Mumbai: Even with the recent steep rise in airfares, Indian fliers haven't really woken up to the benefits of advance purchase, say executives at travel companies and airlines. Airlines hiked airfares since mid September by more than 30%, as price cuts in the preceding few months hurt their margins, already impacted by rising fuel prices and interest costs.
But customers are still waiting for till a week from their travel dates to book tickets.
Travel portal Cleartrip, for instance, finds most flights operating between November 1 and 10 have only sold about 25% of their seats yet. This year, Diwali will be celebrated on November 3. The week around the date will see a significant spurt in travel.
"On an average, airlines fill just 35-40% of their flights 30 days in advance," said Noel Swain, vice-president marketing at Cleartrip.
07/10/13 Anirban Chowdhury/Economic Times
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But customers are still waiting for till a week from their travel dates to book tickets.
Travel portal Cleartrip, for instance, finds most flights operating between November 1 and 10 have only sold about 25% of their seats yet. This year, Diwali will be celebrated on November 3. The week around the date will see a significant spurt in travel.
"On an average, airlines fill just 35-40% of their flights 30 days in advance," said Noel Swain, vice-president marketing at Cleartrip.
07/10/13 Anirban Chowdhury/Economic Times
