Karnataka   

Families on holiday prefer to fly this summer

Anil Kumar Sastry

Low-cost carriers register bookings of over 50 per cent of their load factor

BANGALORE: Come April and May families pack their bags and head towards tourist destinations, particularly to hill stations and seaside resorts.

The exodus will take place this year too, but with a difference. Affordable air travel and rising middle class incomes are making travel quicker and more comfortable.

With the popular perception of air travel as unaffordable now changing, flying is fast becoming the preferred choice for middle class families who wish to holiday in India. Some of the prominent low cost carriers have already registered bookings over and above 50 per cent of their load factor for April-May. With almost all airlines announcing special fares and special tour packages for the summer, people who have planned their holidays early have been reaping the benefits of early booking.

Bangalore-based Air Deccan last Sunday announced unspecified numbers of tickets at Rs. 9 for travel during April and May. With proposals to connect Delhi with prominent hill stations such as Dharamshala and Shimla during the first and second weeks of April, the airline is expecting even more passenger bookings.

Some of the hot destinations chosen by holidaymakers on Air Deccan include Kullu, Port Blair, Goa, Coimbatore, Dehradun, Bagdogara, Jodhpur, Jaipur and Udaipur. An airline spokesperson said the bookings are the highest for Goa from all connecting airports with over 50 per cent seats having been booked already.

Catering to southern Indian cities, Paramount Airways has registered 80 per cent bookings for April and May. The airline witnessed heavy bookings to places such as Coimbatore, Madurai, Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi.

Almost all the sectors where Indian operates have been witnessing heavy bookings, according to Indian officials. Other prominent airlines such as Air Sahara and Jet Airways too have come out with various promotional schemes to attract the holidaymakers.

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