Long haul flights gaining preference amongst Indians: Survey

Indians today have not only caught onto the travelling bug but have also started opting for long haul flights and long vacations instead of going somewhere near their home or hometowns only, according to a survey.

While Toronto and Perth have seen a significant rise in flight searches with 92 per cent and 95 per cent respectively, other destinations like Boston, Paris, and San Francisco and Melbourne have also seen a minimum of 21 per cent increase.

Kayak.co.in conducted a survey between January 1 last year and May 15 this year which was compared to data from search period between January 1 in 2016 and May 15 last year.

"With the introduction of more direct flight routes that are priced decently, it is no longer a hassle for Indians to travel far," said Abhijit Mishra, Director of India and Middle East at Kayak.

There is an increase not just in the preference for long-haul flights, but even the average trip duration that Indians are going on vacations for has seen a jump.

None of the top nine destinations -Boston, London, Melbourne, New York, Paris, Perth, San Francisco, Sydney and Toronto -- have an average trip duration of less than a week, with the average shortest being a fortnight, and the maximum being as long as a month.