A RECENT eTNW poll
showed that as much as
48% of agents are receiving
enquiries about emigration,
and airlines have introduced
emigration fares geared
specifically to this market.
Air Mauritius has released
a new emigration fare to
Perth and London, which
it says was introduced
due to demand from
its agency partners. Its
emigration fares to Perth
start from R8 500 one-way,
ex-Johannesburg, while its
12-month ex-Johannesburg
return emigration fare starts
from R11 100.
The emigration fare to
London starts at R9 260
one-way ex-Johannesburg
and R11 255 for a
12-month return ticket
ex-Johannesburg. Prices
are inclusive of taxes
and include a generous
three times 20kg luggage
allowance per passenger.
Date changes are charged
at R600.
Carla da Silva, Air
Mauritius regional general
manager Southern Africa
and Latin America, says
there is currently a
mass migration to these
destinations.
Qantas offers a longstanding emigration fare.
The airline’s regional
manager for Africa, Michi
Messner, says she has
seen strong uptake of this
one-way fare in the last 12
months, which offers a 40kg
luggage allowance. She says
many emigrating families
still book one-year return
fares, knowing that they will
need to return to SA to see
friends and family.
Singapore Airlines market
development manager,
Sally George, agrees that
return fares are popular
with passengers leaving the
country. While Singapore
Airlines doesn’t offer
specific emigration fares,
she says the airline’s
standard one-way fares
are very competitive. “For
example, Johannesburg to
Singapore to Auckland, oneway, starts at around
R8 300 and includes a 30kg
baggage allowance.”
Landi Grisessel, senior
consultant of XL Blue Planet
Travel, works closely with
a company that handles
New Zealand emigration
visas. She says emigration
bookings have definitely
picked up in the last six
months.
Most clients prefer to
emigrate to Australia
and New Zealand during
December so that they
are settled and ready for
the kids to start school in
January, but due to huge
discrepancies between
flight prices in December
and February many clients
choose to wait an extra two
months, she says. This can
save clients up to R5 000
per person, which makes
a substantial difference to
ticket prices when a family
is moving, she says.
Landi adds that while
many agents think that
emigration bookings are
once-off transactions, these
actually lead to a lot of
repeat business. “Clients
come back regularly to visit
friends and often send
family members to us when
they in turn want to visit our
clients in Australia and New
Zealand.
