Cashing in on the closure of Kingfisher Airlines operations, state owned Air India and Jet Airways are raking in the moolah from business class passengers.
Sure, Air India might reeling under financial pressure, has been dropping its economy fares to the level of LCCs. But the story is different in business class where it is taking the lead in hiking fares steeply to increase yields especially with an assured market from central and state government babus from joint secretary and above who enjoy the privelage of flying premier class.
Based on average ticket value of all business class bookings on travel portal yatra.com the airlines hiked up air fares on business class by a staggering 38 per cent in January this year to Rs 29,000 compared from Rs 21,000 last year in the same month. Jet Airways which is the only other airline with business class seats apart from AI also hiked fares by 20 per cent from Rs 24,000 to Rs 29,000 in the same period.
17/02/13 Surajeet Das Gupta/Business Standard
