Availability of Cheap Airline Tickets in India Set to Increase

Travellers who are in the lookout for cheap airline tickets in the Indian aviation sector might have a lot more options in the recent future. Most Indians take flights from various parts of the nation to travel to domestic locations, be it for business purposes or for leisure trips. The number of options has been steadily increasing as the Indian carriers keep hiking their frequency of their flights. Moreover, new cities, mostly Tier II and Tier III, are being connected by these to widen their network and to ensure people better connectivity. However, the running calendar year is set to witness something that has not been ever seen before. Two leading names in global aviation, AirAsia and Singapore Airlines, are set to foray into the Indian market. As a result, people might get more options when it comes to getting cheaper airfare.

AirAsia – Leading Budget Airline

AirAsia is a leading low-cost carrier (LCC) in the world, having its base in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. It is considered to be among the best airlines running on the low-cost model, as evident from the number of awards it has won. Currently, it operates a number of its wings in some other countries. Its immense success has inspired it to venture in India. The aviation regulator in the country has given it the green signal, thus, it is expected that the Malaysian LCC will begin operating sometime soon. Indian aviation has already a number of LCCs operating like IndiGo, SpiceJet and GoAir. It is expected that the entry of another, especially one, which is a leading name globally, will take the competition to the next level. However, for fliers, they can expect to book airline tickets at cheaper rates as it is expected the airfare will fall once AirAsia makes its foray in the market.

Singapore Airlines – 5-Star Rated Carrier

Singapore Airlines, the flagship airline of Singapore, needs no introduction whatsoever to frequent fliers. Regarded as one of the best full-fledged carriers in the world, it has won a 5-star rating from Skytrax, which is a global platform for measuring the quality of services provided by airports and airlines. It has struck a partnership with Tata Sons and looks to begin its operations in India soon. Certainly, the lucrative Indian market has caught the eyes of this carrier and it looks to make the most out of it by starting a foray here. All the base work has been done and new aircraft has been ordered. It seems that the popular carrier will soon begin its services in the Indian market.

With all this to come, aviation in India is going to an extremely interesting phase in the forthcoming few months. Two top names in full-serviced category as well as low-cost model are set to enter. The competition will increase several manifolds, undoubtedly. Whether the existing airlines are able to counter this challenge or not, only time will tell. However, it is a win-win situation for fliers, as airfare is expected to lower in all probabilities.

SpiceJet Offers yet Another Round of Cheap Air Ticket Prices

If you are looking for a cheap air ticket for domestic travelling, there are more options waiting for you. Popular low-cost carrier (LCC), SpiceJet, has launched, yet another round of discounts for travellers, making it seven in a row, from the beginning of this calendar year. This time, it is the western part of the country that the LCC has targeted to offer its flash reduced flight fares. The offer was announced on April 16th, 2014 and is valid for three days, where booking can be done by travellers. Travel period for this reduced booking rate is valid from June 10 to August 10, 2014.

Important Cities in Western India Targeted by Discounts

This discount is valid for travel from popular cities in the western part of the country. As a result of this discount, travellers will be able to book tickets from approximately 30 destinations for a price of a little over 2000 INR. This is comparatively half of the ticket rate as compared to the original. Some of the most popular locations covered by this discount are Surat, Pune, Mumbai, Indore, Goa, Aurangabad, and Ahmedabad. SpiceJet Airlines ticket booking is expected to witness a boost as a result of this flash discount.

SpiceJet was recently reprimanded by Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for launch of the one INR base fare scheme. The authorities had termed such sales as predatory and immediate orders were issued to stop such unrealistic discounts. However, the Kalanithi Maran backed airline seems to have taken it in a positive way. They understood where they had stepped their feet wrong and soon made amends. This time around they have come up with a more practical and realistic offer, which will definitely encourage travellers to make a booking. Simultaneously, the carrier hopes to make good business, both during the lean and peak seasons.

SpiceJet Offers: It is for Travellers from South India this Time

SpiceJet, a popular low-cost carrier (LCC), which has been in the news recently for providing domestic flight offers, has aired yet another round of flash ticket sales. These bookings were specifically targeted towards passengers from the three states of West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Booking was valid for three days merely; and this was the sixth such reduced flight fares on offer by the Sun-Group owned carrier in tandem from the beginning of this calendar year. People who were planning to fly between the dates of June 1 and July 31 from these three states could make a booking as per the reduced airfare. There was a huge rush as witnessed on travel portals as the offers were valid only for a period of three days.

