ABU DHABI // An airline computer turned into Santa Claus for travellers planning a transatlantic trip.
For 20 hours on Christmas Day, tickets for Etihad Airways flights between New York and Abu Dhabi were mistakenly on offer for as little as US$187, less than Dh700. The cheapest tickets usually cost at least four times as much. For connecting flights to destinations such as Johannesburg and Manila, some fares were as low as $277.
Etihad said there had been a computer glitch, but they would honour the massive discounts. They would not say how many cut-price tickets were sold.
Meanwhile jubilant travellers, many from America, are looking forward to a bargain winter break in the UAE.
“This is the first time I’ve received such a wonderful deal on an international ticket. It was truly amazing,” said Laura Lombard, 30, from Washington, who bought an economy ticket from Dulles airport to Abu Dhabi for $320.
Benny Hsu, 37, from Florida, bought $187 return tickets from New York to Abu Dhabi for a short break with his wife, Eleanor Chiang, 34.
“That’s the lowest fare I’ve ever paid for a flight that long. I can’t believe how cheap it is,” he said.
“We will have to fly out of New York City, which we don’t mind at all.
“I have never been to Abu Dhabi and have always wanted to go. We could not turn down that price.
“Most likely we will go to Dubai as well since we are staying a week.”
The cut-price tickets were first offered on price search sites such as TheFlightDeal, Expedia and Kayak.com, and the news quickly spread on social media.
“A system filing issue caused ticket prices for a promotion in the USA to be temporarily listed incorrectly,” Etihad spokeswoman Katie Connell said. “The issue has since been rectified.”
akhaishgi@thenational.ae
'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
EMIRATES'S REVISED A350 DEPLOYMENT SCHEDULE
Edinburgh: November 4 (unchanged)
Bahrain: November 15 (from September 15); second daily service from January 1
Kuwait: November 15 (from September 16)
Mumbai: January 1 (from October 27)
Ahmedabad: January 1 (from October 27)
Colombo: January 2 (from January 1)
Muscat: March 1 (from December 1)
Lyon: March 1 (from December 1)
Bologna: March 1 (from December 1)
Source: Emirates
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Company name: Hoopla
Date started: March 2023
Founder: Jacqueline Perrottet
Based: Dubai
Number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Investment required: $500,000
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Power train: 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 and synchronous electric motor
Max power: 800hp
Max torque: 950Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Battery: 25.7kWh lithium-ion
0-100km/h: 3.4sec
0-200km/h: 11.4sec
Top speed: 312km/h
Max electric-only range: 60km (claimed)
On sale: Q3
Price: From Dh1.2m (estimate)
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