In an effort to attract more fliers in the domestic sector, national carrier Air India (AI) had announced that starting Saturday, it offer a 40 percent discount on tickets bought within three hours of the departure of a flight. On Saturday when the discount scheme kicked of Air India recorded bookings on 25 flights on the first day of the scheme.
According to the Hindustan Times, flights that saw last-minute bookings on Saturday include the AI 635- Mumbai to Indore, AI 678- Delhi to Mumbai, AI 676- Kolkata to Mumbai, and AI 626- Lucknow to Mumbai. Under the scheme, a Mumbai-Indore flight that costs Rs 4,000 will be available for Rs 3,400 if booked three hours prior to its departure. Similarly, a Kolkata-Mumbai flight that is available for Rs 6,000 will be available for Rs 3,600.
The move is set to help flyers get reasonably-priced tickets for emergency travel. Airlines generally sell last-minute ticket at very high prices. “Generally, an emergency leads to the last-minute demand. Such a traveller is faced with very high ticket prices. So, for the domestic sector, the national carrier has decided to make a “very last moment inventory” of available seats within 3 hours of departure. These would be sold at a hefty discount, normally exceeding 40 percent of the selling price,” Air India said in a statement. The discounted tickets can be purchased from all outlets including Air India booking counters, Air India Mobile App, Air India website and travel agents.
Dhananjay Kumar, Air India spokesperson told the Hindustan Times, “A last-minute traveller, as per aviation market algorithms, has to pay 40% above normal fares. As a national carrier, we don’t want to earn money off anyone’s crisis. Such high prices are a deterrent and therefore, the national carrier launched this scheme.”
