National carrier Air India on Friday, May 22, opened bookings for air travel beginning May 25 day after the civil aviation ministry gave its nod to resume services.
Tweeting about the same, Air India said, "Our Domestic Flight Bookings will start from 1230 hrs today. To book login to airindia or contact authorised travel agents or visit our booking offices or call customer care."
However, other airlines like IndiGo and SpiceJet have opened the booking for the same late on Thursday evening.
On Thursday, aviation regulator DGCA issued seven bands of ticket pricing with lower and upper fare limits – Rs 2,000 and Rs 6,000, respectively. The lower and upper limits for these bands are: Rs 2,500-Rs 7,500; Rs 3,000-Rs 9,000; Rs 3,500-Rs 10,000; Rs 4,500-Rs 13,000; Rs 5,500-Rs 15,700 and Rs 6,500-Rs 18,600, respectively, the DGCA stated.
The lowest available one-way fare on the Delhi-Mumbai route for May 25 was Rs 6,674 for 8.30 am departure. The second lowest ticket on the same route was available for Rs 7,040 for the same date.
And, on the Delhi-Bengaluru route, the lowest priced ticket available on online portals was for Rs 6,096; the second cheapest ticket was priced at Rs 7,670. Domestic flights are resuming after two months, with a new safety protocol and government cap on minimum and maximum fares.
For the Delhi-Mumbai route, the minimum fare, excluding taxes, has been fixed at Rs 3,500. But for travel on May 25, airlines have put on sale only higher slab fares and this drew ire from passengers on social media.
Additionally, passengers who are flying would also would require to prove that they are fit to fly through the contact tracing app Aarogya Setu or through a self-declaration form. Passengers would also require to wear protective gear including masks and gloves.
