Indigo matches Jet's offer to take an earlier flight for Rs 1000

Earlier this week, we wrote about Jet Airways announcing a new facility called Jet Advance, where guests can advance their booking to an earlier flight within 4 hours of the original flight's scheduled departure timing. Well, surprise surprise, Indigo has announced an identical facility.

The deal is pretty much the same as what Jet Airways offers. For Rs 1000 (seemingly, payable at the airport), guests can take an earlier flight from the one they were originally booked on. 

Here's the landing page, which also has the following T&Cs:

• This offer is applicable to all passengers travelling on a domestic flight, wanting to pre-pone there flights (within 4 hours).
• Passenger must be physically present at the airport as the change can be done only at the airport.
• Changes can be done only for preponing the flight and not for postponing the flight.
• The time difference between the desired flight and the booked flight should be maximum 4 hrs.
• This means if the original flight booked is at 1600 hours, then this flight can be preponed to a flight which is departing at or after 1200 hrs. The basis to calculate the difference of 4 hours, has to be between the departure time of the original flight and the desired flight and not on the basis of the passenger reporting time.
• Request for such change will be confirmed only 60 minutes before the departure of the desired flight subject to the availability of seats and a non-refundable fee of Rs. 1000 per passenger (fees are subject to change).
• Unaccompanied minors cannot ask for change of flight themselves. Only their parents/guardian at the origin station can request for this service.
• This facility shall not be extended to passengers booked under group fares.
• This facility is not applicable on international flights, whether in isolation or in connection with a domestic flight

For a low fare carrier, I'd have thought that making the Rs 1000 (or maybe a slightly lower amount) payable up front at the time of booking, would've been a better deal for the airline, rather than have guests pay at the airport. But now that Jet and Indigo have done whatever it is they have, I'm not sure another airline will do anything different, should they choose to match Jet and Indigo.