As air fares rise, short-haul air passengers fly to the railways

Mumbai: In these times of high inflation and fuel prices, Indian travellers are reverting to the traditional rail and road transport for short haul trips. Rising airfares are making this decision easier.
The choice is a no-brainer: most short-haul flights cost almost as much as a long one. In some cases, the short-hauls even cost more. And they exceed the deluxe rail-fares by several times.
For instance, a 40-minute Mumbai-Bhavnagar flight on Jet Airways would cost, including taxes and the fuel surcharge, around Rs 3,500, while the same airline charges Rs 4,800 for a Mumbai-Delhi ticket -- a 2-hour flight.
Similarly, the Delhi-Jammu fare on SpiceJet is around Rs 5,000, while the same airline charges Rs 4,000 for a Delhi-Mumbai ticket. An AC train ticket from Delhi to Jammu costs approximately Rs 800 -- not such a tough decision, in such tough times.
This migration is impacting budget airlines in a big way, as passengers who chose budget flights over trains for short distances have been the drivers of the aviation boom.
Though there is enough scope for bargaining on long-haul routes, only limited offers are available on short-distance ones. Airlines are rapidly realising this and taking steps to retain passengers. Two months ago, some airlines started the practice of differential fuel surcharge, by which passengers flying long distance pay more than short-distance passengers.
25/05/08 Lalatendu Mishra/Hindustan Times

To Read the News in full at Source, Click the Headline

Categories: Indian Aviation- In General May 2008