GoAir and SpiceJet woo passengers with discounts

Two airlines are giving offers of cheaper tickets and discounts at hotels/cafes.GoAir is offering discounts up to 50 per cent at select hotels, cafes, spas and gift outlets through its boarding pass privilege scheme. SpiceJet has launched a pre-paid-cum-loyalty card called SpiceClub, which gives members discounted and free tickets on occasions such as birthdays and anniversaries. 

GoAir said its customers could avail of the discounts on presenting their boarding passes at any of the partner outlets within 30 days of their travel. SpiceJet said their card, designed to enhance engagement with frequent flyers, while also targeting new customers, offers privileges such as a free ticket on one's birthday, up to 50 per cent off on domestic air tickets for two on an anniversary, free vouchers, priority check-in and updates about new offers. The loyalty card membership has a minimum fee of Rs 599 and customers can avail of benefits worth Rs 5,999.

Amit Srivastava, vice-president at SpiceJet, said: “We are always looking at ways and means to serve our customers better. Customer satisfaction automatically translates into highest Passenger Load Factor (over 90 per cent here for the past 10 months) and higher ancillary revenue.”Read More.

India Aviation takes off, govt reaches out to industry

The fifth edition of India Aviation 2016 kicked off in Hyderabad on Wednesday with a focus on developing the country as a manufacturing and maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) hub, bringing to together airline promoters, chief executives and bureaucrats.

On the occasion, along with Make in India, the government also emphasised its focus on plans for regional connectivity, which received a boost in Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's Budget 2016.

The event also attracted three biggest airlines from the Gulf - Emirates from Dubai, United Arab Emirates' Etihad Airways and Doha's Qatar Airways, as these companies marked a presence for the first time in the biennial show.

Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju said the first day of the five-day event saw participation from 25 countries, with ministerial-level participation from four countries. "The country's aviation sector has grown by about 35 per cent from the time the show was conducted in 2014, with an unparalleled 20 per cent growth in domestic traffic," said Raju.

The Indian aviation 2016 sector is witnessing its most buoyant period on the back of low fuel prices and passenger growth. According to estimates by International Air Transport Association, India's domestic air travel soared 22.9 per cent in January, compared to a year ago. Growth is being propelled by the comparatively strong domestic economy and increases in air services.

The Indian market overtook both Australia and Japan during 2015 and is currently level with Russia at around 1.2 per cent of global passenger traffic.

Emirates specially flew in its jumbo Airbus A380 for the show and Qatar Airways is displaying an Airbus A350, the latest in its fleet.

With India clocking the highest growth rate in the aviation sector for almost a year now, the country has become important for the airlines.