Manoj Gursahani asked:


The continuing fare tussle between the Indian Railways and the low-cost airlines in India has changed the contemporary scenario for the Indian traveller. A ticket on India’s low-cost carrier (LCC) has made flying an affordable reality for the hordes of Indians travelling across the country.

It has taken some time for the low-cost airline industry to carve a niche for themselves, but the wallet-friendly LCCs are here to stay.

When Air Deccan entered the markets with a bang-with prices competing with the AC II-tier train fares, the response from the leading domestic airlines like Indian Airlines, Jet Airways and Sahara Airlines was immediate. Slashed rates and Advanced Purchase schemes (Apex) swiftly began to take shape, resulting upto 30 to 40 per cent slashed fares for apex fares compared with the original prices.

Barely a year after Air Deccan took off came the launch of Vijay Mallya’s Kingfisher Airlines, followed by SpiceJet and GoAir. Today the number of LCCs has multiplied from three to a dozen in a matter of months. Since the entry barriers are low, players such as Paramount, IndiGO (Interglobe), Yamuna Air or Kerala Airways, have already filed flight plans.

Continuing a steady progress, LCCs are slowly eating into the aviation market share, capturing almost one third of the total market.

However the dip in market share does not necessarily mean a drop in the number of passengers or revenues for the mainstream airlines, as the size of the air travel segment has also been increasing. In the market driven by the LCCs- with about half of the passengers being first-time air travellers, there’s a bigger pie for everyone.

But the biggest loser so far has been Indian Airlines. Even after its recent makeover called Indian, it has been left with a market share of only 23.88 per cent while the potential Jet-Sahara combine controls 45 per cent. As a result, it is exploring the possibility of jumping into the low-cost fray by merging Air-India Express, the low-fare arm of A-I with Alliance Air, the decade-old subsidiary servicing tier II cities.

However this fairy tale of low cost airline surge is still in its initial stages.

In Europe, North America and Australasia, most successful low cost airlines have operated primarily in domestic, or unrestricted international markets. The LCCs in India on the other hand, have to operate in a highly regulated environment. This is likely to get compounded with the surge in aviation fuel prices over the past year and the plummeting infrastructure with congestion in airports, lack of landing facilities and parking slots, and increasing staff costs driven by internal competition.

These non-frill LCCs are characterised by few on-board services and elimination of catering. But for the Indian travellers accustomed to travelling in the crowded trains for long hours, the aggressive tariff structure by the LCCs, costing nominally higher than the AC II-tier by train, is becoming a popular alternative. And with the LCCs now actively targeting the middle-class travellers, the Indian skies are slowly but surely opening up to the one billion plus Indian population.



Rebekah

Peter Gitundu asked:


Frontier Airlines is a domestic American carrier whose hub of operations is located in Denver, Colorado. This is an airline that has for many years provided travelers with a great and affordable option for air travel.

Operations of this airline are reserved for flights west of the Mississippi. This means that it serves destinations in the southwest, northwest and west coast of the United States.

Some of the cities serves are Seattle, Washington, Los Angeles, California and Las Vegas Nevada just to mention a few.  As a result of this, you find that travelers have an option of multiple flights to pick from when they are traveling. The numbers of flights available, makes last minute travel, and generally travel between these connected cities much cheaper for the consumers.

In addition to the domestic routes offered, Frontier Airlines also offers short haul international flights to some holiday destinations in Mexico such as Cabo San Lucas, Acapulco and Cancun. This airline also offers great in flight entertainment to travelers. Their aircraft have a link to live satellite television, and for this, passengers have to pay a low cost of five dollars if they want to watch. They offer snacks and drinks on board with an option to buy alcoholic drinks for just about five dollars also.

The Frontier airlines have a website where travelers can make arrangements to travel. They can book their tickets, as well as see packages available for the destinations they are traveling to. Their website also has a section where customers can leave positive or negative reviews, suggestions and ideas. The airline works on these reviews in a bid to make their airline the best there is.



Howard

Peter Gitundu asked:


Domestic airlines are those that provide service between different cities in the same country. They are a great option for business travelers who are always on the move, people who don’t like driving for long distances, and just for people who simply want to get somewhere faster.

Some of these airlines also ply international routes in addition to domestic routes. Some of these include Delta Airlines, American Airlines and Continental Airlines. You will find that they have partnerships with other international airlines. For example, an international carrier might have flights between Madrid and New York. But for those flying Madrid to Denver, the carriers’ partner for example Continental airlines will fly from New York to Denver.

The kind of aircraft that the domestic airlines use varies from destination to destination. For example, thy might use the larger Boeing 747 for international flights or coast to coast flights, while from city to city, they use the more compact airbus planes. The kind of service provided on board depends on the length of the flight and on the airline. Some of them will charge for drinks and snacks while others will provide them for no added cost.

Domestic lights usually have about five people seated per row, and this allows for ease of service. One of the advantages of domestic flights is that they generally have fewer passengers, and thus better service is provided to the passengers and boarding and disembarking times are reduced. This is great for the airlines, because they have a faster turn around time, in case they are turning around with passengers.

It’s very easy to find a domestic flight. Most domestic airlines offer service many times a week between multiple cities.



Kirogi