With the summer almost upon us we take a look at the best way to save money on flights, Emirates’ European expansion and more.
Cheap flights are for those with time to spend
While the UAE is awash with air miles credit cards all competing to attract travellers that want to make savings on their international adventures, for some those savings are not enough. This week the Money section looked at the rise of the budget flight deal – with UAE residents now searching for mega bargains on flights to their home nations. It appears the trick is to use budget carriers and make multiple stopovers to reduce the price. Our reporter managed to bag a return journey from London to Dubai for just Dh1,312. But while you gain on price, you lose on time and perks. Yes, the Dubai-London deal was a steal deal, but it took our writer 31 hours in total to make that return journey – more than double the time for a standard direct route. And budget carriers don't always offer a guaranteed baggage allowance or free meal – so travellers need to factor in the added cost of eating at the airport or putting a suitcase into the luggage hold into their budget. While savings can be made, it seems it only benefits those who are not loaded down with children or in a hurry to get somewhere. Alice Haine
Emirates looks for a perfect match in Portugal
It was only days ago that we were discussing Emirates being in talks to sponsor football's oldest cup competition - England's FA Cup. And now the Dubai carrier is leaving its footprint on the beautiful game in another European country. This time it's Portugal after a three-year deal was inked with Benfica on the back of a second daily flight to Lisbon next year. President and chief executive Tim Clark said it's about investing in the country as well as the sport, but the timing couldn't have been better. Benfica, pictured, lifted the Portuguese league title for the second year running on Sunday, therefore qualifying them for next season's Uefa Champions League group stage and in turn giving them a winter's worth of television exposure across the globe. This makes it another club in Emirates' sponsorship stable that will be partaking in what is arguably the world's most glamorous and prestigious competition. With Real Madrid, PSG and Arsenal also bearing the logo on their shirts, what chance an all-Emirates final sooner rather than later? Ian Oxborrow
Dubai shines bright like a diamond
Diamonds are a url's best friend: one of our better online performers this week was an article by foreign correspondent Gavin du Venage on the looming shortage in the world diamond industry. Short supplies mean higher prices for those who succeed at digging up the gems. With that in mind, Paragon Diamonds, a UK-listed company with Arabian Gulf backing, is developing one mine and has bought another in Lesotho, a wee mountain kingdom in southern Africa. "These investors are connected to the royal families of the UAE and Saudi Arabia," said Hugo Philion, a member of the management team at Paragon, though he declined to name them. "Through them, we will be talking to some very interesting people who are interested in acquiring our sizeable supply of large investment grade diamonds direct from the mine, and intent on making Dubai the number one Diamond centre in the world." Rob McKenzie
IPO rush predicted for second half
Emaar Misr's announcement on Wednesday that it plans to launch an initial public offering in Cairo next month is likely to kickstart a rush of primary market activity in the second half of the year. A survey from the consultants PwC said developments including the new UAE Commercial Companies Law which has made it easier for companies to list and the opening of the Saudi stock market to foreign investors next will act as catalysts. Already, the Dubai-based asset management firm Daman Investments has said it plans to go public later this year, while Saudi Ground Services has received the go-ahead from the Capital Markets Authority for an IPO. However, oil prices will have to be factored in as depressed oil prices in the first quarter led to just one company tapping the market. Srinivasan Iyer
Mad ending or good taste?
Mad Men, a television series about advertising, ended with a television advertisement. The highly praised show's seven-season run culminated with the adman Don Draper, pictured, taming his demons, at least temporarily, as he does yoga at a California ashram. He smiles, a bell chimes and we cut to one of the most famous adverts ever, Coca-Cola's 1971 peace-love-and-dove singalong, "I'd Like to Buy the World a Coke". In the real world the ad was created by the McCann Erickson agency, for which Draper was purportedly working on the show. Reality and unreality blended further as, after the episode ended, Coca-Cola tweeted: "A bright idea indeed, Don. Thanks for thinking of us." The sugar-water company said that it had had only a "limited awareness" that the spot would be used on Mad Men. Rob McKenzie
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