Cheapest air fares for New Year's Eve getaways

Whether you’re an expat looking to make a last-minute trip home to ring in the New Year, or a local hoping for a change of scenery to welcome in 2012, Arabian Business has surveyed the cheapest rates on offer to a variety of popular destinations. For British residents eager to gaze up at Big Ben as it strikes midnight, Saudi Arabian Airlines is offering a trip home from $504, while local carrier Royal Jordanian offers the best last minute deal from Dubai and starts from $616. Looking further afield, the Statue of Liberty and the sights of the Big Apple are on offer from $1,208 from Lufthansa, with Saudi Arabian Airlines again offering the best deal. From Dubai, American Airlines is only slightly more expensive and includes a stopover in London. If a safari in the wilds of South Africa is more your thing, Ethiopian Airlines offers the best deal to Johannesburg, starting from $825. Meanwhile Jet Airways is offering the urban jungle of Bangkok from $628. For Indian expatriates looking at a potential trip home, prices to Mumbai start from $384 with Gulf Air (stopping in Bahrain), while direct flights to Kochi start from $603 on Jet Airways. *Data taken from website dohop.com, based on outbound flights on Friday, Dec 30,2011 and return flights Monday, Jan 02, 2012