Air fares skyrocket ahead of holiday season

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: Ahead of the holiday season, Bengaluru International Airport is experiencing heavy air traffic and airfare hike. Due to the skyrocketing fares, travellers arranging last-minute bookings are spending double, almost triple the regular airfares.

As per the comparatives provided by Cleartrip, a global travel company, fares for economy class Bengaluru to Goa are priced at Rs 7,213 while the off-seasonal rate for the same is Rs 3,100. Due to the city's migrant population, many individuals and families have booked tickets from coastal areas, like Mangaluru and Kochi in Kerala.

The off-season rates for these flights from Bengaluru come up to Rs 4,000 but currently, they are priced at Rs 10,000. It was found that Chennai reported lower airfares in comparison to Goa , Kochi and Mangalore.  AirAsia one-way ticket to Chennai for Thursday is priced as low as Rs 2,168. And the most expensive ticket for the same destination is priced at Rs 69,834 for the same day.

As per travel consultants, the demand for air travel and regular travel has exponentially taken a growth resulting in a revised number of travellers from last year.

Amjad Ali, a travel agent from Cooke Town reportedly said that Indigo is the only airway connector for Mangalore to Bengaluru and the tickets for the same are priced between Rs 8,000 – Rs 10,000, making it hard for some to afford hassle-free air travel. Airlines like IndiGo, Air India and Go Air are offering travellers low-cost airfares but only to a specific limit, catering to few