Reduced Airfare from Major South Indian Locations

As per the discounted SpiceJet offers, the flight fares from Chennai to a number of cities like Mumbai, Madurai, Kochi, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Hubli, Guwahati, Goa, Delhi, Calicut, Coimbatore, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad and others were tagged at less than 2000 INR per seat. Likewise, the cost of tickets from Coimbatore to Pune, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Delhi, Goa, Chennai and Ahmedabad were also below 2000 INR. Furthermore, airfare from Kolkata to various parts of the nation were tagged at a little over 2100 INR. Apart from these, there was significant reduction in flight fares for passengers looking to begin their journeys from Rajahmundry and Madurai.

When the experts were contacted, they commented that the popular LCC was targeting those travellers who flew from major destinations in South India. Additionally, the travel time was clashing with the vacation period of school schedules. Thus, it was also assumed that the carrier was targeting mainly leisure travellers from this part of the country, who generally go for a short trip in this period.

IndiGo Announces Six New Flights on Domestic Routes

Travellers who prefer flying with IndiGo, the largest airline of India in terms of market shares, to domestic destinations have something to cheer about. The airline has been working on its network expansion agenda in the current fiscal and it had announced an addition of eight new flights recently from March 15. IndiGo has introduced yet another new batch of fresh operations, some of which have already commenced operations from 30th March, 2014 while the rest will be effective in the first week of April. This low-cost carrier is known for offering cheapest domestic flights and low international airfare. It operates with a fleet of over 75 Airbus A320 aircraft and seeks to deliver frequent connectivity and offer easy accessibility by introducing new flights on a regular basis.

Frequent Domestic Connectivity

IndiGo airline will operate these services from major cities, including Delhi, Bhubaneswar, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Ranchi and Vizag. It has started operations between Ranchi and Bangalore via Kolkata. The first non-stop flight between Ranchi and Kolkata has been launched since 30th March. It will commence its eighth daily non-stop flight between Delhi and Bangalore, and fifth daily flight between Bangalore and Kolkata from 6th April, 2014. Experts believe that this addition will consolidate the position of the carrier in the domestic aviation sector further.

The carrier is thriving to offer better services to fliers and it has taken significant steps to attract more fliers to take its aircraft for their journeys. Measures like attractive discounts on air tickets and regular addition of new flights have made the carrier even more popular. With international carriers like Singapore Airlines and AirAsia gearing up to enter the Indian aviation, it is predictable that the competition will grow manifolds. According to market studies, being the largest name in the nation, IndiGo is preparing itself well for stiff competition. It is high time that other regional airlines start taking significant measures to retain their positions as well.

GoAir Airline Announces New Flight between Pune and Kolkata

One of the leading carriers of India – GoAir, which allows travellers to book airline tickets to prominent as well as Tier II cities, has launched a new flight connecting two important cities of the country, Pune and Kolkata. The carrier will start operating this new flight from 1st May, 2014. This direct flight will carry fliers from its point of departure at Kolkata via Nagpur in less than four hours. It will be operational on an Airbus 320 aircraft, and will take-off from Pune Airport at 7:35 in the morning to land at Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport in Nagpur by 08:05 am. The aircraft will head for Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport at 09:20 am to land there by 11 in the morning. On its return journey, it will take-off from Kolkata at 04:40 in the evening to reach Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport by 06:45 pm. It will head for Pune from Nagpur at 07:15 pm and land by 08:30 in the evening.

Reportedly, GoAir airline has announced this new aircraft keeping in mind the high demand of tickets on this route. Pune and Kolkata are major commercial, educational and tourist hubs and this new flight service is expected to boost the passenger traffic between these two destinations. Travel experts have predicted that this new aircraft might prove to be a successful venture for the carrier, given the strategic decision on the route. Recently, GoAir has taken several steps to boost ticket bookings and attract more travellers. The current fiscal is an interesting period in Indian aviation owing to the considerable upsurge in the number of people opting for air travel and thus, a stark increase in rivalry among airlines in this nation. Almost all leading carriers of India are striving to survive in the cut-throat competition by offering low airfare, introducing new flights as well as upgrading on-board services and amenities.

Prepare Medical Kits after Booking Cheap Tickets for International Journeys

When planning a trip, be it long-haul or short-haul, the next important step after booking cheap tickets is packing. All airlines have a specific allowance for both, cabin and in-hold luggage. It is significant for travellers to be aware of the rules and regulations of the carrier they are flying with, before they start packing to avoid confusion and chaos at the airport. Besides, there are a number of personal items, which are essential for individuals while travelling, to avoid missing out any such item, people should make a check list, which they can refer before the final packing is done. Apart from clothes, camera, footwear, toiletries and other items, there is one more significant item – a medical kit, which tourists often forget to carry.

