Impact of New Rules on Air Ticket Fare

Technologies used in the aviation industry, including ingeniously designed engines, navigation tools and in-flight amenities have been replaced with new ones. Earlier, most of the metro cities were served by various airlines, but now flights to Bhopal, Varanasi, Lucknow and many other II as well as III tier cities can be availed as well. In addition to this, management strategies have also been revised to meet the dynamic market challenges and this is the reason that some changes are needed in aviation rules also. Although, a number of new regulations have been introduced, but old ones can also be seen revised in the coming months.

In response to issues regarding licences to Malaysia-based AirAsia and soon to be launched Vistara for global operation, the Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA) commented on the 5/20 rule. As per this rule, every airline set up in India needs to have a fleet size of at least 20 aircraft and must complete 5 years of operation, then only licence for international operation will be given to it. However, FIA, formed back in 2006 by Air India, SpiceJet, GoAir, IndiGo and Jet Airways, resisted this policy and said that it needs to be changed. A few months back, this law was asked to be waived off, but the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) kept it intact.

However, one of the DGCA ministers said that no other country follows this rule; hence, it can be removed from the list pre-requisite conditions. The relevance of this law has been lost because of increased safety standards and application of the latest technologies as well as attempt of global operators to cater niche markets of various countries. The Associate Chambers of Commerce (ASSOCHAM) also released a paper mentioning that this policy of government has no logic in the current market scenario. This policy was drawn almost a decade back, and many new carriers have entered in the industry since then, as well as the country has undergone significant changes regarding air travel demands, since then. Today, air ticket fare is almost half of what it used to be 10 years back.

Points to Remember while Flight Booking

With the onset new technologies and infrastructure in the aviation industry, the price of flight booking has been reduced significantly. The automation of reservation system and de-regulation of the industry were the milestones in the functioning and restructuring of the whole process. These not only affected the process of reserving a seat with different carriers, but also changed the approach of people towards air travel. The advent of low-cost carriers in the late 1990s affirmed this wave of change, and perhaps introduced most drastic changes in all the aspect, starting from price. Not only air travel, but other modes of transportation also underwent this process of modification. Now, travellers can opt for any of these flights to go to new places or explore old ones. However, in case of long distances that can take hours to reach via car or train, flights are usually preferred. In recent days, it has been observed that even for short-haul journeys people opt for air travel because of its time and cost efficiency. Here is a list of tips that can prove to be cost-reducing while reserving seats with any airline.

Timing and Advance Booking

The air ticket price is usually high during festivals or peak tourist seasons. Hence, experts advise on avoiding these times while planning the trip. Apart from this, the booking in advance can save a great deal of money as most of the flights are vacant, and carriers offer them at low cost to achieve minimum load factor for operation. This advance period may vary from three months to 20 days, but after that, there are less chances of cracking a lucrative deal. Last-minute deals are treated as the last resort as the chances of success are less than 30 per cent. However, it is worth noting that booking in advance for festive seasons also do not help; hence those times should be avoided if possible.

Look Beyond Price

Most of the people compare ticket prices on the basis of price. However, there are several other aspects that need to be considered like baggage allowance, meals offered and other services included in the ticket price. It has been seen that the lowest priced deals do not always give the best value for money. The cost is one of the most important factors, but others that may affect the travelling experience and needed to be kept in mind before ticket booking include the number of stops, flight and connecting timings.

Number of Stops

A direct flight to the destination is often the best option, but it is usually priced quite high. Hence, people can book a flight with one or two stopovers. This will neutralise the total cost of travel at the expense of precious time. However, it is not the best option for people who have to attend urgent business meeting or family event.

Connecting Options

There are certain routes, where a direct flight is not operated due to technological constraints or because of the revenue issues. Travellers, who have to travel to such destinations, need to check for airports on which these deals may land them. They can easily get connecting flights from popular airports. These little things help passengers in getting the cheapest deals, which offer the greatest value as well.

Taking Care of Small Kids in Domestic Flights

Air travel is emerging as the first choice of people as it saves a lot of time and is becoming price effective as well. Various carriers are coming with latest technologies and new strategies to provide cheap domestic air tickets to travelers. Traveling from one city to another can take a day or two or even three via roadways or railways, but it hardly takes seven to eight hours with flights. It can be fun travelling for such long hours alone or with friends, but when the company includes an infant, it becomes really tough. Those are the times, when flights become the top choice. This mode of travel is the best in such situations, but there are several things that should be kept in mind while travelling with an infant in an aircraft.

