Diwali discount by SpiceJet, IndiGo leads to 200% jump in flight bookings

NEW DELHI: Discount offerings by SpiceJet that was followed by IndiGo led to about 200% increase in bookings for these airlines, say travel portals.

"The attractive pricing across routes is being very well received by travellers and we are already seeing bookings for these airlines increase by over 178%," said Sharat Dhall, President, Yatra.com, an online portal.

Earlier today, SpiceJet announced discount sale offering fares starting as low as Rs 749/- base fare (excluding taxes) for the domestic sector and Rs 3,999/- all in for the international sectors respectively. More than 300,000 seats are available on this sale.

Tickets on sale can be booked October 27 and October 29, 2015, for travel between February 1, 2016, and October 29, 2016. Travel industry sources say that IndiGo followed the discount offerings by SpiceJet.

"The one-way fare applicable on direct flights encompasses all the metro cities and some of the most attractive tourist destinations in the country. Under this offer, tickets on routes like Delhi to Amristar, Ahmedabad to Mumbai all are priced at Rs 749 base fare (taxes will be additional). While within the international sector, the sale offering has been geared up for hot spots like Chennai to Colombo at Rs 3,999 all-in among others," SpiceJet announced in a release.

Travel industry insider expect other carriers also to follow the discount offers.

"The Diwali sale by Spicejet and IndiGo announced today has brought cheer to travellers. This plays out very well as people can plan their summer vacations and the long weekends next year taking advantage of the super fares. We anticipate a further increase over the next two days as the promotion gathers momentum,” said Dhall.