Air India to offer 40% discount on last minute flight tickets
Air India's discount will be applicable from tomorrow across economy class seats on all domestic routesLast-minute travelers, especially those travelling for urgencies, can book flight tickets at a cheaper level, says the airline
NEW DELHI : National carrier Air India said on Friday it has decided to offer "hefty" discounts on last-minute sale of tickets to provide relief to consumers who have to book for emergency travel.
A statement from Air India said that people booking tickets at the last minute are often faced with very high prices.
"Such high prices are a deterrent and the national carrier has, therefore, decided that... available seats within three hours of departure would be sold at a hefty discount, normally exceeding 40% of the selling price," the statement added.
The move comes amid a dip in airline capacity in recent months owing to a host of reasons, including the halting of operations by Jet Airways and the grounding of Boeing 737 Max aircraft by SpiceJet, which exerted an upward pressure on fares. The capacity reduction has affected passenger growth in March despite the busy summer season.
Data available with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) showed the passenger growth, which posted a 9% increase, year on year, in January 2019 at over 12.5 million passengers, has fallen to 5.6% in February and then to 0.14% in March, Livemint had reported on 22 April.
Air India's decision to offer discounts on last-minute tickets was taken during a commercial review meeting on Friday, the company said. It said that tickets can be purchased from all outlets, including the company's booking counters, mobile app, website and travel agents.
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