Airlines slash fares ahead of lean season

NEW DELHI: Airlines have slashed fares across most routes to fill flights ahead of the lean season that starts at the end of this month.

“We are delighted to announce another 3-day Monsoon Special Offer. We are anticipating an increase in demand beyond summer vacations and are pleased to introduce special fares,” Sanjay Kumar, chief commercial officer, IndiGo, said in a statement on Monday.

IndiGo said the sale would run from June 12 to June 14, offering passengers all-inclusive prices starting at ₹899 on select routes— including Mumbai-Goa, JammuAmritsar, Delhi-Udaipur, Ahmedabad-Mumbai, ChennaiPort Blair, Hyderabad-Mumbai, Kolkata-Agartala, Delhi-Coimbatore, and Goa-Chennai, among others .

Fares on long routes such as Delhi-Mumbai, which are going for up to ₹7,000 in the current week, are available for ₹2,100 in July.

Airfares are higher if they are booked for travel in the same week or the week after, but much lower when booked in advance.

The July-September quarter is usually a lean season for airlines after a packed April-June quarter that sees high traffic led by summer vacations in schools.

GoAir too is offering tickets for similar prices, according to data available online on travel portals.

Last week, Jet Airways announced a sale offering tickets at ₹1,111 for travel between 27 June and 20 September.

“This special monsoon offer will allow Jet Airways guests to discover and experience select destinations across India. Guests can additionally enjoy the airline’s award-winning hospitality and service while availing significant savings on their travel with us,” Jayaraj Shanmugam, chief commercial officer, Jet Airways, said in a statement last week.