Seat Selection and Packing Essentials

It is tough for small kids to sit at just one place for more than an hour, so frequent fliers advise to book the aisle or exit-row seats. This gives extra space to parents to move their kids from one seat to another or just take a walk in the isle, if the child does not feel like sitting. Parents can seek permission in advance to carry car seat of the infant in domestic flights. This will not only secure the kid in straps, but will also provide a familiar place for the kid. Full meal is one of the most important parts of packing while travelling with an infant. As per the flight schedule and eating habits of the baby, pack everything that the kid can eat or ask for in that duration.


 
Till the baby is in a good mood, it is not tough to handle them, wherever they are. So, experienced fliers emphasise on keeping the child happy throughout the journey. Parents can pack their favourite toys along with new ones to divert their attention from the changes, which take place in flights due to different air pressure zones.


In-flight Care

After reaching the airport, the process of check-in and security check can irritate a little kid, and parents need to work in coordination to deal with it. One can stand in the queue for boarding passes and security check and the other can take the kid for a walk. After getting inside the flight, they need to make sure that baby does not feel ear pressure during take-off or landing. As per experts, swallowing releases the pressure, so parents can feed baby at these two times. Also, the skin of an infant is usually soft and tender, so it is advised to keep plenty of moisturising cream and apply it at short intervals, as in-flight air pressure changes make the skin dry and rough.

If passengers are flying for the first time with an infant, it does not hurt to ask for help. There can be experienced people all around, with various helpful tips. Many carriers provide extra facilities to those travelling with a baby. However, if nothing works, using parent instincts is the only option, like play peek-a-boo or any other thing that keeps the baby engaged.

Fly From Dubai to Mumbai and Madurai with SpiceJet Booking

The aviation venture of the Sun Group of India – SpiceJet – is geared up to improve its performance further in the market. This Indian low-cost carrier (LCC) operates flights to more than 45 national and approximately 10 foreign destinations. The LCC had not been in a profitable position in the previous fiscal but in the ongoing aviation session, it has made a great comeback. With a series of flash sales on air tickets since January 2014, the airline has managed to attract heavy footfall of passengers. In addition, the Sun Group has taken important steps like reshuffling the top managerial positions to improve administration within the company, as well as upgrading services. As per latest reports, the LCC is at present the second largest air service provider in the country, with a market share of approximately 20 per cent.

In a bid to provide maximum connectivity and better services, the thriving LCC announced recently that it is resuming daily operations on two key routes, namely Dubai-Madurai and Dubai-Mumbai. The company revealed that it is planning to commence the operations of daily flights on these routes from 21st July, 2014. The LCC had begun operations on these two routes in November 2013 and June 2012. The airline had suspended the operations temporarily as there was some runway work going on at Dubai International Airport. Now that the runway has been completely renovated, the airline is resuming passenger air services on these routes without any delay.

After the resumption of air services to the city of Dubai, people can now travel to five cities with this carrier to the Gulf state. Other cities of India from where SpiceJet booking can be done for this region are Kochi, Delhi and Ahmedabad. According to a survey, passengers have given a positive reception to the restart of services between these two cities and the Gulf state.

Hand Baggage with GoAir Online Booking Slashed Down

GoAir – one of the leading low-cost carriers of India recently announced that it has cut down on the free hand baggage limit by three kilograms. Earlier, passengers were allowed to carry up to 10 kilograms cabin luggage after online air ticket booking with this carrier. However, since 1st June, 2014, they can carry up to seven kilograms hand luggage in the aircraft. Until the end of May this year, GoAir was among the few Indian carriers, which permitted up to 10 kilograms complimentary cabin baggage on board. Other national carriers, such as Jet Airways and IndiGo offer seven kilograms cabin baggage only.

Reason Behind This Cut Down

Air India – the national airline of the country does not implement any restrictions on weight of the hand luggage allowed in domestic routes. However, it restricts the size of the baggage to be allowed inside the aircraft. According to Air India officials, the sum of the height, breadth and length of the bag should not be more than 115 centimetres. According to a leading travel agency, most carriers permit a reasonable size laptop bag, hand purse and other small items like infant food as well as books on board. A recent study, conducted with domestic as well as international fliers, has revealed that most fliers transfer heavy stuff to their cabin bags in order to avoid paying huge amounts for check-in baggage. To eliminate this problem, carriers are now implementing considerable restrictions on the weight of free cabin luggage allowed inside flights. Travel experts state that this is the reason behind reduction of weight allowance with GoAir online booking as well. It has been learnt recently that Air India is also planning to introduce strict baggage norms after recent incidents of malpractices in this regard, especially on India-Gulf routes. So whenever you are planning to go for a trip to any place must check baggage restrictions before booking flights.

