IndiGo Jet Airways SpiceJet Offer Red Eye Flights

Monday, 19th October 2015 at 02:39am

Passengers burdened by tight schedules or scanning for cheaper air fares may have something to smile about.

India's local airlines are launching red-eye flights which are typically scheduled during unholy hours of 12am to 5am and substantially cheaper than those scheduled during the daytime.

A handful of airlines like IndiGo and Jet Airways have started to offer these flights recently while SpiceJet is expected to follow suit in November.

A week ago, Indigo have flown to Bangalore, Chennai, and Mumbai, taking off from Delhi during the earliest parts of the day. Meantime, Jet Airways said that they will be adding more red-eye flights for its Chennai-Calcutta and Chennai-Mumbai routes.

SpiceJet will conduct red-eye flights starting November 2 onwards, flying to Bangalore and Nanded with Delhi as take off point.

Conducting these flights optimise aircraft utilisation and thus help reduce airline costs. In addition, increased airline capacity is achieved - a concern among airline companies during peak months.

Red-eye flights are highly patronised among Western countries because these cost less. Also, late evening flights have become a popular option among passengers taking frequent business trips. According to SpiceJet GM for corporate affairs, Ajay Jasra, taking late night flights enable passengers to attend conferences in the day and fly back come night time. By doing so, they also won't be burdened by road traffic once they touch ground.

Some hotels have lower room rates during these hours, at times 40 per cent lower than regular price.

Local airlines like IndiGo offer competitive prices for such flights. For instance, a 5:30am to 7:35am flight to Mumbai will fetch a price of Rs 3,351 versus the price range of Rs 4,989 and Rs 7,105 for daytime flights.

Meanwhile, Jet Airways' charges Rs 5,184 on its 2:10am to 4:15am Delhi-Calcutta route. The airline's daytime flight for this route will normally cost Rs 8,457.

While these three airlines recognise the viability of conducting red-eye flights, other players seem disinclined to launch their own.

Vistara airlines feel that Indians aren't ready to embrace flying during the wee hours. Moreover, Vistara operator and head of Tata SIA airlines, Prasad Menon thinks that flying towards the Gulf region is a better option when targeting increased aircraft utilisation. This strategy, he says, brings in more profit from foreign exchange as well as savings from cheaper cost of fuel.

AirAsia appears to share the same sentiment, putting off projects involving the launch of late evening flights within the country.

Ten years ago, India's flag carrier, Air India had offered similar early morning and late evening flights while charging minimal fares. However, these were abruptly curtailed when the airline failed to compete with cheaper daytime fares offered by new entrants during those years.

By: Pete Lee.