Advance booking for Diwali air travel higher this August

For the second year in a row, advance purchase bookings of air tickets for travel during Diwali holidays have been sluggish. But when compared to last August, bookings are significantly higher this year. While fares to destinations like Delhi, Goa, Cochin for October and November travel are currently cheap, those to Srinagar, Leh, Varanasi and Patna have begun their annual winter climb. “Pre-pandemic around this time, early birds would be booking holidays for next year summer. Diwali holiday bookings would be full, air fares would be high,’’ said of . “This year, we’ve been getting bookings for travel next week, next month but not beyond,’’ she said. Airfares reflect this trend, though with exceptions. For travel in November, during Diwali holidays, fares on flights from Mumbai to leisure destinations like Dehradun, Srinagar and Leh and then to high-demand ‘visiting family/friends’ destinations like Varanasi and Patna have begun a northward climb. But those to Delhi, Cochin and even Goa are cheap, said a low cost carrier official, “Airfares are typically capped for flights up to 30 days out. For cheaper fares, passengers have to book over a month before travel. For instance: Currently, Mumbai-Delhi cheapest return fare is Rs 12,000 for September, but only Rs 5,000 for October travel. In case of Diwali bookings, cheaper options may be available only with 45-60 days advance booking. The anxiety over third wave has hit the pace of Diwali forward bookings.” Prahlad Krishnamurthi, chief business officer, Cleartrip, said the forward booking trend was better than 2020, but significantly below 2019. “Bookings for travel in October-December this year are about 9% of overall bookings in August. This is higher than last year but lower than levels,” he said. In the last few weeks, consumers have been open to booking more than a month in advance and hence there’s a spike in October bookings, which is significantly higher than what was witnessed last year this time.