Airlines tap business with special deals, higher incentives

The reason behind airlines launching special promotions is leisure travel from India to Europe and US in winter is low

International airlines are pushing sales through a mix of promotion offers, higher agent incentives and innovative refund rules as travel from India to Europe and the US slows down in winter.

British Airways has launched new refund rules allowing passengers to claim full refund in case of visa rejection. Each airline has different refund rules and the amount depends upon the fare.

The cancellation charges can vary from Rs 7,000-10.000 depending upon the fare type. Other than cancellation of the flight by the airline, full refund is given only in case of instances of death or hospitalisation of an immediate relative.

Last week British Airways informed agents that customers will be entitled to a full refund in case the visa is rejected by an embassy of country which is part of the ticketed itinerary. Passengers must cancel the ticket before departure and submit a letter from the embassy stating that visa has been rejected in order to claim full refund, the airline said in a notification to travel agents.

" India continues to be one of our most strategic markets globally and we will continue to create products and initiatives dedicated towards the convenience of our travellers,'' said Christopher Fordyce, regional commercial manager, South Asia, British Airways:

 "It is a welcome move,'' said Manoj Gursahani, chairman of Travelmart India.

Virgin Atlantic, which competes with British Airways on London and US routes, is offering agents additional incentives to sell tickets. This includes shopping vouchers and a boarding incentive of Rs 3,000 each time a passenger travels on the airline's premium economy and upper class cabins.

The reason behind airlines launching special promotions is that leisure travel from India to Europe and US in winter is low. While incoming flights are full the outbound flights, especially the economy class cabins, have light loads this month.

On Wednesday Emirates announced 20% discount on tickets to couples travelling on honeymoon and Singapore Airlines is offering 12.5% discount on first and business class travel from India to Singapore and Australia.

 “This is considered the wedding season in India and couples will be in the process of planning their honeymoons”, said Essa Sulaiman Ahmad, Emirates’ vice president, India. “We hope that this offer will give them an even stronger reason to choose Emirates as their preferred carrier for what is likely to be one of their most memorable vacations,'' he added.