Air India has seen ticket sales skyrocket 60 percent since the March 25 electronics ban was introduced at 10 Middle Eastern airports.
Air India has seen ticket sales skyrocket 60 percent since the March 25 electronics ban was introduced at 10 Middle Eastern airports.
SAN FRANCISCO (Diya TV) — The electronics ban on flights to the U.S. from 10 airports in the Middle East — which prohibits passengers from entering the plane’s cabin with their laptops and other electronic devices — has served as a boost in ticket sales for Air India, the airline has seen ticket sales soar 60 percent since the introduction of the ban.
The ban is currently not applicable to any Indian airport or airliner, meaning all passengers flying on Air India are permitted to enter the plane’s cabin with their electronic devices on board.
Outbound flights from Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Kuwait, Jeddah, Amman, Cairo, Istanbul and Casablanca are currently those only effected by the ban. Passengers flying from these airports are being required to check their electronic devices before boarding their flights.
“A small percentage of passengers from Dubai, Kuwait, Muscat have booked tickets into India to transit from Delhi, Mumbai and then fly to the US from here. Last week, the passenger load on flights from the Gulf to India was about 83 percent which is a tad high for this time of the year. Because of the laptop ban, we expect the number to go up in the coming weeks,” an Air India official told the Times of India.
Now, the fares of Air India start at Rs. 86,000 ($1319) whereas the Middle Eastern carriers are offering tickets at much cheaper rates.
