Those who are planning to embark on a journey for the first time on flights need to keep in mind a few things. Air ticket booking is not as easy as it seems and this fact might cause some problems for first-timers. Frequent fliers have also opined that even they face some problems to get the best deals. However, a systematic approach and keeping in mind a few things can make ways for a better experience while air travelling. In this generation of rising costs, it is better to keep these factors in mind if travellers are looking for a pleasant experience.
Check out for More Options
The best way to maximise the chances of getting the best offers while air travelling is to browse. Every airline has an online presence these days with intricate detailing about the time and date of journey, type of aircraft and amenities offered on flights. Whether people are booking international or domestic airlines tickets, it is wise to browse to make the most of all information. As plenty of airlines operate within a certain region, the prices of tickets are quite competitive. Due to this factor, travellers can expect to get the best deals if they browse more.
Clear and Versatile Planning
Planning of the travel in the correct way is absolutely important when it comes to air travelling. When it comes to booking tickets for flights, travellers should have a clear idea about a number of things. The first factor is deciding on the destinations and time of journey. Having a clear yet versatile plan is beneficial, so says frequent travellers. This is because it has been observed that not all days of the week have similar airfare for flights. It is a known fact that the price of tickets on weekends are more than weekdays. Likewise, the choice of destinations is an important factor while booking cheap tickets. This is because flight fares are different according to the choice of locations. If the airport is a major one, the price of air tickets is more. However, if the airport is a small one, airfare is less. This is why it is better to plan everything in advance.
Choice of Airlines
Staying flexible in the choice of carriers is recommended if travellers are looking to get the best deals. Due to increased competition, a number of full-fledged airlines as well as low-cost carriers (LCCs) operate in the modern generation. This aspect has paved the way for a neck-to-neck competition and as result, better rates. One carrier might give the cheapest rates at a certain time on a particular route, while some other at a different time. To make the best use of these fluctuations, it is better to check multiple airlines before finalising a booking.
All these factors help travellers, especially first timers to get the best deals online. No matter where they are travelling, these aspects are some of the most trustworthy when it comes to getting an affordable deal.
Fliers who have travelled domestic in the year 2014 have enjoyed a series of domestic flight offers right from the beginning of the calendar. It has been raining discounts right from the go. Most of the regional carriers, be it full fledged ones or low-cost carriers (LCCs), all have joined the party and lucrative discounts. SpiceJet, one of the popular have led the pack in starting enticing opportunities for fliers. These have been quite a hit as witnessed from the upsurge in booking of tickets. Most of these discounted airfare have been flash sales of tickets that have lasted only for a few days.
Reason for Discounted Flight Fares
There have been quite some debate about the fact as to why the airlines were providing such offers. Travel experts have opined that a number of factors contributed to this step from the Indian aviation giants. There had been no such discounts in the last financial year, rather there was a stark hike in the price of air tickets. This had contributed to the fall in passenger flow in Indian aviation. All regional carriers apart from IndiGo and GoAir had been posting a loss. As a result, there was a host of IndiGo, SpiceJet and GoAir offers right from the start of the calendar.
Despite the best efforts of all the airlines, the net revenue of most of them failed to come back to profiting ways. Travellers made the most utilisation of SpiceJet and IndiGo offers, as found out from their flight bookings. Apart from this factor, the fact that foreign carriers like Singapore Airlines and AirAsia are making a foray in Indian aviation is an added reason. The Indian names would like to have a strong niche population so that they can compete the foreign heavyweights in the best possible way.
Travelling is a necessity in the modern generation and people have to plan out an itinerary every now and then. Be it for a vacation or business requirements, the season for making a flight journey is never out. This has a direct impact on the availability and sales of cheap tickets, both international as well as domestic. Keeping a check on the trends of airlines is a demanding task and even frequent fliers sometimes find it quite difficult. However, that does not mean that it is impossible to make an estimate of the ticket prices. A number of steps can be followed to find out the cheapest rates and simultaneously, book ticket for the same.
Checking all the Options before Finalising the Airline
Due to intense competition, both at international as well as domestic levels, the price of air tickets keep on fluctuating by a considerable margin within short intervals. The airline, which offers cheapest domestic flights at a certain instant might not be able to provide the same at another instant. This is the reason, why frequent fliers have suggested that it is better to check all flights of all airlines flying on the concerned route if travellers are looking for the best deals. This gives the chance to get the cheapest deal if the choice of an airline is not a major issue.
