A decade ago may be I would have agreed that there is no other option apart from Air India when it comes to flying. But over the last few years many other competitor airlines have come in the market and are surprisingly doing very well. In the last 5-6 years I have traveled from different airlines on a frequent basis. My all three children stay in different parts of the country so we travel regularly.
If you check for a flight from Delhi to Bombay, you will find that the most expensive ticket is of Air India. And by expensive I mean there is a difference of thousands of rupees. If the flight ticket of any other airline is for 5000 rupees, Air India’s ticket for the same journey and same time taken will be somewhere around 12000. I can book two way ticket for that price. And it is not like they are giving extraordinary service. Time taken is the same, then why would anyone prefer Air India over other airlines like Indigo, Spice Jet or Air Asia for domestic travels.
Now I don’t even check Air India prices because no matter what they are higher compared to other airlines.