Air Fare Hike: Flight fares hiked again ahead of Diwali and Chhath; what options do passengers have now?

Air Ticket Prices: The rush for tickets to travel home for Diwali and Chhath has already begun. Regular train tickets are nearly sold out, and flight fares are skyrocketing. Despite this, the enthusiasm of those traveling home remains undiminished. According to reports, flight fares have already increased for Diwali and Chhath. Flights from metro cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Kolkata to Bihar and Uttar Pradesh are in high demand, especially for flights from these routes. Consequently, travelers traveling on these routes are bound to find their pockets lighter.

Which routes are in high demand for flights?

Shubham Kumar, director of Noida-based Eji Travel Solutions, explains, "Now Diwali is first, followed by Chhath. So, people are excited about both festivals, and this is why airlines have increased fares to meet the increased demand for flights."

Shubham explained that the highest demand for flights is on the Delhi-Jaipur, Mumbai-Patna, Hyderabad-Jaipur, Hyderabad-Delhi, Bengaluru-Lucknow, Mumbai-Kolkata, Delhi-Patna, and Delhi-Varanasi routes. This is why airfares have increased on these routes. The fares will begin to rise after October 13th, but the highest ticket demand is on October 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th, 24th, 25th, and 26th. These dates typically see the highest demand for tickets, and this is why fares have increased several times.

High demand for flights from Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Mumbai to UP and Bihar

According to Make My Trip, ticket prices have increased two and a half to three times compared to normal. While previously, a flight from Delhi to Patna cost ₹6,000 to ₹7,000, the price of a ticket on the 17th and 18th has reached close to ₹10,000.

Delhi to Patna: 9,000-10,000
Delhi to Gaya: 18,000-20,000
Hyderabad to Patna: 12,000-15,000
Hyderabad to Varanasi: 12,000-15,000
Hyderabad to Prayagraj: 18,000-20,000
Bengaluru to Prayagraj: 17,000-25,000
Bengaluru to Varanasi: 16,000-19,000
Bengaluru to Patna: 16,000-18,000
Bengaluru to Darbhanga: 17,000-19,000
Mumbai to Patna: 14,000-15,000

Demand for foreign travel also
Shubham Kumar said that a large number of people have booked tickets for foreign travel for Diwali. High demand has come from Dubai, Bangkok, London, and Kuala Lumpur. Subhash Goyal, Chairman of the Indian Chamber of Commerce Aviation and Tourism Expert Committee, said, "Undoubtedly, airfares have increased due to the festivals. Passengers traveling from metro cities to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are paying higher prices. However, fares have not increased as much as they did last year."

He explained that fares for the Ramayana series on the Delhi-Mumbai, Delhi-Bengaluru, Delhi-Chennai, Delhi-Kolkata, Delhi-Patna, Delhi-Varanasi, and Delhi-Ayodhya routes used to be high. Similarly, flights from Mumbai to these destinations were also very high. This time, this is not the case due to three major reasons. First, a significant increase in domestic flights has been observed. Second, NRIs coming from the US are not returning home due to Trump's visa policy. They fear they may not be able to return to the US again. Third, vacationing abroad has become easier, as flight and hotel rates are now quite reasonable.

Goyal said, "Many people are vacationing in Thailand, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Dubai, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Vietnam. The reason for this is affordability, as a complete hotel and flight package is available in these places for $250, while in India, a hotel costs as little as $100."

No Fare Reduction Even After Festivals
Chhath Mahaparva falls on October 28th. Consequently, a large number of people will be returning to their workplaces between October 29th and November 2nd, leading to increased flight prices during this period. Flight tickets from Bihar to Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad cost between 11,000 and 13,000 rupees per person. However, these rates are current; they are steadily increasing as time passes.

Union Minister Issues Fare Control Directive
Recently, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu, in a meeting with all major airlines, expressed deep concern over the potential arbitrary increase in airfares during the festive season. He strongly urged airlines to maintain fares at reasonable levels and ensure that there are no unreasonable or arbitrary increases during the festive season. Following the minister's initiative, airlines have stated that passenger convenience is their priority and have assured that additional flights will be operated during the festive season. The minister also urged passengers to lodge complaints directly on the ministry's portal, AirSewa, if they find ticket prices excessive.

You can complain.
To curb the increase in airfares, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has made some improvements to its AirSewa portal. These improvements allow passengers to lodge complaints about high-priced air tickets. Union Minister Naidu also directed the DGCA's tariff monitoring unit to ensure that airlines are adhering to the prescribed fare limits. According to a release issued by the ministry, airlines assured that passenger convenience remains their top priority. It was stated that additional flights have been added on high-traffic routes to meet the demand during the festive season.

What options do passengers have now?
However, now that airfares have increased due to the festivals, people have the option of traveling by train. Indian Railways is operating 12,000 special trains from different parts of the country this season. Special Vande Bharat Express trains are also being operated on some routes, and clone trains are also being run on several routes. According to information received from the railways, in addition to the special trains being operated, on-demand trains will also be operated. Furthermore, several luxury buses are also running from Delhi to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, allowing people to travel home for the festivals.

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