In recent times, these select trunk routes have seen capacity addition. "With the added capacity on the top metro routes, and lower load factors in the first half of October compared to last year,
Moreover, the lower fares benefit customers. Airlines have witnessed higher overall revenue as the lower fuel prices enable them to operate profitably even at low fares, according to Taneja.
From this year, airlines have added about 18% seats in sync with over 20% growth in passengers that the domestic market registered between January and August. Overall, airlines offer about 300,000 seats on domestic sectors.
About 63 flights operate from Delhi to
Industry experts are of the view that airlines are reducing fares closer to the departure due to lower bookings. "The reason we are not seeing a lot of
Prakash is of the view, the demand for advance bookings is still not high despite airlines offering lower fares on the back of cheaper fuel. The airlines are also offering cheaper last-minute fares, as much as 47% lower than that last year over the recent long weekends.
When it comes to airfares, dynamic pricing seems to be an evolving concept. What's required is transparency, so that consumers know when to avail the best rates. A rule of thumb used to be to book six weeks ahead and avoid weekend schedules.
(Image: Indiatimes)