Ahead of Onam, air carriers continue to bare their cannibal fangs by jacking up the fares on select routes based on demand and competition. Based on the trends in the online booking platforms, the residents in the capital will have to shell out more during this Onam, especially on domestic routes. The fares are modest on the inbound international routes, while the outbound travel after the festival will be a costlier affair.
On the domestic front, a Kochi-Thiruvananthapuram flight on Thiruvonam day (September 8) will cost a whopping ₹15,114 for a nearly 30-minute journey, while on the same day a Bangalore – Kochi flight is available for just ₹1,808. Similarly, a Thiruvananthapuram-Bengaluru flight will cost ₹10,501 on September 10 while a Kochi -Bengaluru -flight is available for ₹1,400 on the same day. The fares rule high on select routes.
In the international sector, the inbound fares are relatively affordable with fares ruling between ₹10,000 to ₹20,000 on major routes. But a return journey after the festival will bleed the passengers with fares hovering between ₹30,000 to ₹50,000 on popular routes.
K.V.Muralidharan, president, Kerala Association of Travel Agents, said among the various routes, the routes connecting Thiruvananthapuram are more costly. This is mainly due to the less number of flights to the airport here, resulting in more demand during peak season which would invariably push the fares to the north, especially during the festive season, said Mr. Muralidharan.
On the other side, the airfares on inbound international routes from West Asia are affordable as the vacation season is over in West Asian cities. Though the outbound travel after Onam is a bit costly, it is still not high considering the trend of previous years as of now, said Mr. Muralidharan. The fares on the U.S. and Europe routes have been ruling high for quite some time and it is likely to continue considering the prevailing trends.
