Major offloading from West-bound flights

If you are on your way to the US or Europe, be prepared to be denied a seat despite holding a confirmed ticket, especially on weekends. There has been major offloading on the India-US sector over the past few weekends.

"Despite doubling capacity on the India-US route in the last 12 months, demand continues to outstrip supply. Consequently, fares have been raised by around 5 per cent," an Air-India spokesman said.

Buoyed by the excess demand, international airlines, including Air-India, British Airways, Alitalia, Lufthansa and Air France, have increased fares on the India-US and India-Europe circuit by around 5 per cent across the board.

"It is normal practice to make bookings in excess of the inventory. Owing to higher turnout during the peak season, as is the case currently, we are forced to deny seats to some passengers. But we ensure that they are put on the next flight or are compensated adequately," said a senior executive of an international airline.

The fare on the Mumbai-New York route was around Rs 51,000 before the hike, while that on the Mumbai-London route was around Rs 36,000.

Some airlines have added seats due to the rush on West-bound routes. Air-India recently added 4,300 seats on the India-US sector, taking its total capacity to 8,600 a week.

The national carrier, which has around a 17 per cent share on this circuit, is taking two aircraft on dry lease to add three flights on the Mumbai-Los Angeles sector via Europe in June. According to industry sources, demand for seats on this sector exceeds supply by around 20 per cent.