 2020.
“Companies are not saying they won’t pay for staff to fly home, but people should be prepared to accept the airline or the route could be different than what they used in the past,” Ms Gill said.
“Staff need to work with their employers. They wouldn’t be booking these flights either if they were paying out of their own money.
“Everyone’s in this together and companies are just getting back on their feet after Covid-19 brought everything to a standstill.”
The cost of aviation fuel has risen by more than 45 per cent this year, figures compiled by Bloomberg show. The global average price at the end of last week was $160.4 a barrel.
Fuel usually accounts for about a third of airline operating costs, Adit Damodaran, an economist at flight booking app Hopper, told the New York Times.
Dr Sean Lochrie, an assistant professor at Heriot-Watt University Dubai who researches travel and tourism, said there has been a major shift in travel patterns as a result of Covid-19 travel restrictions being lifted.
“Outbound travel has almost returned to the pre-pandemic levels, as flights continue to increase their capacity and restart routes that were stopped or had a limited number of flights,” said Dr Lochrie.
“However, there has been a steep increase in flight costs, which reflects the surge in passengers travelling.
“Additionally, the upcoming Eid break in May has also increased the demand for destinations such as the UK and India among others, as people look to take short breaks to their home countries.”
He warned travellers to expect to pay more for the summer months but said the costs should subside in September.
“Although the post-pandemic boom points towards a significant recovery for the travel industry from the major dip in 2020 and 2021, it also means that UAE residents will pay more to travel — at least in the near future,” said Dr Lochrie.
“It is predicted that flight rates should decrease in September, but it would also depend on the global economic situation.”
Claire Donnelly, from Dubai-based human resources firm MHC Consulting, said employees need to accept that companies paying their annual flight home is a perk, rather than a legal obligation.
“It’s an allowance and it’s not part of the labour laws that companies need to provide an annual flight home,” she said.
“Many companies pay an allowance for a flight home, over the course of a year, in the employee’s salary and it is up to the staff member how they manage it.
“It’s not like employees pay the money back if they manage to find a flight that’s cheaper than their allowance.”
She said many companies continued to pay the flight allowance to staff members throughout the pandemic, despite travel restrictions in place at the time.
Small business owner urges staff to put off holidays
Siama Qadar, who runs Hybella, a fashion company, said she was unable to justify the increased costs of flights for staff members this summer.
“Some airlines are close to Dh4,000 [$1,090] just to fly to London at the moment,” Ms Qadar said.
“I have asked my employees to postpone their flights home until later in the year, when the prices are more reasonable.
“I know people want to fly back during the summer as the weather gets extremely hot but we just can’t accommodate that expense at the moment.”
She also said the increased cost of flights was affecting her business as she had to rearrange meetings in other countries.
“Pre-pandemic I would pay around Dh1,300 to travel to India and Bangladesh,” she said.
“Now India is working out to about Dh2,300 and Bangladesh is Dh2,800.
“That’s just not feasible for flights less than three hours.”
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
The biog
Age: 23
Occupation: Founder of the Studio, formerly an analyst at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi
Education: Bachelor of science in industrial engineering
Favourite hobby: playing the piano
Favourite quote: "There is a key to every door and a dawn to every dark night"
Family: Married and with a daughter
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The Bio
Favourite place in UAE: Al Rams pearling village
What one book should everyone read: Any book written before electricity was invented. When a writer willingly worked under candlelight, you know he/she had a real passion for their craft
Your favourite type of pearl: All of them. No pearl looks the same and each carries its own unique characteristics, like humans
Best time to swim in the sea: When there is enough light to see beneath the surface
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
RESULTS
6.30pm Handicap (TB) US$65,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winner Golden Goal, Pat Dobbs (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer)
7.05pm Dubai Racing Club Classic Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (Turf) 2,410m
Winner: Walton Street, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
7.40pm Dubai Stakes Group 3 (TB) $130,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner Switzerland, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar
8.15pm Singspiel Stakes Group 3 (TB) $163,000 (T) 1,800m
Winner Lord Giltters, Adrie de Vries, David O’Meara
8.50pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 (TB) $228,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner Military Law, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi.
9.25pm Al Fahidi Fort Group 2 (TB) $163,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner Land Of Legends, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor
10pm Dubai Dash Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,000m
Winner Equilateral, Frankie Dettori, Charles Hills.
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Brief scoreline:
Liverpool 2
Keita 5', Firmino 26'
Porto 0
MATCH INFO
Fixture: Ukraine v Portugal, Monday, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: BeIN Sports
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
Scoreline
Swansea 2
Grimes 20' (pen), Celina, 29'
Man City 3
Silva 69', Nordfeldt 78' (og), Aguero 88'
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 582bhp
Torque: 730Nm
Price: Dh649,000
On sale: now
The biog
Name: Fareed Lafta
Age: 40
From: Baghdad, Iraq
Mission: Promote world peace
Favourite poet: Al Mutanabbi
Role models: His parents
Read more about the coronavirus
'Project Power'
Stars: Jamie Foxx, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Dominique Fishback
Director: Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman
Rating: 3.5/5
'Unrivaled: Why America Will Remain the World’s Sole Superpower'
Michael Beckley, Cornell Press
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Company%20profile
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Company%20Profile
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More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Planes grounded by coronavirus
British Airways: Cancels all direct flights to and from mainland China
Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific: Cutting capacity to/from mainland China by 50 per cent from Jan. 30
Chicago-based United Airlines: Reducing flights to Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong
Ai Seoul: Suspended all flights to China
Finnair: Suspending flights to Nanjing and Beijing Daxing until the end of March
Indonesia's Lion Air: Suspending all flights to China from February
South Korea's Asiana Airlines, Jeju Air and Jin Air: Suspend all flights
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The specs: 2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV
Price, base: Dh138,000 (estimate)
Engine: 60kWh battery
Transmission: Single-speed Electronic Precision Shift
Power: 204hp
Torque: 360Nm
Range: 520km (claimed)
Punchy appearance
Roars of support buoyed Mr Johnson in an extremely confident and combative appearance
Company%20profile
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Banned items
Dubai Police has also issued a list of banned items at the ground on Sunday. These include:
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Political flags or banners
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Bikes, skateboards or scooters
The specs: 2018 BMW X2 and X3
Price, as tested: Dh255,150 (X2); Dh383,250 (X3)
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged inline four-cylinder (X2); 3.0-litre twin-turbo inline six-cylinder (X3)
Power 192hp @ 5,000rpm (X2); 355hp @ 5,500rpm (X3)
Torque: 280Nm @ 1,350rpm (X2); 500Nm @ 1,520rpm (X3)
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic (X2); Eight-speed automatic (X3)
Fuel consumption, combined: 5.7L / 100km (X2); 8.3L / 100km (X3)
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request