Airlines cut fares for low-traffic routes
NEWDELHI: Airlines have lowered fares on short-haul, low traffic routes in June in order to fill seats and maximize revenues.
All-inclusive economy fares now available for Bagdogra-Guwahati at ₹899, Delhi-Jaipur and Bangalore-Goa at ₹1,099, Mumbai-Ahmedabad, Delhi-Dehradun and Hyderabad-Chennai at ₹1,299, Indore-Mumbai, Ahmedabad-Pune, Delhi-Lucknow and Goa-Hyderabad at ₹1,599, among others. Several other routes are also being offered for under ₹3,000.
IndiGo said lower fares will be on sale during May 8-10 for 600,000 seats for travel between June 1 and August 31.
“After receiving a positive response on the April sale, we are delighted to announce another three-day Summer Special Offer. We are anticipating an increase in demand beyond summer vacations and are pleased to introduce special fares. This summer special offer will enable us make passenger experience even more hassle free than before,” Sanjay Kumar, chief commercial officer, IndiGo said in a statement.
Most low cost airlines seemed to have matched the fares offered by IndiGo, searches made on online travel portals showed.
Jet Airways too announced a sale last week, offering 24% discount on base fares.
“It seems to be an attempt to mop up early bookings for a period that is typically the fag end of the summer season and the beginning of the lean season, in line with the strategy of garnering early bookings and managing revenue optimisation by increasing fares as they get closer to the travel date. Also, it seems to be targeted towards routes where they anticipate demand to be a trifle low,” said online travel portal Yatra.com’s Sharat Dhall.
The April-June period, when schools close for summer vacations, is considered peak travel season, the second most profitable after the October-December quarter for airlines.