The decision of Air India to refrain from hiking airfares should come as music to the ears of frequent flyers. The National Aviation Co of India (Nacil) has said it will keep its airfares the same even though Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines, which are India's two largest private airlines, have decided to increase their airfares by 10 per cent and five per cent respectively from October 1, 2008 onwards.
'The management has decided not to increase fares in October. On the contrary, the company has decided to take other measures to cut costs,' informed an official from Air India. This connotes that the Air India airfares will stay slightly less than its private peers. For instance, traveling on an economy ticket on Mumbai-Delhi route via Air India will charge about Rs Rs 5,940, including taxes. The cost for the same on Jet or Kingfisher will be Rs 6,900.
One further hears that from October onwards Nacil will take up fuel efficiency measures to cut costs, in accordance to a report prepared by an international agency. Air India added that it will now not offer last-minute tickets at cheap prices because the number of passengers during the festive season will see an upsurge. Further on, the moderation in the ATF costs has also worked towards lessening pressure on the airline.
