NEW DELHI: The decision of Jet Airways to suspend operations has left not only the passengers, but also tour operators, in the lurch. Several tour operators depend on the full-service carrier to fly clients abroad. Many of them whom we spoke to said such a massive number of flight cancellations is set to impact their business and they are struggling to find alternatives.
According to Indiver Rastogi, president, Global Business Travel, Thomas Cook (India), “withdrawal of Jet flights has had an impact, given that it’s summer, the peak booking season.” Rastogi added that Thomas Cook’s central control team is in constant touch with customers and is working in close coordination with their airline and tour operations to provide best available options and alternate flights. “Our first priority is to enable them to continue with their holiday plans as scheduled,” he said.
According to Rastogi, Jet’s extensive network played a major role in connecting India’s secondary markets to its main gateways. The airline offered multiple customer benefits for direct non-stop flights to short-haul destinations like Abu Dhabi-Dubai and Singapore, as well as mid-and-long-haul stops in Europe, USA and Australia-New Zealand, via its hub-and-spoke model and interline partnerships.
Others too admit that cancellations have created a tough situation in the industry. “Thousands of Jet seats were booked well in advance by operators, who now have an exposure running into crores of rupees. The worst part is that there is no clarity yet on the refunds,” said Debasish Chatterjee, co-founder of Delhi-based Business Travels. “I expect instances of passengers being at loggerheads with operators over refunds and rescheduling.”
Another major tour planner said they are ascertaining the quantum of impact. “All I can say right now is that even the previously booked tours are likely to become 15-20 per cent more expensive. We are in talks with other airlines to transfer passengers who have booked with us,” said an operator. Airfares on international routes are already up by 30 per cent as airlines have restored dynamic pricing.
customer first
Jet Airways, after struggling for weeks, on Wednesday declared temporary suspension of operations as banks refused to infuse the much-needed interim fund. SOTC India said they are ensuring that all their customers who had booked on affected routes are being accommo-dated by other airlines. “In case of group bookings, flight changes won’t affect the itineraries as they will be accommo-dated on the best options available on alternate flights,” said Daniel D’souza of SOTC Travel.