Advance Booking – The Age-old Technique to Get the Best Deals
The first and most foolproof method to get the cheapest options is to book tickets in advance. Interestingly, the only thing required to make an advanced booking is timely planning. Those people who are going for a vacation can easily plan their trip well in prior to the date of the journey. Such travellers can easily take advantage of prior reservations to get the best prices. Initially, when the airline launches the sale of tickets, the tickets are kept at a lower price to encourage more people to make a booking. This is the main reason why booking in advance might get fliers the best chances to get the best deals.
Internet is by far, the best means to get all necessary information about flights and tickets. Using it wisely is thus, absolutely necessary for getting the best deals while flying domestic and international. Travellers can entire the number of flights, their timings, the nature of aircraft, cabin classification and a lot more straight from the website. Apart from this, if any discount is being offered on a particular route, the information regarding the same is displayed right beside the price for the convenience of travellers. As a result, travellers can make an easy choice depending on their personal requirements. Airlines around the world offer discount and freebies from time to time for encouraging more fliers to opt for a trip. Checking on the internet allows travellers to get acquainted and opt for such offers. Thus, fliers can get the best deals from the comfort of their homes just by a few mouse-clicks.
IndiGo is the most popular and favoured airline that operates in the Indian market. Operating on the low-cost model, it is also the leading airline in domestic aviation in terms of market share with a net profit of over 785 crore INR in the financial year of 2013. Apart from these aspects, it is also among the fastest growing low-cost carriers in the world. Several discounts are offered by this carrier from time to time to boost the sales of its flight ticket. It operates with a fleet of over 75 Airbus A320 aircraft and looks forward to hike its fleet size in the next couple of years.
Low-cost Model
This LCC, just like most other common names operating on this model, charge separately for meal service. It has no loyalty program, which is another typical feature of LCCs. Concentrating only on cheap ticket rates, punctual services and premium connectivity, Indigo online booking has been increasing in the last five years or so. This has led its path to make it the only airline in the country to post a profit five years in succession. Riding high on its success, this LCC has maintained a steady growth and looks forward to increase the number of its destinations in the near future.
Possibility of Tie-up with Qatar Airways
Qatar Airways, the flag carrier of Qatar, is looking forward to explore and enhance its market in India. It is looking to go for a tie-up with IndiGo, so that it is able to widen its global network. However, there are speculations whether this agreement is possible or not. There have been instances where LCCs and full-fledged carriers have had a tie-up. Only time will tell whether there would any such bonding between the two carriers and its effect on aviation.
Just before the online flight booking options in Indian aviation are set to increase, the carriers operating in the nation seem to leave no leaf unturned to attract more passengers. The initial four months of the year were marked by a series of discounts from all the operators in the market, which encouraged more passengers to opt for flights. Some of the carriers such as SpiceJet and GoAir offered more than five rounds of flash sales, targeting a particular niche population at a time. Recently, the market leader IndiGo offered special discounted flight fare rates for travelling families. The Sun-group airline, SpiceJet, seems to take notice of its success and launched a similar offer last week.
This offer is named Friends and Family and is beneficial for travelling families or even those who are flying in groups. Under this scheme, four fliers to nine when making a SpiceJet flight booking together can get discounts of up to 25 per cent on most domestic routes. Travellers should keep in mind though that this per cent of discount will be calculated on the base fare and the surcharges are taxes are exempted from the calculation. Furthermore, not all seats on a single flight are available for getting this discounted airfare. Only some of the seats on each aircraft come under this offer and travellers will be allowed to avail this discount based on their choice and availability.
The Indian carriers are trying their best to encourage to stay with them by offering such attractive offers and deals. It is noteworthy that Indian aviation is set to witness the entry of Singapore Airlines and AirAsia, which will start offering domestic services. This event will set the tune for a more stressful competition among the operators and the carriers, which are already operating in the market are looking to be in the best possible position before their entry.
