GoAir via grocery shops

Airlines plan neighbourhood sales of tickets.

Your friendly neighbourhood grocery store may soon be selling air tickets, courtesy GoAir, the latest private carrier on the block. The aim: a prospective air traveller should be able to buy tickets within 50 metres of his home or workplace.

The Wadia Group-promoted GoAir is planning to hawk tickets through retail stores where the group company's Britannia biscuits are sold.

"We are exploring the options to sell GoAir tickets through 750-odd Britannia stores and over 800,000 retail stores where Britannia biscuits are sold," GoAir Managing Director Jeh Wadia told Business Standard.

The airline is planning to tie up with post offices and public call offices as well.

At present, GoAir tickets can be bought through travel agents, customer care centres, mobile phones, the Internet, Tata Indicom centres and other channel partners. The airline has signed agreements with the LPG stations of Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum to sell tickets.

Other no-frills airlines""Air Deccan, SpiceJet and Paramount Airways""are also planning to reach out to air travellers. For instance, Air Deccan has made arrangements to sell tickets through 2,000 outlets of Hindustan Petroleum gas stations and has tied up with Reliance Web World spread over 110 cities.

"The basic idea is to provide 24 hours' service to passengers," Air Deccan Managing Director GR Gopinath said.

SpiceJet has set up "SpiceJet Shops" in association with select travel agents in addition to ticket counters at airports. "Plus, there are the Internet and call centre facilities," a SpiceJet executive said.

Where can you buy an air ticket?

Air Deccan Internet, call centers, airport counters, Reliance WebWorlds, HP LPG Stations

Go Air Internet, Tata Indicom centres, HP & BP LPG stations, PCOs, Britannia general stores, post offices, mobile phones, call centres

SpiceJet Internet, call centres, SpiceJet shops, airport counters

Paramount Airways Internet kiosks, travel agents, call centres