New Delhi: No-frills carrier SpiceJet began offering cut-price fares on some sectors, in some instances almost half those charged by rivals, even as ticket rates surged across the board after the airline that's struggling for survival grounded more planes and cancelled more flights. Still, the Kalanithi Maran-owned carrier also got some relief on Wednesday as the state-owned Airports Authority of India (AAI) gave it some slack, it got another five days to pay dues of Rs 200 crore.
SpiceJet is offering tickets for last-minute travel at discounts of as much as 50% on key routes, although the difference isn't much on the No. 1 Mumbai-Delhi route. But flight cancellations by the airline have led to fares going up in general. "While SpiceJet is offering cheapest last-minute fares in key sectors, average fares as compared to November-end have also increased by about 15% due to one airline pulling a lot of flights," said Sharat Dhall, president of Yatra-.com, an online travel portal.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) ordered SpiceJet last week to stop taking advance bookings of more than a month and withdrew 186 flight slots due to the carrier's financial woes that have led to aircraft having to be returned to leasing companies. The DGCA order came into force on Monday evening.
11/12/14 Economic Times
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SpiceJet is offering tickets for last-minute travel at discounts of as much as 50% on key routes, although the difference isn't much on the No. 1 Mumbai-Delhi route. But flight cancellations by the airline have led to fares going up in general. "While SpiceJet is offering cheapest last-minute fares in key sectors, average fares as compared to November-end have also increased by about 15% due to one airline pulling a lot of flights," said Sharat Dhall, president of Yatra-.com, an online travel portal.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) ordered SpiceJet last week to stop taking advance bookings of more than a month and withdrew 186 flight slots due to the carrier's financial woes that have led to aircraft having to be returned to leasing companies. The DGCA order came into force on Monday evening.
11/12/14 Economic Times
