Airlines try to win back family and relatives

Mumbai: At 8.30 am, the domestic terminal of Chhatrapati Shivaji airport in Santacruz used to resemble a railway station, a buzzing beehive of travellers.
Not any more.
The VFR folks short for those ‘visiting friends and relatives’ are staying at home these days. Or taking the train.
Missing flyers and a growing perception that air travel has become unaffordable is giving carriers sleepless nights.
A Mumbai-Chennai trip, which would have cost Rs 5,687 last July, today costs Rs 12,350, an increase of 117%.
Not the best advertisement for the highly price sensitive VFR traffic, which constitutes 45% of overall passenger traffic.
To entice them back, carriers have begun marketing a slew of offers on the cheaper-fare platform.
To wit: Jet Airways and JetLite have introduced a new 14-day apex fare scheme as well as special weekend fares on the busy Mumbai-Delhi sector.
Air India is giving out free tickets and upgrades to those travelling on its domestic and international network. Low-cost carrier SpiceJet has also come out with a special advance purchase fare.
Jamshed Dadabhoy of Citigroup says the downturn in VFR traffic might stay.
19/08/08 Nirmal John/DNA MONEY/Sify

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Categories: Indian Aviation- In General Aug 2008