Last-minute, one-way fares for popular routes like Delhi-Mumbai, Mumbai-Goa, Mumbai-Bengaluru, Delhi-Chennai for next week have decreased by more than 50% compared to the same time last year, as per the latest airfare comparison reports.
Aviation analysts attribute this to normalisation of fares and capacity, as also non-advance booking by passengers. However, fares for December are higher by 12% to 15% over last year. Travel and hotel booking website ixigo said airfares for popular routes for travel between October 14 and 18 had dipped significantly by 45% year over year.
“Last-minute, one-way fares for routes like Delhi-Mumbai, Mumbai-Goa, Mumbai-Bengaluru, Mumbai-Kolkata have decreased by more than 50% as compared to the same time last year, signalling normalisation of fares and capacity,” said Aloke Bajpai, ixigo’s CEO and co-founder.
Anand Menon, brand leader, Travel Tours, Leisure Travel Brand of FCM Travel Solutions, however, said with the peak travel months just round the corner, Travel Tours had observed a spike of 18% in bookings this year as compared to last year for the festive season.
“Families, couples and millennials, especially from tier-I and tier-II cities, are opting for short getaways to destinations like Goa, Pondicherry and Kerala to unwind. A key trend is that Indian travellers are utilising long weekends to travel to both long- and short- haul international destinations like Perth in Western Australia, Abu Dhabi, Singapore and Macau,” Mr. Menon said.
Ixigo noted that a 12% to 15% average increase in year- end airfares for top domestic destinations in 2019 as compared to the same time last year. Mr. Bajpai said fares on routes like Delhi to Bengaluru and Goa have seen an increase of 80% and 60% respectively. “We expect the fares to increase further by 22% to 25% in the coming weeks due to a surge in Christmas and New Year holiday traffic,” he said.
International fares for year-end bookings registered a growth of 30% to 35% in 2018 as compared to 2017, ixigo said. “However, 2019 winter fares booked 60 days in advance are showing a dip of 15% to 20% for popular destinations,” said Mr. Bajpai.
The travel website recommended that given the airfare trends this year, travellers should book at least 30-35 days in advance for domestic flights and 60 days in advance for international flights to get the best prices. “If you compare the airfare for a Delhi-Bengaluru sector in winter months, booking even 15 days in advance means paying almost half of what you would pay for four to seven days in advance,” Mr. Bajpai said.
Sharat Dhall, chief operating officer (B2C), Yatra.com, said on domestic routes, last-minute airfares before the festive holidays such as Diwali, Christmas or New Year witnessed a substantial hike in 2018 as compared to 2017. “Also, while comparing data for booking 15 days in advance, we have seen a hike of about 30% in airfares in 2019 as compared to last year. Diwali being closer to the weekend in 2017, there was an uptick in demand as people were travelling with friends and families or visiting their hometowns. For New Year and Christmas, the demand starts picking up during the week of December 25, as travellers start planning their short-haul trips and combine these two holidays to make the most of the last festive break of the season,” he said.