As Indian aviation is set to enter a stiff phase, the competition seems to build up already. The government has approved the foreign names to start their operations soon, and it is time for the Indian carriers to gear up for a fresh challenge. In this aspect, the market leader seems to be perfectly abreast with the current scenario. Unfazed by the difficult situation, they are keeping up the good work that has resulted in their successful run, in the Indian market for five consecutive years. Indeed, it has been synonymous with the availability of cheapest air tickets, punctual services and excellent flying conditions.
Recently, this low-cost carrier (LCC) was in the news for offering discounted airfare to travelling families. Discounts of up to 25 per cent were being offered for families. IndiGo ticket booking witnessed a boost during the last week, having a direct positive impact on its revenue. Recently, it has been revealed that this airline is trying to bring down its cost of flying further. If the sources are to be believed, reduction in the cost of jet fuel, which is one of the main contributors to its expenditure, is being tried by IndiGo. Incidentally, the airline is trying to import aviation turbine fuel, which is also referred as jet fuel, directly. As a result, it is expected that this will bring down the expenditure of the airline by a significant margin. However, the carrier did not divulge details about how it is being done. Though, it is known that the LCC will be able to make quite some savings in this aspect, the exact numbers could not be calculated.
This step will definitely, help the airline to make further profits in the future, thus strengthening its position as the market leader. In a situation where the competition is expected to stiffen, this will set the tune for a neck-to-neck rivalry in national aviation.
Fliers who are looking to book air tickets in the next few months can consider themselves lucky as it is expected that airfare is expected to dip down. This is mainly because of the fact that AirAsia and Singapore Airlines, two giant names in global aviation are almost on the verge of starting their services. The coming six months will be a testing time for Indian carriers and travellers are expected to reap the benefits of rising competition. Interestingly, both these carriers are backed by the Tata Group, who hold a significant portion of the stakes in both the ventures.
Tough Competition
This news of initiation of services of the two carriers has already created much ripples in aviation of the country. The year 2014 has been marked by a series of discounts and all the popular names including market-leader IndiGo have offered such flash fares. SpiceJet, a popular low-cost carrier has offered as many as seven rounds of discounts in the first four months of the calendar. This shows that the Indian airlines are gearing up for the fresh challenge. Once they begin their services, it is expected that airfare, like the price of an IndiGo or a GoAir flight ticket will sharply dip.
The Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA), headed by all the popular carriers operating in this sector have strongly opposed the fact that these foreign companies are being allowed to venture out in Indian aviation. It is a known fact that they are running through a bad phase as seen from their back to back losses. In such conditions, increasing the competition means that the situation will turn for the worse. However, their petition has been rejected by the governing bodies and it is expected that the foreign names will soon be allowed to start their operations.
Verifying flight status beforehand is important to avoid confusions and heckles. The arrival and departure of flights are largely dependent on weather conditions. There are chances of last-minute changes in time and terminal of arrival or departure. Hence, it is always better to acquire the latest information, otherwise there might be a situation where on reaching the airport, it is known that either the flight is delayed or the arrival terminal has been swapped. Today many websites, especially the travel portals offer their mobile applications, which are user-friendly and provide updated information about status of both – domestic as well as international flights. Users can check the current position of their flights by simply entering the PNR number mentioned on their air ticket.
What is PNR?
PNR refers to Passenger Name Record, which is the recorded database of a Computer Reservation System (CRS). It contains the details of passengers for whom tickets have been booked in one transaction. For example, the PNR number of four passengers booked in a single ticket will be the same. The concept of this unique reference number was introduced by providers of air services to enable the exchange of information for the purpose of interlining. Interlining means offering flights of more than one airline to cover long distances.
When someone books air tickets, a travel portal creates a unique PNR in the CRS that can be later used to check details of flight timings, departure/arrival terminal and other information. The Passenger Name Record generally has six characters, which include alphabets and numerals. It is mostly referred to as the Booking Reference or Booking Reservation Number on air tickets. The Passenger Name Record for a particular route expires after the flight has landed at its destination.
Mobile Applications
Leading travel websites have developed mobile applications, which can be easily downloaded on Android, Windows and iOS devices. People can check the status of their scheduled flights from anywhere and any time. These applications are user-friendly and easy to operate. After downloading the applications from the play store, generally for free, users just need to install it on their device, and it is ready to use. To check the latest position of the aircraft, users just need to type in their first and last names, as well as the unique number provided. One of the biggest perks of using mobile applications of online travel agencies is that users can seek information related to international and domestic flights of almost all leading airlines.
