KOLKATA: Caught in an unsavory situation for the second time in three years, travel agents operating out of the city are advising customers to prioritize reliability over low-fares for must-travel trips as well as future vacations where cancellation can disappointment an entire family.
The advisory follows random cancellation of flights by low-cost carrier SpiceJet after all its fleet was grounded due to oil companies' refusal to give any more fuel on credit. The cancellations has left thousands of passengers in the lurch. Among those with urgent travel needs, a lucky few have found alternative flights paying huge premiums, many others have had to cancel their engagements as flights around this time are choc-o-bloc.
"I am telling business clients and those travelling for urgent work to do so with carriers with reliable track record and no gimmicks. That may mean coughing up 30-40% higher fare, a small premium for assurance that one will travel," said Travel Agents Federation of India chairman (east) Anil Punjabi.
Anjani Dhanuka of Aircom Travels that is among the highest grosser from sale of domestic air tickets in the city, stopped selling SpiceJet tickets in April when the carrier launched all-inclusive return fares to Chennai and Bengaluru for Rs 960.
"When any airline offers incredible schemes, I become suspicious. It is unsustainable at even three times the price. Since I stopped selling SpiceJet then, I was able to contain losses that would otherwise have touched Rs 50 lakh. I keep telling my clients to book tickets on Jet Airways, IndiGo and Air India. All of them share certain common traits; their pricing is consistent and service dependable," said Dhanuka.
Incidentally, except for Kingfisher, all airlines that have crash-landed in India are those that are not affiliated to International Air Transport Authority (IATA), the trade association for the world's airlines representing 250 carriers. These include East West, Damania Airways, ModiLuft, Air Deccan, Paramount and MDLR Airlines.
"Kingfisher was an IATA airline and had Vijay Mallya, one of the wealthiest Indians, at the helm. Yet it made spectacular losses and went bust. SpiceJet, a non-IATA carrier whose owners again have deep pockets have done a similar turn. I look at an airline's track record and current financial situation to take a call so that I can advise clients correctly," said Dhanuka.
Subir De of Vicky Tourism, who has burnt his fingers with Kingfisher and SpiceJet, cautioned clients against falling for jaw-dropping schemes for future travel.
"People get lured by fares and plan an ambitious family holiday that they otherwise would not have considered and planned a more affordable vacation. Those who have purchased the low-priced tickets are now spending sleepless nights wondering what will happen to the dream vacation. It is better to be safe than sorry when the family plans a holiday," he pointed out.
With SpiceJet having sold tickets till October 2015 and even beyond, many are anxious about the fate of their holiday. If SpiceJet does not resume flights on these sectors, most of them will be in a soup as ticket prices have skyrocketed and is now beyond budget.
"Travel agents, too, are in a quandary as the refund from tickets get deposited in shell accounts that can only be accessed when fresh tickets are purchased. But with SpiceJet jacking up fares while failing to maintain regular operations, passengers seem to have no option but to count the losses," Punjabi added.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=unsavory situation,travel agents,SpiceJet,reliability,cancellation of flights
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