Now you can fly at the price of AC train fares

Mumbai: If you fail to get booking for an AC two-tier ticket on super-fast trains such as Rajdhani or Udyan Express, don’t feel disheartened. You have another option, which is a bit costlier. This summer, the country’s low-cost and full service carriers are offering fares as low as AC train fares.
While waiting lists in trains are growing longer by the day, making it difficult for travellers to book tickets in advance, airlines such as GoAir, SpiceJet, Jet Airways and Air India have introduced fares starting as low as around Rs 2,200 and Rs 3,700 for this summer, only if you book 30 days in advance. These are inclusive of fuel surcharge, passenger service fee, user development fee and taxes.
The Rajdhani fare between Delhi-Bangalore is Rs 2,765, while SpiceJet charges little over
Rs 3,400, if a customer books a month in advance. The Mumbai-Delhi Rajdh-ani fare is Rs 1,975, while GoAir and Jet Airways offer fares a little over at Rs 2,457 and Rs 3,078, respectively.
Jet Airways spokesperson Ragini Chopra said, “We will be targeting people who have engagements such as weddings this summer and plan to go on a holiday in advance, but could not get a booking for AC II-tier rail ticket.”
Another official associated with an airline said the tatkal service by Railways is for only a limited number of tickets. In such a situation, fares offered by airlines may turn out to be attractive. “The travel time between two destinations is also a factor that should be kept in mind,” he added.
Air India is looking to attract passengers who plan to travel during long weekends, when there are chances of occupancy going up. “Air and rail fares are not comparable, but I would say that Air India is offering attractive fares this summer and we would see a surge in occupancy during extended weekends,” said Jitendra Bhargava, Air India spokesperson.
13/04/09 Rupesh Janve/mydigitalfc.com

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Categories: Indian Aviation- In General Apr 2009