Agency report
- Airlines won’t blow your budget
Mumbai, Jan 24: Those who had predicted a northward movement in airfares after Jet’s acquisition of Air Sahara will have to swallow their words. Air carriers are in no mood to raise fares and say they will continue to offer promotional schemes.
Budget carrier SpiceJet, which will soon announce fares for the April inventory, said it has no plans to increase prices. In fact, SpiceJet chairman Siddhanta Sharma said that if jet fuel prices dip or remain flat, consumers can expect attractive fares for March and April.
“We are waiting for the oil-marketing companies to announce the aviation turbine fuel prices,” he said. “We will take a call only after that, but there are no plans to increase fares.”
SpiceJet managing director Ajay Singh also said the consumer will continue to remain the emperor in the airline’s scheme of things.
“Our inventory for April will continue to have a component of promotional fares,” he said. Go Air is also going against market predictions. Since the budget carrier, which launched in October last year, is in the process of creating a critical mass to consolidate its position in the market, it is planning to ply fliers with more goodies.
“On our present routes, we are giving 10,000 free tickets,” Go Air MD Jeh Wadia said. “We plan to increase this to 50,000 free tickets on new routes.”
Analysts now say that fierce competition will continue to compel carriers to slash fares and offer passengers attractive schemes. “If they do not do that, they stand the risk of being booted out of the market,” one said. So, consumer, strap your seat belts: air travel is set to get even more inviting.
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