Fare deals on offer for passengers as airlines battle it out

“It largely depends on the travel agent, the basic fares are the same but the travel agent can give a substantial discount,” says an airline official.

United Airlines is expected to come out with a series of discount options soon and airlines like Lufthansa and Air France give discounts of as much as 30 per cent of the basic fare.

Europe is also an affordable destination now. For Rs 31,000 you can get a return ticket to London with a stopover in a Scandinavian country at no additional cost on the Scandinavian Airlines (SAS). SAS, a member of the star alliance comprising United Airways, Lufthansa, SAS, Air Canada, Thai and Varig, also offers the same ticket to the spouse of a frequent flier for as little as Rs 7,000.

Similarly while an Air India return ticket to London is priced at Rs 30,950, the Emirates is offering a ticket at Rs 30,000 which is valid for four months. While a Lufthansa ticket is available for Rs 34,700, a British Airways ticket costs Rs 42,000.

“Every carrier aims to capture the maximum market share. In India, especially, no matter how big a player you are, you have to offer some discount,” says a travel agent. However many airlines say they don’t offer any discount as passengers know their worth and will fly with them irrespective of the fare. British Airways officials say that they don’t offer any discounts and their First Class fare is as high as Rs 1,60,000 return on the Delhi-London sector. Sources in the airline industry maintain that many reputed airlines don’t advertise the discounted fares but pass it on to the travel agent directly, who may choose to pass it on to the passenger.

Discounts are also available for destinations such as Bangkok, Singapore. Thai is offering a return ticket to Bangkok for just rupees 13,350 and an agent can offer a further discount of about ten percent. At some additional charge you can tag on Hongkong and Singapore as destinations on the same ticket. Similarly Malaysian Airlines and Singapore Airlines offer a return ticket at Rs 17,580 on the Delhi-Singapore sector.

Some airlines are also offering special discounts to students going to the US for their studies. “This is the season when most students buy tickets to the US, they have to submit an I-20 form and they can get a ticket at a much lower price,” says an travel agent.

While Air India has a special one way fare to New York or Chicago at Rs 22,000, United Airlines too offers a ticket at Rs 22,000 for New York and Rs 29,000 for destinations on the West coast in the US.