Middle East - Anthony Ham [544]
Mahan Air (www.mahan.aero)
Middle East Airlines (www.mea.com.lb)
Nasair (www.flynas.com) Saudi low-cost carrier.
Olympic Airlines (www.olympicairlines.com)
Onur Air (www.onurair.com.tr) Turkish airline.
Pegasus Airlines (www.flypgs.com) Turkish charter airline.
Qantas Airways (www.qantas.com)
Qatar Airways (www.qatarairways.com)
Royal Jordanian (www.rja.com)
Sama (www.flysama.com) Saudi budget airline.
Singapore Airlines (www.singaporeair.com)
Sudan Airways (www.sudanair.com)
Sun D’Or (www.sundor.co.il) Israeli budget carrier airline.
SunExpress (www.sunexpress.com) Turkish charter airline.
Swiss International Airlines (www.swiss.com)
SyrianAir (www.syriaair.com)
Tarhan Tower Airlines (www.ttairlines.com) Turkish charter airline.
Tunis Air (www.tunisair.com)
Turkish Airlines (www.thy.com)
Turkmenistan Airlines (www.turkmenistanairlines.com)
Uzbek Airways (www.uzairways.com)
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CLIMATE CHANGE & TRAVEL
Climate change is a serious threat to the ecosystems that humans rely upon, and air travel is the fastest-growing contributor to the problem. Lonely Planet regards travel, overall, as a global benefit, but believes we all have a responsibility to limit our personal impact on global warming.
Flying & Climate Change
Pretty much every form of motor travel generates CO2 (the main cause of human-induced climate change) but planes are far and away the worst offenders, not just because of the sheer distances they allow us to travel, but because they release greenhouse gases high into the atmosphere. The statistics are frightening: two people taking a return flight between Europe and the US will contribute as much to climate change as an average household’s gas and electricity consumption over a whole year.
Carbon Offset Schemes
Climatecare.org and other websites use ‘carbon calculators’ that allow jetsetters to offset the greenhouse gases they are responsible for with contributions to energy-saving projects and other climate-friendly initiatives in the developing world – including projects in India, Honduras, Kazakhstan and Uganda.
Lonely Planet, together with Rough Guides and other concerned partners in the travel industry, supports the carbon offset scheme run by climatecare.org. Lonely Planet offsets all of its staff and author travel.
For more information check out our website: lonelyplanet.com.
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Africa
Despite the proximity, there’s nothing cheap about flying from the Middle East into Africa. In fact, for most African capitals a ticket bought in London will be cheaper than one bought in the Middle East. The best bet may be to buy your African ticket with a stopover in the Middle East.
As a general rule, the widest choice of direct African destinations is offered by EgyptAir. They’re now being challenged by Afriqiyah Airways, which flies to 12 sub-Saharan African capitals, including Bamako (Mali), Accra (Ghana), Lagos (Nigeria) and Khartoum (Sudan) from Cairo, provided you don’t mind going via Tripoli (Libya). South African Airways is another option, connecting the Middle East (Cairo, Amman and Beirut) with Johannesburg. Other airlines that connect the Middle East (usually Cairo) with African cities include Ethiopian Airlines (Addis Ababa), Kenya Airways (Nairobi), Sudan Airways (Khartoum) and Tunis Air (Tunis).
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INTERNET AIR FARES
Most airlines, especially budget ones, encourage you to book on their websites. Other useful general sites to search for competitive fares include the following.
www.atrapalo.com (in Spanish)
www.cheaptickets.com
www.ebookers.com
www.expedia.com
www.expedia.de (in German)
www.fr.lastminute.com (in French)
www.lastminute.com
www.lastminute.de (in German)
www.lowestfare.com
www.opodo.com
www.orbitz.com
www.planesimple.co.uk
www.rumbo.es (in Spanish)
www.sta.com
www.travel.com.au
www.travelocity.com
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Australia & New Zealand
Airlines that fly directly to the Middle East from Melbourne and Sydney include Emirates and Qatar Airways; Emirates also operates services to Brisbane