Air travel has not only become cheaper in the recent years, but has also undergone tremendous change in terms of security, facilities and workforce. With globalisation, a number of new entrants found their way into this industry, making it more competitive, which ultimately resulted in a plethora of options for travelers. For instance, there a number of Mumbai Goa flights, offered by various carriers at different prices. Not only domestic, but choices are plenty when it comes to inter-continental routes as well. Now, travellers get the opportunity to seal a great deal by selecting the best one for the preferred day and time. However, experienced travellers insist on booking advance tickets in order to save on air tickets.
Confusions Regarding Advance Period
The advance period for booking is always a topic of debate. Answer to the question – what should be the ideal advance period for reserving seats in flight – is subjective, and hence, has various answers to it. A number of researches and studies have been done to come up with a specific answer. After analysing them, it has been found that booking tickets before 6 to 24 weeks from the travel date ensures the best deal. So, travellers planning a holiday trip can start their research almost four months prior to the date of departure.
When to book Ticket
These reports give a broader picture, and it is possible that travelers get amazing deals by reserving seat for the required day, but had to pay more than expected. It may also happen that flight tickets are not available due to high traffic. So, researchers came up with a different approach in order to find the time, when tickets are usually cheaper. After studies and complex calculations, it has been found that booking a ticket before 40 days or so, gets a good deal on a flight ticket, if not the best. However, in case of an international flight, the advance period may range between 24 weeks to 82 days.
Holiday Season
Current trends show that 40 to 50 day prior booking offers best results in case of a domestic flight. However, it is not the thumb rule, and travelers can register themselves on travel portals to get the latest news or offers rolled out by carriers. They can also opt for SMS alert or follow dedicated sites on social networking sites to receive the news as and when released.
These statistics does not apply on busy travel periods like New Year or Christmas, when the seats are booked before months. Getting a ticket itself is a challenge for these seasons, and to get a discount deal is like winning a game of cards. Holiday destinations such as Goa are counted among hot spots to enjoy festivity, and hence, ticket prices shoot up twice as much as they are in normal time period. The best way to secure a seat in the festive season is to book as early as possible, irrespective of any research data or conclusion. People can get the best value of their hard earned money by not waiting until the last minute.
Experienced travelers advised, book flights to Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Goa in advance, because it is very difficult to get the low fare flight for top domestic destinations in India.
In recent years, emergence of low-cost carriers (LCCs) has made a drastic impact on the prices of flight ticket, making it way cheaper than it was a few decades back. One of such carriers is GoAir – an aviation foray of the Wadia Group. This leading domestic airline entered in the Indian aviation industry in 2005, with Airbus A320 aircraft, and now serves more than 20 cities on a daily basis. According to reports, the fleet size of more than 15 aircraft of this carrier is expected to increase significantly, in the coming months. It owns more than 8.5 per cent market share in the domestic market, by providing frequent flights to different cities of the country. Indira Gandhi International Airport and Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport are hub of this carrier. Recently, it introduced a direct flight to Nagpur from Kolkata.
Increasing number of fliers has induced GoAir to operate the second daily non-stop flight connecting these two destinations. This is great news for business travellers and others, who need to come back to Kolkata on the same evening. It stops at Nagpur, giving travellers an option to de-board there, and then it goes directly to Mumbai. It reaches Mumbai at 10 am, when most offices start their business for the day. To optimise the time utility, travellers can go in the evening by boarding GoAir flight, which leaves at 6:55 pm from the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport.
GoAir CEO expressed his happiness on introduction of this new route and revealed the fact that the City of Joy has become its fourth key market, with around nine lakhs seats per year. It recently launched a new service on the Kolkata to Patna route and is looking forward to enhance its presence in the industry. This airline has more than 45 departures per week from Kolkata, including non-stop flights.
GoAir – the aviation foray of the Wadia Group – recently announced its official collaboration with the Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC) and Department of Tourism Kashmir. The low-cost carrier (LCC) has entered into an alliance with the objective of promoting the destination for convention tourism along with other authorities of the state. The top executives of the airline, as well as Kashmir tourism board, met earlier this month to discuss the strategies for promoting the region as a corporate destination. The carrier has entered into this agreement to endorse the region not only in India but abroad as well. The LCC has plans to sell maximum flight ticket for Kashmir region in the upcoming months.
According to travel experts, this scenic state is an ideal destination for MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) tourism. To begin with, the Wadia Group aviation company has committed to become one of the major partners for the summer festival this year. The main purpose during this alliance will be to make the state one of the priority choices among business travellers. Apart from promoting MICE here, the tourism department of the region along with GoAir, also seek to popularise the golf circuit of this place. This beautiful place has some of the best golf courses in Asia and businessmen love this sport. So, as the region gains popularity as a prime corporate destination, golfing can be promoted simultaneously here.
It is being predicted by travel experts that the GoAir might soon come up with promotional schemes, attractive benefits and discounted rates for this place. The carrier might announce new flights connecting this place to important megalopolises of the country in the near future. On the other hand, it is also being said that this new venture of the airline might enhance the sale of Go Air flight ticket.
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.
