Passengers flying by Air India Express from Qatar to India will have to shell out more with ticket price of the no-frills carrier shooting up by nearly 40 per cent due to holiday season.
As per the June 28 booking rate, one way travel ticket in Doha-Mangalore sector has touched QR1,100 (Rs 12,335 approximately) as against the off-season rate of QR600 plus taxes.
Advance booking to Kerala has been closed till July 15, while booking is full to Mumbai and Mangalore till July 8, Air India Manager Vijaya Sagalgile told the Peninsula.
The Air India office has forecast a 90 to 95 per cent load factor between June 24 and July 10
to Kerala and Mangalore.
The Mumbai sector too has witnesses a tremendous response. Air India Express, a subsidiary of state-owned Air India, currently runs flights to five major destinations, including the three busiest routes in Kerala -- Calicut, Kochi and Trivandrum.
Mumbai and Mangalore are the other two destinations. The airline was the first to operate direct flights from Doha to Mangalore, catering to a large number of expatriates hailing from that city and neighboring localities. The fares offered by the airline in various categories are nearly 25 per cent cheaper as compared to ordinary airlines.
