New Delhi: Air India too has extended its discounted domestic airfares offer for two more days. Other airlines had launched a second round of fare discount scheme last week.Air India's offer also consists of a 30 per cent discount on basic fares and fuel surcharge. The offer will be valid till February 6 and it is for travel from March 3.
SpiceJet, IndiGo and Jet Airways had re-launched their low-fare offer on a 30-day advance booking last week for travel up to April 15.
The fare war began with the onset of the lean season now on till April.
The budget airlines in their second round of low fare plan from January 31 to February 2 had offered a discount of of 30%. SpiceJet came up with the 30% offer followed by IndiGo, GoAir and JetKonnect. This time too the offer was for a limited period. In the first round 50% cut in fare was on offer announced ten days before.
SpiceJet announced the 'Second Chance' sale of 30 per cent discounted tickets on domestic routes for a
limited number of seats. IndiGo followed it with its 'Happy Weekend' offer. With the peak travel season coming
to an end, Indian carriers, barring Air India, triggered the second fare war offering low fares across several
sectors within the country.
After GoAir also joined the fare war, JetAirways and JetKonnect followed suit but with more relaxations on booking of tickets. Air India then in the secoond round did not offer any fare cut.
According to a SpiceJet statement, the offer was for 30 days advance booking for travel till April 15. And
the booking was allowed from January 31 to February 2. However, there were restrictions on the number of
seats on offer on discount and on flight dates and sectors. The airline claimed that the first offer announced ten
days earlier was "overwhelming success" and hence the new plan.
In the first round, IndiGo, GoAir, Jet Airways and Air India had joined SpiceJet in the competition to seize business offering 50 per cent discount on domestic travel.
The airlines' strategy is to boost business during the lean period going till April.
Under the first plan, tickets were sold dirt cheap. A Delhi-Mumbai or Delhi-Kolkata flight, for example, was priced just Rs 2830 by a domestic carrier while the market rates were hovering above Rs 10,000 for current booking.
