Who is cheapest out of the Middle Eastern's

[ethanegcc]

With the recent reservation opening of Oman Air from MAN, I wanted to find out who is the cheapest out of the ME5 (SV, EK, WY, QR, EK)?

However, also to determine each winner, I will be factoring in the transfer times as connecting is a major part of the Middle Eastern carrier success.

I will be doing destinations in India to begin with:
Delhi, Kochi, Chennai, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore

 

[ethanegcc]

Battle 1: Manchester to Mumbai

Oman Air - £549 rtn - transfer time of 1hr15mins - Wi-Fi, in-seat power, IFE
Etihad - £387 rtn - transfer time of 1hr55mins - same as above
Emirates - £414 rtn - transfer time of 2hrs10mins - same as above
Qatar - £434 rtn - transfer time of 3hrs05mins - same as above, although unfortunately Wi-Fi depends on which of the three flights you choose from MAN
Saudia - £462 rtn - transfer time of 16hrs30mins (JED) - same as above

Winner on transfer time - Oman Air, Etihad, Emirates, Qatar, Saudia
Winner on amenities - draw between Oman Air, Etihad, Emirates, then Qatar, Saudia
Winner on price - Etihad, Emirates, Qatar, Saudia, Oman Air
Overall order:
1) Etihad
2) Emirates
3) Oman Air
4)Qatar
5) Saudia

 

[ethanegcc]

Battle 2: Manchester-Chennai

Saudia - £458 - transfer time of 14hrs (JED) - Wi-Fi, in-seat power, IFE
Etihad - £397 - transfer time of 1hr50mins - same as above
Emirates - £412 - transfer time of 2hrs30mins - same as above
Oman Air - £499 - transfer time of 1hrs30mins - same as above
Qatar - £616 - transfer time of 1hrs15mins - same as above (not available on all)

Transfer time: 1) Qatar 2) Oman Air 3) Etihad 4) Emirates 5) Saudia
Price: 1) Etihad 2) Emirates 3) Saudia 4) Oman Air 4) Qatar
Amenities: 1) all ex. QR/SV 2) Qatar/Saudia

Overall winners:
1) Etihad
2) Oman Air/Emirates
4) Qatar
5) Saudia

 

[ethanegcc]

Battle 3: Manchester-Bangalore (Bengaluru)

Etihad - £443 - transfer time of 1hr55 - all of the above
Emirates - £468 - transfer time of 3hr5 - all of the above
Oman Air - £508 - transfer time of 1hr30 - all of the above
Qatar - £696 - transfer time of 1hr30 - all of the above (not always available)
Saudia - do not offer connections to BLR

Transfer time:
1) Qatar/Oman Air
3)Etihad
4) Emirates

Price:
1) Etihad
2) Emirates
3) Oman Air
4) Qatar

Amenities:
1) all ex. QR
2) Qatar

Overall:
1) Oman Air/Etihad
3) Emirates
4) Qatar

 

[ethanegcc]

Manchester-Delhi

Etihad - £395 - 2hrs - all of above
Emirates - £421 - 2hrs25 - all of above
Oman Air - £560 - 1hr35 - all of above
Qatar - £467 - 1hr30 - all of above (not available on some)
Saudia - £563 - 14hrs - all of above (not available on some)

Transfer:
1) Qatar
2) Oman Air
3) Etihad
4) Emirates
5) Saudia (poor Saudia - they just aren't timed to connect!)

Price:
1) Etihad
2) Emirates
3) Qatar
4) Oman Air
5) Saudia (poor Saudia!)

Amenities (same as before)

Overall:
1) Etihad
2) Oman/Emirates
4) Qatar
5) Saudia

 

[ethanegcc]

Overall Results: Who is the best ME option to India?

In last place is (unfortunately) unsurprisingly Saudia - although amenities are relatively consistent and the aircraft are new (A330R, 789) they did not have good transfer times, often overpriced, have less frequency than the others and don't fly to one of India's major cities (BLR) from JED! Sorry SV!

In fourth place is...Qatar - despite good connections, the pricing was often much over what the others offered and amenities were not consistent. Their business product on the 77W (which appears to be operating next May) is way behind that of any other carrier on this list.

In third place is...Emirates - decent prices, above Etihad though, and often just slightly longer transfer times

In second place is...Oman Air - often overpriced, but transfer times and amenities were really consistent

In first place is...Etihad - with their partners Jet, they could offer many more connections, they often came out on top in terms of price and amenities and had consistent connection times of around 2hrs (which is ideal to ensure there is no rush). Well done Etihad.