Airlines wooing flyers back with deep discounts & kids fly free offers – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Airlines are now going all out to woo flyers back. While almost all Indian carriers have started deep discount advance booking schemes, UAE’s Etihad has come out with a fly children for free with parents offer.
“Adults who book their next flight to Abu Dhabi or Dubai with Etihad can take their children for free. With every adult ticket booked before January 28, 2021, for travel until September 30, 2021, up to two children will travel free. So two adults can bring four children, free… The sale ends on January 28, 2021 at etihad.com. Offer valid for children up to 11 years old,” Etihad said in a statement.
Etihad all-inclusive return fare from Delhi and Mumbai to Abu Dhabi/Dubai are Rs 16,477 and Rs 13,155 respectively, the airline said.

Almost all Indian carriers have started sale to attract flyers. For instance, IndiGo has a five-day sale till Sunday (Jan 17) with all-inclusive fares on domestic flights starting at Rs 877. The sale is valid on travel from April 1 to September 30, 2021.
IndiGo chief strategy and revenue officer Sanjay Kumar said: “We are hopeful to see customers booking the seats on offer, with fares starting at Rs 877. Customer confidence in air travel has strengthened over the last few months, as it is the safest mode of transport. The advent of the vaccination has further improved the sentiment, with people looking at travelling within the country this year. This sale will help them plan domestic travel in advance and at affordable fares.”

Airlines need to woo back flyers. On expected lines, travel has dipped after the peak holiday season got over.
Travel portal ixigo founder-CEO Aloke Bajpai said: “Airfare data for first two weeks of January show that there has been a 15-20% month-on-month decline in average airfares across key domestic routes. Vaccine roll-out and cheap fares will lead to a substantial increase in demand to travel by summer this year, making this the ideal time for travellers to plan their trips in advance. With major airlines like Indigo, SpiceJet and Vistara running heavy sales, this is a good time for travellers to avail the best prices for their upcoming trips.”
According to ixigo, the average one-way fares on many routes has dropped in the January 8-14, 2021, over December 8-14, 2020, period. For instance Delhi-Mumbai dropped 23% from Rs 5,129 to Rs 3,948 in this period.
Similarly, Pune-Delhi dropped 17% from Rs 5,314 to Rs 4,370; Delhi-Dehradun 29% from Rs 3,371 to Rs 2,380; Hyderabad-Bengaluru 20% from Rs 4,143 to Rs 3,303.