Air India on Monday decided to extend its new facility that allowed passengers with unconfirmed Rajdhani Express tickets to take a flight at AC II tier prices, reported Livemint. On Sunday, the state-run carrier had said the provision will be available for four Rajdhani Express routes – Delhi-Mumbai, Delhi-Chennai, Delhi-Bengaluru, Delhi-Kolkata and vice-versa. A day later, it announced that it is adding six more routes to the new scheme, which will last till September 30.
The new destinations include Ranchi, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Goa, Patna and Raipur. The airline will offer unsold seats on these routes four hours prior to departure. The national carrier said the new facility will be available for 100 flights. “By introducing these fares, we are not only able to generate additional revenue but also able to fill each and every seat till last minute,” read a statement put out by the airline.
Air India Chairman and Managing Director Ashwani Lohani said their aim was to provide relief to the passengers from last minute sky-rocketing fares and also to fill the vacant seats. At present, a seat in the Rajdhani AC II tier on the Delhi-Mumbai route costs Rs 2,870, Delhi-Bengaluru is available for Rs 4,020, Delhi-Chennai is priced at Rs 3,905 and Delhi-Kolkata is Rs 2,890. Hindustan Times reported that the tickets could be booked on the AI website or at its airport counter.
Following Air India's announcement, Air Asia on Monday also decided to give a 20% discount on tickets booked between July 11 and 17 for travel from November 18 July to 24.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!