Air India has devised a new scheme under which the passengers flying in the economy class can now offer a bid for business class seats.
The business class seats will be auctioned under the ‘preferred seat option’ on the airline’s website. Under this option, economy class passengers can avail a business class seat, the comfort of extra leg space and a privilege to deplane much faster upon arrival in exchange for a payment. The airline has listed the details of price per preferred seat in the range of Rs 100 and Rs 3,500 for various sectors.
The model was rolled out this week on domestic and international flights originating from Delhi.
Seat reservation for the first and business class passengers on all select routes operated by Air India, however, will be free of charge. The ‘preferred seat’ facility is also available at Air India Booking office and Air India Call Center.
Earlier, Air India used to upgrade seats against a fixed charge ranging between Rs 4,500 and Rs 6,000 for domestic flights and USD 200-1,000 on international flights depending on countries. This resulted in a number of premium seats remaining unsold.
The scheme is introduced in the wake of the fact that on an average, 30-40 percent seats in the business class category go vacant resulting in significant losses to airlines. The move is likely to add an additional revenue for the airline, which is otherwise strapped for cash.
Air India Chairman and Managing Director Pradeep Singh Kharola said, “This was important as many business class seats were going vacant. We are planning to cover other cities in coming weeks. We hope to garner Rs 1 crore per day when the model is fully rolled out,”