Tags:
Journalism of Courage
As airlines battle for the skies, it is the traveller who can take wing. It is market compulsion that has driven the three major players in Indian civil aviation to slash their fares by almost half under the newly-introduced apex 8212; or advance purchase fare 8212; schemes, but for arguably the first time since the privatisation of the industry it is the travelling public that stands to gain the most. The potential spin-offs of this are tremendous and go beyond bringing some much-needed buoyancy back to a sector that has been performing sluggishly since the effects of 9/11 and the travel advisories issued by various western embassies and high commissions kicked in. The move will certainly change the traditional profile of the air passenger, expand business and travel opportunities for those who could not afford to fly earlier and increase, in some measure, connectivity throughout the country.
Such attempts at restructuring fares are, of course, not new. In the West, fierce competition and the unremitting drive to push up passenger volumes have led to remarkable ticketing innovations. The apex fare scheme, for instance, works for both the consumer and the airline. While it makes travel affordable for one, it helps the other rationalise its operations and ensure that its seats go full. There have been other interesting variations on this theme too, as for instance the idea of the budget airline. It was reported recently that no-frills airlines like EasyJet and Go-Fly are transforming the aviation industry in the UK by increasing passenger volumes drastically. Well, we have not quite got to that stage as yet, but India 8212; given its size and requirements 8212; would certainly benefit from the expansion of this vital link industry because flying is no longer an luxury, it has become a necessity.
