The number of Indians wanting to fly business class has seen a sharp uptick this holiday season compared to last year. While the trend is more pronounced in international travel, travel agents and online platforms suggest that it is also emerging on many domestic routes.
Data shared by MakeMyTrip on Tuesday showed that business class bookings from India across domestic as well as international routes have gone up by 50% this year compared to the same period last year. This is based on the analysis of search and booking data between December 16 and 31.
For international bookings, there has been an 80% rise in business class bookings, and for domestic bookings, the jump is 27%.
Cleartrip said that it has witnessed almost a 60% jump in business class bookings this year compared to last year.
According to travel agents and industry executives, the key reason for the uptick is the rising demand for a better flight experience.
“People now come and ask for seats with bigger leg space and better comfort,” Pramod Singh, a travel agent based in Delhi’s East of Kailash, said, adding: “They are ready to pay more for international flights.”
Alok Gupta, a travel agent in Delhi’s Dwarka, said there is an increased focus on a better travel experience. “Now, they prefer to be able to watch movies, have a drink and sleep better on a long flight,” he said.
Indiver Rastogi, president & group head, global business travel at Thomas Cook (India) and SOTC Travel said that as premium cabin prices stabilise, “corporate policies are shifting towards broader adoption of business class for employees, previously reserved for senior executives and CXOs”.
“Furthermore, airlines are offering more competitive pricing, value-added services and frequent-flyer programmes like IndiGo’s Blue Chip, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer making premium and business class cabins more accessible,” he said.
In line with the trend, Indian airlines are also accelerating their plans to offer premium seats to customers.
IndiGo, the country’s biggest airline, has started offering business class seats on some routes from November this year. The seats offer a more plush feel than the standard, adjustable headrest and specially curated meals by the Oberoi. In April, it had placed its first-ever order for wide-body aircraft with Airbus.
IndiGo’s only major competitor and the country’s only full-service, Air India, is also undergoing a $400-million refurbishment programme to modernise its older planes. Under the new owner Tata Group, it has placed a massive order of around 570 planes with Boeing and Airbus. Out of these, around 80 are wide-body planes.
“The trend toward premiumisation is becoming increasingly pronounced as travellers are willing to spend more for a memorable holiday,” said Rajesh Magow, co-founder and group CEO, MakeMyTrip.
“While international routes continue to lead the demand for business and premium economy travel, we are also seeing a steady rise in domestic bookings, particularly on high-traffic routes connecting key business hubs,” Rastogi added.
According to Cleartrip, the international destinations which have seen the highest rise in demand for business seats this season are Bangkok, Bali and Kathmandu. The domestic destinations with high demand for business class travel include Ahmedabad, Kolkata and Lucknow.