Experienced travellers suggest that people should always consider checking the status of aircraft before leaving for the airport to avoid waiting for hours for a flight or reaching the wrong terminal. These hackles make the journey stressful and lead to increasing chances of fatigue and other health ailments. Verifying the status becomes more important when travelling with family. In such cases, it becomes difficult to wait at the lounges for hours together or rush to some other terminal at the last minute. So, travellers should always consider downloading an application of any leading travel portal to keep constant check on the position of the aircraft they are supposed to catch.
In recent months, the term – price war – in Indian aviation has been grabbing the headline space more often than not with airlines making a beeline to woo customers with their various domestic flight offers. As many as seven, including the recent one from SpiceJet, has been the story so far in 2014. This calls for some scrutiny as to why airlines are so desperately selling their tickets at discounted prices, at a time, when all they can show in their balance sheets is heavy losses. Is the discount strategy a way to cover up the losses or is it the fear of losing market share to new possible entrants into the already packed sector?
Expert View
Industry experts, with their groundwork done, are of the opinion that both the above-mentioned factors have led to this situation. The losses from the previous year are haunting carriers, and they want to get rid of it as soon as possible; however, the fact is not all can say that they have been successful in their endeavour, even after so many discount offers. The only positive that has come out from all these sales deals is the reaction from the general public, which can be safely said to be overwhelming, especially for SpiceJet offers.
The other issue that has been hanging like a sword on the necks of domestic carriers is the likely foray of international carriers in India, the most threatening among them being Air Asia. Such is the scenario that domestic airlines have filed a petition with the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), through their federation, to not allow Air Asia to start its operations in the country.
It is to be been as what is the future of Indian aviation in coming months and how many times more, can we expect SpiceJet discount deals in 2014.
Travellers who were thinking that the season of flash sales were over have been proved wrong once again by lowest air fare providers, SpiceJet. This low-cost carrier (LCC) has launched yet another season of low flight fares, paving the path for increase in its flight booking. Discounts have been offered by SpiceJet and other LCCs from the beginning of this calendar year. There has been a steep rise in flight ticket booking due to this factor. As the LCCs continue to launch newer discounts at regular intervals, it is expected that the booking will further increase in the recent future.
Facility for Fliers opting for Travel in the Eastern Zone
According to the latest flash fares, tickets will be available at as low a fare as that of 1899 and 1999 INR. These fares are all inclusive and tare consolidated amount except the surcharges. Initially, these offers have been launched from the cities of Coimbatore, Rajahmundry, Varanasi, Ahmedabad and Chandigarh. Travellers looking to make a Spicejet online booking to the eastern zone will be happier because the lower airfare has been targeted to the cities of Bagdogra, Kolkata, Guwahati and Agartala. The price of 1899 INR is targeted for flights to these cities in the eastern part of the country.
The Sun-group airline has been looking forward to boost the sale of its tickets after having a poor run in the last financial year. However, it has not been able to return to profiting ways in spite of continuous efforts. Booking of tickets for this discounted airfare will be available 2nd of May and is valid for travelling from July 1st to September 30th. The carrier will be surely hoping to make the most of these flash sales and look forward to return to profiting ways as soon as possible.
A number of travellers around the world overlook few important things essential for a hassle-free flying experience. Even frequent fliers sometimes miss out on these guidelines, which when followed might make the travelling experience better. Travel experts have said that these little steps can enhance the quality of travel, be it international or domestic. After booking of air tickets is done, people especially those who are opting for air travel for the first time. Though each and every airport around the globe is different, these few tactics can allow travellers to whiz past the security check and board the aircraft in no time.
Check-in Online to Avoid Standing in Queues
The first and the foremost thing that should be done is getting checked-in online. Most of the airlines around the world now offer this facility that is primarily aimed to reduce the heckles of passengers. Once travellers have checked-in online, they can straight away head to the baggage tagging counter after which, they can board the flight. Thus, it is suggested to carry out the checking-in procedure online rather than standing behind long queues at the terminal for the same. Thus, while booking cheap domestic air tickets as well as international, it is recommended to check whether this facility is available with the airline concerned or not.
