Airfares on Chennai, Bengaluru sectors soar in festival season

Airfares on Chennai, Bengaluru sectors soar in festival season

The Hindu Bureau

MADURAI 29.10.2024

If people had a last minute plan to come to Madurai for Deepavali celebrations and return to Chennai or Bengaluru, they would have to pay through their nose for both airfares and private bus fares. Only those who were lucky can manage to get tatkal tickets for train travel for the next few days.

Despite a good frequency of flight services between Chennai and Madurai — eight flights a day by Indigo and one service by Air India — airfare for the journey from Chennai to Madurai is ₹15,000 on October 29 and ₹12,000 to ₹18,000 on October 30.

“Only business class tickets are available in Air India and it will cost around ₹33,000,” said N Sriram, a travel agent. Airfare for Bengaluru-Madurai is around ₹12,400 on Tuesday and ₹16,500 on Wednesday.

Madurai has got four flight services to and from Bengaluru daily.

The airfares for the return journey from Madurai on both the routes are also on the higher side.

“This is only because Indigo is flying only ATR flights, which can accommodate only 72 passengers,” said another travel agent, B.S.G. Mustafa.

Madurai has been the highest revenue-generating sector for the airliners in the entire country.

“Despite the longer distance between Chennai and Mumbai, the airfare on that route is only a little over ₹5,000. Airline operators do not want to lose the revenue during the festival season and make the most of the demand,” he added.

The travel agents, however, said introduction of Vande Bharat expresses from Bengaluru and Chennai to/via Madurai had given a good option to travel during festival season. The fare is only ₹1,200 for chair car and ₹2,300 for executive chair car.

A railway official said some 144 seats were available till Monday evening in Chennai Egmore — Tirunelveli Vande Bharat train for October 30. “Southern Railway has introduced several special trains to clear extra passengers. But, all the trains, besides the regular trains, are full,” he added.

Even the train on demand had got good patronage.

The only option available before the passengers was tatkal and premium tatkal tickets for relatively cheaper travel, when compared to omni buses which are charging up to ₹4,200.