India is an incredible destination to head to. It has a mind-boggling array of sights and experiences to offer the traveler. But the vastness of India can be a dampener which could restrict the places that you may want to cover. Even though it would need days and months to cover all the important sights of India, the rail and air connectivity helps in easing out matters. The emergence of low cost budget airlines over the years has made air travel affordable and convenient. Today one can easily book Pune to New Delhi flights at affordable price or fly anywhere within the country at reasonable costs, thanks to these budget airlines. These budget airlines have changed the face of the Indian aviation industry, just like how they have done the world over. Low cost or budget airlines are extremely convenient especially for the short hauls within the country. These airlines focus on the basics of transportation removing the frills or charging extra for them, thereby reducing costs and becoming affordable. Here are the main budget airlines that serve the different sectors of India and help in quickly and efficiently transporting people across the length and breadth of the country.
Indigo
Indigo is one of the largest budget airline operators in India with a market share of about 40 percent of the Indian market. The Indigo airlines which is headquartered in Gurugram, which is very near to the national capital of Delhi has been in operation for over twelve years now. Indigo has a fleet of about One hundred and fifty six aircrafts and their flights connect fifty destinations. Out of these forty eight are in India while eight destinations are international. The Indigo airlines prides itself on maintaining standards that are at par with the best in the world. The airline operations are very reliable and their services have been recognized by awards.
Spicejet
Spicejet is another popular budget airlines that operates in India and connects the towns and cities of India, making it easier for the people to travel at an affordable price. This is of tremendous convenience for all types of travelers, business, tourist, national, and international. Spicejet is also headquartered in Gurugram which is very the Indian Capital city of Delhi. The Spicejet fleet which consists of Boeing and Bombardier-Q 400s offers a low cost but efficient and safe flying experience to its passengers.Spicejet also partners with hotels and resorts to offer vacation packages to select and popular locations across India.
GoAir
GoAir has been operating in India for over thirteen years. The airlines which operates approximately two hundred and thirty flights daily and about one thousand six hundred flights every week connects about twenty three destinations across India. Some of the important destinations that GoAir connects are Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Chandigarh, Goa, Jaipur, Guwahati, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Port Blair among others. GoAir with its fleet of Airbuses strives to provide the best service and safety standards at the lowest of prices. GoAir also offers all inclusive vacation packages to many destinations in India.
Jetlite
Jetlite is the subsidiary low cost airline of Jet Airways. The airline is headquartered in Mumbai which is the commercial capital of India. Jetlite flies to over twenty two destinations in India. The high standards of service of the parent Jet Airways which is one of the premier airline companies in India obviously influences Jetlite which strives to provide the best services, reliability, and safety, all at an economical price.
These budget airlines are doing a great job by connecting the different corners of India and providing people air transport at affordable prices. In order to further improve connectivity and with the aim of connecting places as yet not connected, the Government of India has launched an initiative called Udan. Udan is geared to connect more than 400 smaller towns of India and bring them on the airline map. The fares that the Government has fixed for these flights are also very low.
The consequences of the proliferation of budget airlines which offer fares that are marginally higher than train fares is that more and more people are traveling by air. This of course does not undermine the railway network of the country which is the largest in the world and the world’s single largest employer. It connects the furthermost points of the country. IT still is the preferred mode of transport for millions of people across India. But when it comes to convenience and saving of time, the budget airlines with their no fuss-no frill service are the ones to fall back on. With the demand for the budget airlines increasing day by day, the economics are going to improve further for these airlines which hopefully may see further drop in prices in a competitive market.
So the next time you are in India, you know how to get around quickly, efficiently, and economically.