Buying an air ticket could pinch your wallet this festive season

New Delhi: Making a trip from Delhi to Kolkata, could have been a definite wallet-pincher this Durga Pujas. The airfare for a return ticket could mean shelling out as much as Rs 40,000, especially if travel plans were conjured up at the last moment leaving you with little option but choosing a full-services carrier. And it isn’t just Kolkata. Spending the long weekend in Mumbai and Chennai could also require spending of up to Rs 36,000 and about Rs 41,000 respectively.
In fact, catching the last flight on Friday night from Delhi to Kolkata cost about Rs 14,000 for a last minute booking. And while the lowest return fare on Tuesday is pegged at about Rs 5,029, the higher return ticket was pegged at Rs 28,000.
In fact, industry watchers say that the last minute fare was almost six times that of the normal fare of Rs 6000 that would be charged for a Delhi- Kolkata return flight about three days back. However, Sabina Chopra, co-founder of Yatra.com feels that the high prices are largely applicable for those making last minute plans considering the fact that both the days were considered to be peak times to travel.
“Last minute fares on Delhi-Kolkata and Mumbai-Kolkata would be extremely high due to limited availability and yield management, because flights are mostly full. However, the majority of travellers for Durga Pujas had advance plans and managed to get good fares,” she adds.
Ankur Bhatia, executive director of the Bird group, adds that the sudden increase in fares could be explained in the case of certain sectors where the demand exceeded capacity.
27/09/09 Lisa Mary Thomson/Economic Times

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Categories: Indian Aviation- In General Sep 2009