With the Union Government increasing the lowest fare rate cap by 15 per cent not too long ago, airline fares are higher than they used to be while the demand has marginally increased as well. However, travellers are seeing lower prices, but only for travel dates between August-October.
While the average cost of an airline ticket for July is around ₹10,000 (Mumbai-Delhi), the fare is only ₹4,600 for August. Mumbai Mirror reports that this phenomenon can be witnessed across the domestic airline segment.
The price decrease can be witnessed regardless of the sale status of a particular airline or route. Busy routes such as Mumbai to Kolkata, Srinagar, Chennai, Kochi, Varanasi, and Lucknow are now showing a price reduction in August compared to July’s average airfare.
Despite the reduction in airfare, health experts have warned that this may not necessarily be the best time to book airline tickets given the concerns of a third wave of the coronavirus. Most airlines are offering one date-change free on multiple routes to negate the uncertainty around lockdowns or travel restrictions.
Read - Flight Tickets Get Costlier From June 1; Domestic Airfare Hiked Between 13% To 16%
Travel industry representatives believe that the decision to offer free date-change on bookings will bring more confidence to prospective flyers. “It’s always easy to change bookings and obtain refunds when the ticket is booked through travel agents. Travellers are tired of staying home and are ready to holiday or commence business flights on completion of two shots of the vaccine,” Vice President of Travel Agents’ Association of India, Jay Bhatia said.
Since the airfares from August aren’t capped at the moment, there’s a possibility that fares may go up later. This is another crucial incentive for customers who get their tickets sooner rather than later.
“If fare capping comes in later, no additional fare will have to be paid by passengers,” Bhatia added.
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