NRI group announces low-fare ticketing scheme
Thursday, 30/08/2012
http://gulftoday.ae/portal/0bdef6bc-f28c-4a0b-a86d-060d2a092b9f.aspx?
TRIVANDRUM: Pravasi Legal Aid Cell India or Pleace India, a nonresident Indian group providing legal assistance to the expatriates in distress, has announced a group airfare scheme offering low-fair ticketing.
Addressing a news conference here, the officials of the Saudi-based group said the fares during the peak season have gone up as high as US $ 800 and up to $590 during the offseason which have become unaffordable for ordinary expats.
“We are in talks with major airline operators in the Middle East and we hope to ink a deal soon. We plan to make available affordable tickets for at least 100,000 holidayers in a year,” said N Vikraman, legal consultant of Pleace India.
He explained that the fares can be brought down by 25 per cent taking advantage of bulk purchase from the airline operators. The group hopes to make the tickets available at an average cost of $450. Registration under this scheme has started at http://pravasi.infoclub.in/airtickets.
According to him, the sponsors of 80 per cent of the expatriate workers provide free air tickets for annual vacation as part of their service contract. However, the remaining 20 per cent people working in the unorganized sector find it hard to pay for the annual vacation.
Pleace India, which is registered with the Supreme Court of India as a nonprofit organisation and functions in close coordination with the overseas Indian affairs departments of federal and state governments, currently works among the expatriates in Jeddah, Dammam and Riyadh.
“Travellers from Kerala to Saudi Arabia too can make use of this facility. Eventually we hope to extend the facility to other Gulf Cooperation Council countries where there are sizable Indian community,” he said.