Pack Items after Going through the List of Prohibited Objects
A neat packing strategy should be chalked out and proper care should be taken not to include any such items, which can be prohibited. Most carriers around the world restrict travellers from carrying a number of objects in the aircraft. Before packing, fliers are suggested to go through the list of prohibited items of the airline concerned for a hassle-free passage at the airport. In order to avoid unwanted delays at the time of check-in, baggage should be packed with proper care.
Keep Valuables in a Separate Handbag
Keeping all the important documents and necessary objects in a separate handbag is a smart way of hasten things at the airport. Sometimes, due to the confusion travellers tend to misplace vital objects like passports, identity cards that may lead to several problems. To avoid such situations, it is better to keep all valuables in a small handbag, Take them out whenever required and place them back immediately. This will, on one hand, keep these items within immediate reach; while, on the other, it will prevent confusion arising due to misplacement of these.
Flight Status Monitoring
Checking of flight status before leaving for the journey is considered a vital thing to avoid unnecessary heckles. There might be some occasions where the flight gets delayed due to some unavoidable circumstances. In such cases, passengers might have to wait at the airports for long hours that might be quite taxing. Just to prevent such unwanted situations, the best way is to check the status. With advancement in technology, monitoring of aircraft can be done with utmost precision. Thus, checking of flight status is recommended before leaving for the airport.
In spite of the fact that popular low-cost carrier (LCC) SpiceJet has offered as a number of discounts from the beginning of the running calendar year, it has not increase the passenger footfall. Undoubtedly, there was a mad rush among people to book air tickets during this interim, but the flash fares failed to boost the traffic. As per the reports that have been received, the LCC carried almost 11 per cent less travellers during March 2014 as compared to the same time previous year. The number of fliers who boarded flights of this airline in March 2013, was approximately 10.58 lakhs as compared to the 9.41 lakhs.
Sharp Decline in the Load-Factor
There was a sharp fall in the load-factor for this Kalanithi Maran backed airline as well. On an average, the airline was flying its aircraft at over 76 per cent during the same time last year. Surprisingly, it was down below 69 per cent for March, this year as per the reports. This is certainly not what the airline was looking forward to during this interval. Incidentally, the carrier suffered a number of poor quarters in the previous year, that sharply affected its revenues.
Also, a major point in this respect is the overall traffic in Indian aviation grew in Indian aviation. Though the growth was minimal, however, there was a positive increase in the number of passengers. In this event, its rivals have made some growth in respect of passengers carried. However, a lot needs to be done by this carrier to increase the SpiceJet airlines booking to come back to profiting ways. As foreign carriers are set to step their foot in the market, it is important that this LCC get a strong foothold and a good passenger traffic.
Whenever passengers book flight tickets with a low-cost carrier (LCC), they expect the airfare to be as cheap as possible. The name budget airline has become associated with such LCCs because of the fact that they offer lesser flight fares as compared to other on same routes. Such has been the expectations that sometimes these carriers offer dirt-cheap rates for keeping fliers interested. However, it is extremely expensive to run an airline, more so if the fleet size is huge and if it operates to several destinations. The question is how these carriers afford to offer such unbelievable ticket prices even under such circumstances. It is pretty simple; they just look to cut their costs of flying by almost any means, reducing expenses here, applying some smart tactics there. All these techniques allow them to squeeze out better rates, thus travellers always stay interested. This is the secret of the success story of LCCs globally.
Utilisation of Electric System during Taxiing
GoAir, the aviation foray of Wadia Group, is a popular LCC operating in India. Most people who look forward to travel within the nation opts for Go Air domestic flights. This carrier has recently hit upon an idea to reduce its cost of flying. It has decided to support the implementation of the EGTS or Electric Taxiing System. This technological advancement is expected to save airlines almost 4 per cent of the fuel utilisation on each journey. The usage of electrical motors allows aircraft to taxi automatically without using the engines. Pushing the flights back is done by these motors instead of the engines, thus they can be turned off while taxiing. Thus, lesser consumption of fuel during the whole process and leading to lesser expenses is guaranteed. Such tactics are constantly applied by leading LCCs to hit upon a methodology to reduce their expenses, thus offering lower airfare.
