We take a look at petrol prices, children in business class, spending money on holiday, the need for more pilots and rents in the Northern Emirates.
Pumping up the fuel price
The biggest story of the week, for the whole of July, and maybe even the summer, has undoubtedly been the announcement by the Ministry of Energy that diesel and petrol prices will imminently be based on world prices. The decision to scrap the fuel subsidies that see us fill up our gas-guzzlers for a near pittance is expected to save the government billions of dollars a year. This has fuelled debate (pardon the pun) across the nation, as business leaders gave it the thumbs up and consumers gave it a more mild response. The general consensus appears to be that the environmental impact of moving more people away from using their cars is to be applauded, but the average car driver will be watching closely for conformation of the new pricing which is set to begin from next month. Anyone dashing on to Dubizzle to list their 4x4 should take a close look at the words of Matar Al Nyadi, an undersecretary at the Ministry of Energy and chairman of the gasoline and diesel prices committee, who said that "gasoline might go slightly up". So, let's wait and see the final verdict before determining the impact on our wallets. Ian Oxborrow
Child’s play on an A380
Our review of Emirates' A380 800 business class cabin, which has undergone a facelift, kicked up a bit of a stink this week. Not because of the quality of the cabin itself - that is as fantastic as ever - but because of the presence of children who were, shall we say, acting like children during the flight taken by our reporter. Much of the debate has centred on whether children should be allowed in business class when passengers are paying such a premium for some peace and quiet, and many are using the opportunity to get some work done before touching down elsewhere in world. It's an issue that has rumbled on for years and whichever way you look at it there doesn't appear to be a straightforward solution. Yes, parents should keep their tots in line. Yes, children will be children and you cannot expect them to sit still for hour after hour. But if the children are banned the airline will lose a whole load of passengers. One suggestion was to further segregate business class with a section for travelling kids, which sounds like a reasonable idea. Malaysia Airlines provides a child-free upper deck on its Airbus A380 services, but it will take a brave airline to follow suit. Ian Oxborrow
Save money while spending money
If you're heading off on holiday anytime soon, it might be worth reconsidering how you spend during your trip. In last week's Money section, we highlighted how UAE travellers spending overseas are being stung by sky-high fees on their debit and credit cards. Those using debit cards are charged cash withdrawal fees at ATMs and currency transaction fees - known as a forex fee - as a percentage of the transaction. And credit-card holders are charged even higher forex fees on transactions and an additional cash advance fee of about 3 per cent if they take out cash. While digital payment companies, such as Visa and MasterCard charge banks to use their payment systems - typically a fee of around 0.15 to 1 per cent – what banks levy on top of that is up to them. To balance out the fees, some UAE travellers say they opt for a combination of cash, debit and credit cards. But experts also advise signing up for a prepaid credit card that can be loaded up in the currency of the destination you are heading to. Alice Haine
Calling all wannabe pilots
They may make plenty of noise on an aircraft, but most children, boys especially, find flying extremely exciting. It's the sight of the booming engines, buttons and gadgets galore in the cockpit, the captain's uniform and the just the sheer exhilaration of soaring off into the sky. For those whose enthusiasm fails to ebb as they pass through teenage years, there is a growing chance that they could, before too long, find themselves behind the controls of one of the thousands of the commercial airliners filling our skies. Aircraft maker Boeing this week estimated that the Middle East will need 60,000 new pilots over the next two decades - and for those who find the experience of spending all that time in the air a little too much, 66,000 technicians will be needed in the same period. The region is particularly ripe for expansion as the likes of Etihad and Emirates continue to add new routes. So, even those who are only at the stage of playing with Lego airplanes, they could well be needed in years to come. Ian Oxborrow
Rent relief for Northern Emirates
The second quarter rents round-up has been concluded with the release of the data for the Northern Emirates. And the numbers make for pleasant reading for tenants living in the likes of Sharjah and Ajman where rents, on average, have fallen by around 3 per cent as new supply has come on line. More interestingly, the property company Asteco said that it has seen people moving back to Dubai now that rents there have dropped. This is a complete reversal from around a year ago when Dubai-dwellers were exiting to Sharjah etc to escape the dizzying rent rises in what those in the industry like to call a "flight to affordability". Should Dubai's predicted supply for the second half of the year come to fruition, there could be more relief for tenants in the Northern Emirates. Ian Oxborrow
business@thenational.ae
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