Bhubaneswar: National carrier Air India will sell vacant seats for its flights originating from Bhubaneswar and other domestic airports at 40 per cent discount. The discounted fare will be available three hours before the flight departs, an Air India spokesperson told Odisha Bytes.
As per an estimate, most Air India flights operate at 80-85 per cent capacity. Therefore, the discounted fares on the vacant seats will not only give rise to passenger traffic but also reduce the burden on passengers making emergency trips.
“The last-minute traveller, who generally travels because of some emergency, is often burdened with very high ticket prices, which prove as a deterrent. The national carrier has therefore decided to introduce, for the domestic sector, “very last moment inventory” i.e. available seats within 3 hours of departure would be sold at a hefty discount, normally exceeding 40 per cent of the selling price,” the spokesperson said.
The decision was taken during a commercial review meeting on Friday, chaired by Air India CMD Ashwini Lohani.
Passengers can buy tickets from all outlets including Air India booking counters, Air India Mobile App, Air India website and travel agents.
“This rare decision, as otherwise in the aviation sector prices increase steeply close to departure time, will prove to be a big boon for last-minute travellers,” the spokesperson said.
Air India currently operates flights from Bhubaneswar to New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Hyderabad.