Investors Interested to Fund SpiceJet Booking to Qatar

Airfare in Indian aviation has hit a purple patch for frequent travellers as discounts have been offered right from the beginning of the calendar. Popular low-cost carrier (LCC), SpiceJet has led the pack with back-to-back offers for travellers. It was the first airline in the nation to start offering services and was followed by the rest. As many as six rounds of flash offers have been offered for fliers that has brought down the domestic travel expenses by quite a fair margin. However, the balance sheet for this carrier has not been something to cheer about in the recently ended fiscal. It has posted a record loss in the financial year ending 2013-14.

In this event, the airline has sought approvals for allowing to operate 7000 seats on a weekly basis. Several investors have shown interest in funding these operations for the Sun-group airline. It is believed that if the carrier is allowed to start operations to Qatar, SpiceJet Airlines booking will undoubtedly increase and its tides will turn. In this case, the final agreement between the investors and the airline has not been finalised, but reports have been received that some investors have shown positive interest for this purpose.

In this aspect, the carrier will hope to make an impact in the forthcoming couple of years and turn the tides. It has not faired quite well in the last quarter and for that matter, in the last financial year, as well. The onus of bringing the LCC back to the profitable side lies on the new management team, which was shuffled few months back. It is inevitable that new strategies will be adopted by SpiceJet and discounts will also be offered for boosting passenger influx. Whether or not, all these changes will have a positive impact, it is for time to tell.

Air Ticket Booking and its Several Aspects

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.

Several Factors that Influence the Availability of Cheap Tickets

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 Online Booking and its Future

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.

Book Air Tickets at Cheaper Rates for Domestic Flights

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.

Few Points to keep in mind after Booking Air Tickets

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.

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.

Flight Ticket Booking in Low-Cost Carriers – A Boon For Budget Fliers

The demand for cheap air tickets domestic as well as international has significantly increased in the last few decades. This can be attributed to the fact that flying has become a more feasible and easier option to travel long distances in a short span of time. Due to their fast lifestyle and lack of free time, people opt for travelling by air even for short distances across cities today. This has led to an increase in the demand for cheap tickets paving the way for the rise of low-cost carriers (LCCs). If travellers are not looking for premium travelling experience while flying, then opting for these carriers might be the best solution. They generally offer cheapest rates, and opting for them helps to might cut down on travel expenses by a significant margin.

LCCs are also known as budget, no-frills or discount carriers as they focus on providing mandatory quality services. They usually charge separately for facilities like food, seat allocation, priority boarding and baggage during the trip. Travellers who do not want to spend excess money on flying can consider flight ticket booking with a budget airline. There are a number of advantages of these carriers, both for fliers and the owning company.

Advantages of Operating LCCs

Budget airlines are not only convenient options for travellers, but they are also equally advantageous for operators. To begin with, low-cost flights have short stoppages at airports that increase the use of fleet that cuts down on expenses on demurrage (period for which the aircraft stays at the airport). Besides, operators of such airlines do not have to worry about additional services like free goodies, food and entertainment. This not only avoids the complexity of services, but also reduces ancillary costs. Additionally, this factor invites extra revenue that is charged for catering and extra baggage. Moreover, owners of these carriers have to pay less landing and other airport fees because their flights generally land on secondary and regional terminals. Moreover, they have standardised fleet – mostly only one type of aircraft with higher seating density. This results in lower maintenance costs, easier exchange of on-board crew and increased usage of aircraft.

Impact of LCCs on Tourism

Budget airlines fly across cities, states and sometimes across several nations. The advent of low-cost carriers has rendered positive impacts on the tourism industry of most countries. These airlines play a significant role in the development of weekend and short-break tourism, and in bringing about a radical expansion of potential destinations. They are extending the frequency of travel for leisure through various travel portals, where travellers can not only buy a flight ticket, but can also book hotels and hire cars. Cheap airlines target a wide range of overlapping niche markets, ranging from cultural tourism to pensioners wintering abroad.

Discount airlines have assorted perks for all – travellers, operators and the tourism industry. It is fast developing and being considered to thrive further in the coming decades.