Airfares shoot through sky for yearend travel

Airfares shoot through sky for yearend travel 

Cheapest Fares Have Inconvenient Flight Timing 

TIMES NEWS NETWORK Mumbai : Airfares for yearend domestic travel from Mumbai are sky-high, but largely only to leisure destinations such as Srinagar, Dehradun, Cochin, Port Blair, and such. Fares for travel in the last week of December on non-stop flights between metros such as those from Mumbai to Delhi, Chennai, and Bengaluru aren't that high this time around, as the cheapest return fares are still priced between ₹9,000 and ₹13,000. The last weekend of the year, comprising Dec 28 (Saturday), and Dec 29, are particularly high in demand for travel out of metros with the most expensive fares. Even on the Mumbai-Kolkata route, which typically sees perennially high fares priced at around ₹10,000 for one-way travel, is at present selling at ₹17,000, which isn’t bad given it is a return fare on non-stop flights. The ones who are hit the most, as usual, are passengers who need to travel for emergency purposes and buy 24-hour advance purchase fares. 

One-way fares on flights from Mumbai to places such as Ranchi (₹20,000), Patna (₹18,000), and Kochi (₹12,000) are high, though not so high to places like Lucknow, Nagpur, and Raipur, which are for now selling for around ₹8,000. Then there are other cities where even 24-hour advance, one-way fares on non-stop flights are not too high, such as Indore (₹5,000), Delhi (₹6,000), Hyderabad (₹4,000), and Bengaluru (₹7,700). The catch, as always, is that the cheapest fares are on flights with inconvenient flight times. The bad boys are all fares to leisure destinations for travel between December 23 and January 1 (see box). Nishant Pitti, CEO and cofounder of EaseMyTrip, says, “Indian travellers are experiencing a complex airfare landscape this year-end season, with significant variations across domestic and  international routes. For domestic routes, the data reveals mixed fare patterns. The Delhi-Goa route, a perennial favourite, shows a modest 2% increase with average fares at ₹9,301. 

He added: “However, some routes like Pune-Benga- luru have seen dramatic fare surges, with prices jumping 80% to ₹10,000-11,000, compelling travellers to reconsider their holiday plans.” “In terms of top destinations, domestic travellers are gravitating towards Goa, Delhi, and Bengaluru, with Goa maintaining its status as the premier year-end celebration destination,” he said.