Airplane tickets: Summer will be challenging!
Moroccans residing abroad are indignant. Many of them express their rage on social media in the face of the rise in the price of plane tickets. “Too expensive, too expensive!” Their anger couldn’t be higher, especially as the summer season coincides this year with the celebration of Aid Al Adha. Many people planned to spend the feast of the sacrifice with the family in the good old country. This wish might not materialize for some, given the high cost of tickets. On the other hand, among Moroccans wishing to spend their summer holidays abroad, some have been forced to reschedule their trip, waiting for a lull in prices. In recent months, prices have exploded and nothing suggests a drop in the short term. Indeed, the upward trend continues. Traveling on an airplane is becoming more and more expensive. Disparities certainly exist according to international destinations, but no destination has shown a decline. According to a travel agency in Casablanca, a Casablanca-Valencia return ticket for 4 people including 2 adults and two children aged 11 and 13 costs 26,000 Dirhams (US$ 2,600), for a direct flight on board an airplane of the Royal Air Maroc airline company scheduled for next July, knowing that children aged 12 and over are considered as adults and therefore pay the same price as their parents. For a direct Casablanca-Paris flight aboard a Royal Air Maroc plane, a family of 4 people (2 adults and 2 children aged 11 and 13), must pay 34,036 Dirhams ( US$ 3,404). Air France offers the same flight for the same period of July at a price of 26,925 Dirhams (US $ 2,692) . Fares are following an upward trend for long-haul flights. A Casablanca-New York return ticket for the same family of 4 costs 74,506 dirhams
(US$ 7,450) .
For the Casablanca-Montreal flight, the price is 80,757 Dirhams (US$ 8075) aboard a Royal Asir Maroc plane, versus 64,500 Dirhams at Air France, with a stopover in Paris. These tariffs have deterred some Moroccans residing abroad from traveling to the country. “My husband and I have decided to postpone our trip to Morocco for later because the prices are beyond our budget,” laments a Moroccan living in Valencia, Spain.
Prices are fluctuating. They change overnight, from morning to night, from minute to minute, and from company to company. If someone buys a ticket from a travel agency, a Casablanca-Montreal flight costs 80,757 dirhams aboard a Royal Air Maroc plane. A simulation on the company’s website shows a much lower price: 51,104 Dirhams (US $ 5,110). Travelers therefore feel lost in this maze of prices. The smartest travelers install apps on their smartphones to receive alerts relating to the cheapest flights of the day. This is one way to stay on the lookout for the best offers.
Khadija SKALLI
