Sharjah Airport Travel Agency (SATA) recently announced the signing of General sales Agency (GSA) agreement with Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) in a bid to serve its customers better. As per the deal, the UAE-based travel agency will be providing all the travel ticket sales and services through the airline company and promote PIA through SATA branches in the Northern Emirates and Sharjah and the SATA website.
PIA is the national flag carrier of Pakistan under the administrative control of the Secretary to the Government of Pakistan for Aviation. The SATA GSA agreement was made during the inaugural ceremony of the new office of PIA in the presence of the Chairman of the Sharjah Airport Authority, Ali Salim Al Midfa, the Director of Sharjah Airport Authority, Sheikh Faisal bin Saoud Al Qassimi, the regional director of PIA, Shahid Ali Moghul, and GM of SATA, Arshad Munir.
PIA currently operates around 17 flights every week, connecting Sharjah with Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Sialkot, Multan, and Turbat. The GSA Agreement with PIA by SATA is a part of its strategic plan to strengthen its collaboration with regional and international airline companies.
As a fully accredited travel agency by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), SATA has provided unmatched essential travel services to business and leisure travelers for over two decades. This new deal with PIA will allow SATA to ensure a high standard of travel services to customers across the UAE.
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While the SATA GSA agreement with PIA will serve customers to find the best deals for flight booking, you can always follow some tips to ensure that you get the best airfare prices. Here are some of the simplest ways to book cheaper flight tickets.
It is seen that flight ticket prices go up in the last couple of weeks before the departure date. Therefore, it is always a good idea to book as early as possible to ensure that you get a cheap flight ticket deal. Generally, you can get the lowest price on flight booking if you plan your trip within 90 to 30 days ahead of the travel date.
However, note that this is not a hard rule, so book the flight ticket when you feel that the prices are reasonable and affordable. This is especially the case when you are traveling during peak season, as the rates are less likely to go down even if you book three months ahead of your departure.
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Another good way to ensure that you get the best deals on cheap flights is by setting up price alerts for your travel dates. This goes hand-in-hand with early bookings because when you start looking at the flight ticket rates 90 days before your departure, you can always wait for a couple of days to see if something changes.
Creating a price alert on the travel website will help you to know if there is a drop in the airfare to your destination, even if it is a small change. This can result in huge savings if you are booking flight tickets for a group. You can also compare airline fares on multiple websites to see which one offers the best deals to you.
Having flexible travel plans allows you to grab the lowest prices whenever it is up. Again, planning your trips early and looking for flights a couple of months ahead of your travel dates can help here. Apart from that, booking mid-week flights instead of traveling on the weekends can also get you some of the best cheap flight ticket deals.
Another simple solution here can be to travel during the off-season. If you keep your travel dates flexible, you can search for alternative dates when the airfares are lower to make the most deal. Booking on a significant holiday and early-morning or late-night flights can also fetch you amazing deals on flight tickets.
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When you plan and keep your schedule flexible, you can also benefit from booking connecting flights. It is seen that connecting flights are cheaper than non-stop flights, although you will have to bear the layover time. In any case, you can always find lower airfare deals on connecting flights with 1 or 2 stops when compared to booking a direct flight.
One thing to remember here is to have at least 3-4 hours between connections when booking separate airline segments. That way, you will have enough time to catch your second flight if there is a delay with your first one. Moreover, this will also ensure that you are eligible for an insurance claim, as most insurance companies require a minimum of a 3-hour delay before you can apply for a claim.
Signing up for your travel agency’s newsletter is a great way to stay updated on the latest deals and offers. Many airline companies offer incredible last-minute deals, which can help you to save on your flight booking when you book directly from the carrier. For instance, if you sign up for the SATA newsletters, you can know about PIA flight tickets’ best deals and make the most of the agreement.
While last-minute deals may not fit everyone’s itinerary, this is one of the simplest ways to access the absolute best deals out there. Besides, you can always learn about the seasonal offers and discounts on cheap flight tickets across the UAE by joining the SATA mailing list.
SATA is one of the largest travel agency in the UAE, with 14 branches across the emirates. The GSA deal with PIA can help customers find the best offers on cheap flights whenever they plan to travel to or from Pakistan. As airfare can be a hefty expense, this strategic partnership can help customers choose cheap flights and have a great travel experience.
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