Surge in air travel bookings during this Diwali: Report

Mumbai: With Diwali round the corner, there has been an increase in air travel as 1.3 time more customers are travelling during Diwali this year as compared to same time last year, according to 'Diwali Festive Airfare Trends'.

"There has been 1.3 times more customers travelling during Diwali this year as compared to last year," according to online travel company MakeMyTrip's 'Diwali Festive Airfare Trends'.

It also revealed that in the top sectors, the fares have increased by up to 30 per cent, with festivities still one month away signalling a huge advance purchase.

"With the festive season approaching, there is a significant surge in travel bookings with people preferring to book in advance since fares are more affordable. Another reason for uptick in advanced booking is the 'Zero Cancellation' feature, which is finding favour amongst many customers resulting in 15 per cent rise in bookings for peak season," MakeMyTrip COO-Online Mohit Gupta told PTI here.

Kolkata-Delhi and Delhi-Hyderabad are few of the most travelled routes with more than 100 per cent growth during this festive season as compared to last year, it added.

According to the trend, average fares for the top 20 sectors on domestic flights have increased by 10 per cent this time from last year.

In some of the major sectors, the fare has increased by up to 30 per cent, with festivities still one month away, it added.

It found that from the average fares of bookings from the metros, maximum increase in fares was seen from cities like Mumbai and Bengaluru.

"The average fares from Mumbai and Bengaluru have witnessed maximum increase, but have remained same from Delhi and Kolkata, as compared to last year," it added.