State run carrier Air India has said that it will retain fares at normal level amid the Jet crisis even as other airlines have raised fares.
“While retention of fares at normal levels, even as some other airlines hiked fares by huge margins inviting criticism, made many to comment that Air India wasn’t being commercial in its approach,” Air India spokesperson said.
Air India as the national carrier has far greater responsibility, particularly in difficult situations. Air India’s presence in the market, in fact, ensures stability and provides confidence to the traveling public, the spokesperson added.
As some airlines had jacked up their fares to cash in on the market opportunity following the Jet Airways pilots strike, Civil Aviation Secretary M Madhawan Nambiar last night met representatives of all carriers and asked them to retain their fare at last week’s level.
In addition to accommodation Jet Airways strike affected passengers on its flights on domestic and international sectors and flying out the Indian cricket team to Colombo on a specially operated flight to avoid their being stranded. Air India has also ensured travel of general passengers on its flights by keeping its fares at normal levels and demonstrated the importance, significance and relevance of Air India in the Indian civil aviation sector , the spokesperson said.
Airlines maintaining fares at last weeks level
After warning airlines against charging high fares to reap a bonanza out of the Jet Airways pilot striate Directorate General of Civil Aviation has started monitoring web fares and has found that the carriers were complying with the directive.
The monitoring exercise, carried out in the past two days, has concluded that the airfares on the websites of airlines were “in compliance “with the DGCA directories issued on Thursday, official spokesperson said.
The DGCA was also monitoring the sites of various travel portals selling air tickets, they said.
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