Airfare war intensifies, flying set to be cheaper

CHENNAI: A fare war is on after SpiceJet introduced its controversial Re 1 ticket scheme. On Thursday, Indigo Airlines offered tickets ranging from 2,500 to 5,000, while AI announced a flat 1,499, excluding taxes, on select domestic legs of international flights and select domestic flights covering 40 sectors and 108 flights.
IndiGo, whose special fare is for travel between July and September, has not specified a deadline for booking.AI's offer starts after 90 days and is valid till September-end.
With the base fare slashed, passengers only have to pay taxes - around 2,000. Go Air's Re 1 base fare offer in July to Mumbai, Delhi and a few other sectors means a one-way ticket is 1,907 between Chennai and Mumbai and less than 4,500 to Delhi.
Fares were available from 3,000 to 2,000 on Thursday morning. A Chennai-Delhi ticket costs 3,000, while Chennai-Bangalore and Chennai-Coimbatore tickets cost around 2,000. SpiceJet says its 1 offer was removed in accordance with a DGCA directive. The lowest fare still available, base fare inclusive of fuel surcharge, but excluding taxes and fees, is around 1,499 on certain routes, including Delhi-Mumbai.
There has been a deluge of bookings, with many travelers booking more than five tickets on different sectors. "These discounts are being used by airlines to create a market for themselves and to attract travellers.
The advance discount fares continue to stimulate the market and offer lucrative opportunities for those who are willing to book early. We have noticed our sales jump by five times since Spice announced their sale and expect the momentum to continue with the drop in fares by Indigo," said yatra.com president Sharat Dhall
A MakeMyTrip survey showed a majority of the bookings were round trips by families. Around 61% booked round trips, 42% booked at least one ticket and 51% booked for family travel, said Rajesh Magow, CEO, MakeMyTrip.
Those who logged in early managed to book one-way ticket of 777 to Port Blair and 800 to Bangalore and other short destinations.
AI flights offering the 1,499 flat rate are: Chennai-Mumbai (AI-569/343), Chennai-Thiruvananthapuram (AI-967), Chennai-Goa (AI-975), Chennai-Kochi (AI-509), Chennai-Hyderabad (AI-545/981), Chennai-Ahmedabad (AI-981) and Chennai-Delhi (AI-440/430).