Airlines join in New Year sales

[December 24th 2008]

It’s time to snap up a bargain in the New Year sales as several airlines announce lower air fares on popular flights.

Airlines are cutting prices as they attempt to attract cash-strapped Brits into taking holidays and short breaks abroad. The fall in the price of oil – from almost $150 a barrel at its peak earlier in the year to just $40 a barrel now – is enabling airlines to offer better deals.

The British Airways New Year sale started yesterday and continues until January 27th for flights on selected dates between January and September 2009. Flights to one of the most popular city break and shopping trip destinations, New York, start from £259 return, a saving of £78.

Other popular destinations in the US included in the sale include the East Coast cities of Boston, Philadelphia and Washington, all priced from £279. On the West Coast, fares to Los Angeles and San Francisco start from £339.

Anyone contemplating a winter sun holiday in the Caribbean or who fancies watching England’s cricketers take on the West Indies in the Test Series, will be interested in BA’s offers here. Return flights to Antigua, Barbados and St Lucia start at £479.

Other long haul flights in the BA sale include Sydney from £699, Singapore and Bangkok from £589, Delhi from £359 and Mumbai from £329. In the Middle East the reduced air fares include Dubai from £299, Abu Dhabi from £329, Muscat from £339, Jeddah from £329 and Riyadh from £369.

On short haul routes BA has reduced prices on several city break and holiday destinations. One-way fares in the New Year sale include Dubrovnik from £59, Thessaloniki from £65, Helsinki and Istanbul from £79 and Berlin and Rome from £55.

BA’s rival Virgin Atlantic is also cutting the price of some of its flights. Flights to New York are priced from £258, Chicago from £288, Orlando from £308 and Los Angeles from £338. Outside the US, the airline is offering fares to Dubai from £298, Mumbai from £329, and Delhi from £359.

Another airline announcing price cuts is Emirates. For flights booked by January 15th fares from Heathrow to Dubai start from £335 and to Hong Kong from £422. Flights from Heathrow to Melbourne start from £700 and to Sydney from £705 for bookings made by February 5th.

Written by: Nick Purdom

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