In a bid to check competitors like newbie AirAsia India during the upcoming lean season, low-cost carrier SpiceJet on Tuesday announced a “monsoon sale” for flights from eight South Indian cities, including Bangalore, with all-inclusive tickets starting from Rs 1,999.

The three-day ticket sale started on Tuesday for travel between July 11 and September 30, a SpiceJet statement said. It is applicable on all flights including direct, via and onward flights from eight cities — Bangalore, Chennai, Coimbatore, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kozhikode, Mysore and Vishakhapatnam. Seats are limited and will be available on first-come-first-served basis.

“Lean seasons like these are the best time to travel for guests without stretching their wallet. SpiceJet probably has the best connecting options with a wide network of destinations in South India and through myspicetrip.com, customers can also get the best packages, which will further save them money during this lean season,” Kaneswaran Avili, chief commercial officer of SpiceJet, said.

From Bangalore, tickets to Belgaum, Chennai, Delhi, Goa, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kolkata, Kozhikode, Mangalore, Mumbai, Mysore, Pune, Vijayawada and Vishakhapatnam are available on discount.

From Chennai, flights to Bangalore, Coimbatore, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kolkata and Mumbai are on offer.

Sharat Dhall, president of travel portal Yatra.com, said the monsoon sale is primarily targeting the South Indian market, where the peak travel period ends early June, once the schools re-open post the summer break. 

“We are likely to see a lot of travellers who wait for lower off-peak fares taking advantage of this sale,” he said. SpiceJet’s discount sale is seen as an attempt to check AirAsia eating into its market share in South India. 

The new airline will start operations from June 12. SpiceJet has taken an aggressive stand announcing a series of discount sales since mid-January this year.

Taking AirAsia head on, SpiceJet had announced Rs 1,499 ticket for Bangalore-Chennai and Bangalore-Goa routes. AirAsia India will be operating on these two routes.