Carrying a medical kit on a journey is significant to avoid health ailments, which might spoil the fun of the entire tour. This becomes even more important when the destination is completely different, given the drastic change in climatic conditions and other factors in case of cross-boundary travelling. It has been rightly said that prevention is always better than cure. Keeping this in mind, experts and experienced travellers recommended that people should pack a medical kit and take it with themselves on a trip. It is advisable to include hand sanitisers, anti-bacterial wipes and other disinfectants to avoid infections.

Medication to be Included

Flying across countries for hours together gets hectic sometimes and leads to certain health issues like jet lag, fatigue and stress. Despite taking sufficient precautions, some people, especially kids and the elderly, might fall ill. Health and travel experts suggest that fliers should carry medicines for general health ailments. Common troubles, which tourists might face during a tour include nausea due to motion sickness and aches. So, it is advisable to carry analgesics and balms along. Besides, it has been observed that some people are allergic to dust and they should include relevant medication in the kit. Additionally, carrying some purgatives for constipation and tablets for diarrhoea are also advisable.

Items to be carried in Hand Luggage

Another significant aspect of packing, is carefully selecting items, which should be carried in hand luggage. Experienced fliers recommend that people should carry all valuables and travel documents, such as tickets, booking receipts, child identification cards (if travelling with children) passports and visa papers in hand baggage. Passengers should also carry sufficient cash in hand while travelling for emergency situations. Besides, for long-distance flights, it is suggested to carry earplugs, books and magazines for entertainment. However, most airlines provide basic in-flight amenities but it is good to have a favourite book and personal earplugs on-board. Some people might also like to travel with their neck rests for a comfortable journey. It is evident that packing is a significant part of a tour, and it should be done in an organised manner for a hassle-free and pleasant trip. So, after making an online air ticket booking from a travel portal, travellers are suggested to put a considerable effort for packing.

Tips for Booking Cheap Air Tickets

Saving money on tours becomes important if travellers are on a strict budget. Besides, limited budget or not, who does not like to slash down the expenditure, especially while on a vacation. Well, today everyone knows that a flight ticket booking can be done easily with travel portals from anywhere and at any time. Frequent users might also be aware that these websites offer discount coupons and other benefits to frequent travellers. As a matter of fact, there are a few lesser known strategies, which when implemented, can reduce travel costs by a considerable margin.

E-mail Alerts

It is recommended that users register their e-mail IDs with leading travel portals and sign up for alerts. People who plan well-in-advance have higher chances of getting the best deals as they have the chance of registering their IDs for specific destinations at the desired time of the year. While, signing up for alerts for a particular place, users should make sure that they include nearby arrival and departure airports to get filtered alerts. Those who have not planned a trip but might need to buy air tickets, can sign up for alerts from a specific departure airport. These notifications are not limited to information about airfare, but also include details about holiday packages and car rentals.

Consolidated Bookings

Most leading online agencies offer consolidated services, including low airfare rates, hotel bookings, airport transfer and car rental. It is always advisable to go for comprehensive deals if the thought is for reduced expenditure. This not only reduces the hassles of making individual bookings, but it also makes the trip more organised. Another benefit of hotel plus flight booking is that it saves a considerable amount of money. These packages are reasonably priced and help in cutting down travel expenses.

Neighbouring Airports

Large cities and important towns generally have more than one airport – a main hub and one or more smaller ones. Travellers usually tend to focus only on major hubs in cities, but experts recommend that people should consider other smaller ones in their cities. This is because these airports receive less aircraft of global airlines and simultaneously, have lesser passenger influx. Sometimes, people are not even aware of the number and location of smaller ones if they are living in large metropolitan cities. They can check for such airports on online agencies and book tickets if suitable flights are available.  

Break Journey

If fliers are not short of time and they have to travel long-haul across continents, breaking the journey might prove to be a worthy alternative. Taking two separate flights with different airlines might increase the duration of journey but it is beneficial in two ways – firstly, it reduces cost significantly and secondly, it helps people to take a break and relax for a couple of hours, thus reducing fatigue. A recent survey reveals that the trend of break journey has become quite popular with people who fly long distances across the globe. Although these strategies do not guarantee a slash down in expenditure, but surely increase the probability of saving considerable amount of money to a significant extent.