Domestic air fares soar on Pongal eve

Chennai: Flying to Tuticorin or Madurai on Saturday is going to cost you the same as flying to Kuala Lumpur or Dubai - Rs 10,900. A Chennai-London return flight will cost about Rs 20,000 via Colombo. Air fare to Tuticorin and Madurai has shot up by nearly 300% with demand for seats peaking on Pongal-eve.
Travellers will have to shell out Rs 10,932 to Tuticorin and Rs 10,900 to Rs 15,500 to Madurai to fly on Saturday. There are virtually no seats. According to a travel website, only two seats are available from Chennai to Tuticorin on SpiceJet's 9.40 am flight and four seats on Jet Konnect's 4.35 pm flight.
Fares will come down to the normal Rs 2,500 to Rs 3,000 on Sunday because not many fly on Pongal. An airport official said the high demand was normal on the eve of a festival. "It is impossible to depend on flights because last minute fares continue to be high. Madurai, Trichy and Coimbatore are the routes on which air fares often shoot up," he said.
12/01/12 Times of India

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Categories: Indian Aviation- In General Jan 2012