New Delhi: Galloping operating costs for airlines have made train travel — if you can manage to get a confirmed ticket — way cheaper than flying even a low-cost carrier (LCC). Now, the only time flying is cheaper is when airlines engage in a price war and offer low, all-inclusive fares during lean travel periods.
A few years back, LCC fares were positioned closer to Rajdhani second AC fare levels. The idea was to convert train passengers into flyers. "There is no comparison between train and airfares now. Operating costs for airlines have shot up tremendously in India over the past two to three years. Today, average airfares start at over Rs 5,000-6,000 while earlier this was as low as Rs 2,500-3,000. Now, except for special offers from airlines, one cannot expect low-priced air tickets," said Kapil Kaul of the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation.
27/02/13 Economic Times
