Coimbatore(Ooty) chosen by holidaymakers as hot destinations

Holidaymakers choose to fly this summer

Low-cost carriers register bookings of over 50 per cent of their load factor.Come April and May families pack their bags and head towards tourist destinations, particularly to hill stations and seaside resorts. The exodus will take place this year too, but with a difference. Affordable air travel and rising middle class incomes are making travel quicker and more comfortable.With the popular perception of air travel as unaffordable now changing, flying is fast becoming the preferred choice for middle class families who wish to holiday in India. Some of the zrominent low cost carriers have already registered bookings over and above 50 per cent of their load factor for April-May.

With almost all airlines announcing special fares and special tour packages for the summer, people who have planned their holidays early have been reaping the benefits of early booking.
Bangalore-based Air Deccan last Sunday announced unspecified numbers of tickets at Rs. 9 for travel during April and May. With proposals to connect Delhi with prominent hill stations such as Dharamshala and Shimla during the first and second weeks of April, the airline is expecting even more passenger bookings.

Some of the hot destinations chosen by holidaymakers on Air Deccan include Kullu, Port Blair, Goa, Coimbatore (for Ooty), Dehradun, Bagdogara (for Darjeeling and Gangtok), Jodhpur, Jaipur and Udaipur. An airline spokesperson said the bookings are the highest for Goa from all connecting airports with over 50 per cent seats having been booked already. On the other hand, Mumbai-based GoAir, promoted by the Wadia group, did offer the sensational "Rs. 0" a ticket offer for those who booked before the Union budget — between February 23 and February 28 — for travel during March and August. This low cost carrier, which launched the operations in November 2005, connects 13 places, including some prominent summer destinations such as Jammu, Goa, Jaipur, Coimbatore and Srinagar.

Almost 20 per cent of the seats in GoAir have already been booked for travel during April and May. The airline said prominent tourist sectors such as Mumbai Goa, Delhi-Goa, Mumbai-Srinagar- Jammu-Mumbai, Mumbai-Jaipur, Mumbai-Delhi have witnessed heavy bookings.
Catering to southern Indian cities, Paramount Airways has registered 80 per cent bookings for April and May. The airline witnessed heavy bookings to places such as Coimbatore, Madurai, Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi.

To catch the summer exodus, national carrier Indian has introduced a plethora of promotional schemes, including reintroduction of the "Spot Fare" offer, wherein the low last-minute fares would be available to passengers. Besides, the carrier has introduced holiday packages, "Flyaways," offering a single window holiday convenience to passengers for a complete holiday.
As a result, almost all the sectors where Indian operates have been witnessing heavy bookings, according to Indian officials. "The load factor for the summer months are very good and are more towards holiday destinations," he said. Other prominent airlines such as Air Sahara, Jet Airways, Spice Jet and Kingfisher Airlines too have come out with various promotional schemes.

Related Posts by Categories