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SpiceJet’s limited-period heavily discounted ticket sale offer in early January caused a buzz on social networking sites. Those who were lucky enough to get tickets were over the moon. Amit Panhale tweeted: “Booked all travel due in the period. That is three trips and six tickets. Saved thousands.”
But for Akanksha and thousands of others it was not such a pleasant experience. Akanksha tweeted: “SpiceJet Web site is behaving like IRCTC.” While Harpreet S. Ubhi’s Twitter message said: “I am not able to move beyond the main booking page of SpiceJet. Need help. Pathetic Web site.” While Geetanjali K tweeted: “Why (tickets) sold out so soon for Jammu-Bangalore? Me not likely (to get)”.
Many in the travel fraternity mocked SpiceJet’s claims that it had sold so many tickets. “We have been checking with online travel agents and others. The response has not been that good. Besides, we know how many hits an airline Web site can handle,” said a senior official of a competing airline.
It is a different matter that, within a short time, almost all the airlines started offering similar fares. The only difference was they did it without the fanfare that SpiceJet announced it with.
Why flyers had it so good was because the domestic airline industry has been shrinking. And in the lean season (February-April), if one airline walks away with a huge portion of flyers others have to take steps to protect their turf.
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