Never mind if you’ve missed out on the September 11-induced aviation boom (for travellers), with tickets available at less than rock-bottom prices. Sure, ticket prices have picked up lately, but with the holiday season around the corner, you have the beginnings of a few great deals. So call your travel agent now. Shop around for bargains, don’t worry about what the list prices are. Both Jet Air and Sahara have come up with excursion fares (you’ve got to travel back to your initial point within a specified time) for instance. So, while an Indian Airlines Ahmedabad-Delhi-Ahmedabad (or vice-versa) ticket costs Rs 9,560, a Jet excursion fare costs Rs 8,705. Similarly, if you’re willing to fly a little longer, and fly from Delhi to Hyderabad via Kolkata on Sahara, you can get a return ticket for Rs 10,000 as compared to Jet and IA’s Rs 13,210. Sahara, which is desperately trying to break into the IA-Jet monopoly, is also planning to launch a new web-based auctioning system under which if you buy a ticket 20 days in advance you can buy a ticket at up to 50 per cent discount. Let’s say, for instance, a Mumbai-Delhi ticket costs Rs 5,405—if you buy it 20 days in advance through a credit card on its website (www.airsahara.net), it will cost you only Rs 2,700. Of course, once the ticket is bought, you can’t change your date of journey. On weekends Sahara is offering a Mumbai-Delhi ticket for Rs 4,700, as compared to the normal fare of Rs 5,405. IA offers an 11 pm flight for Rs 4,000. Sahara is even ready to accept your payments in eight equal installments. And for those who don’t mind more than just a bit of inconvenience, the Maharajah is your best bet. Air-India’s late night flight on the Mumbai-Kolkata route will cost you Rs 5,400 as against Jet’s or IA’s normal day fare at Rs 6,655. A-I’s 8 pm to 8 am flights within the country are a big hit among economy passengers which offers a discount of as much as Rs 2,000 to Rs 2,500 (see chart) on various routes. For example, a Mumbai to Kochi one-way night flight by Air-India will cost you Rs 4,059 but on Jet Airways the same ticket will cost you Rs 6,215. Interestingly, Air Sahara’ Mumbai-Patna ticket will cost you Rs 7,025 but if you continue on the same flight, and fly for one-and-a-half hour more you will be paying less for a Mumbai-Kolkata ticket (Rs 5,999). Similarly, a Mumbai-Goa night flight will cost Rs 2,094 in A-I but on Jet you have to shell out Rs 3,005 and in IA the fare is slightly lower at Rs 2905. Finally, some thumb rules: Try night, week-end, hopping or very early morning flights, look for packages which include hotel accommodation, check fares of all airlines, and avoid flights normally taken by businessmen. Why pay extra when so many good deals are around? So call up your travel agent now.
