Ahmedabad: Thousands of NRI devotees of Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) have been booking last-minute tickets to Ahmedabad for one last darshan of Pramukh Swami Maharaj. The rising demand for flights to Ahmedabad from Chicago, New York, Newark and Los Angeles airports have caused the airfares to skyrocket like never before, say airline sources and travel agents. Devotees from the US, where BAPS has 93 temples, have been spending as much as Rs 2.5 lakh on an economy class ticket to make it to Sarangpur to attend his last rites on August 17.
Sources associated with BAPS in the city said that over 8,000 NRG devotees will reach Sarangpur to pay their last respects to their departed spiritual leader. Interestingly, flights from these destinations cost not more than Rs 55,000 if booked for dates after August 17. The flights arriving at city airport from the US are fully packed, said sources. Even for days preceding August 15, the flight tickets were priced at around Rs 52,000 on the shortest route from Chicago to Ahmedabad.
Sanjeev Bhatt, a devotee from New Jersey, told Mirror, "It is difficult to get a ticket to Ahmedabad immediately due to heavy rush of devotees, but I have been extremely lucky to get one. A one-way ticket cost me $2000, but money is no issue here. I will reach Sarangpur on Tuesday to attend the last rites of a man who was more than a father to me."
Airfares have never shot up like this before recollects Urjit Thaker, owner of World Wide Travel, who mainly caters to NRG clients. "I do not remember people buying tickets for such high rates in past. One of my clients bought a business class ticket for Rs 7 lakh for the August 14 flight from Newark as economy class seats were unavailable. Usually, tickets bought from any US destination on the day of flight would cost below Rs 1lakh. These fares are the highest I have seen in 18 years of my business." The cheapest Air India ticket (one-way, for August 15) from Newark for 34 hours of flying costs Rs 2.45 lakh.
15/08/16 Alok Brahmbhatt/Ahmedabad Mirror
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Sources associated with BAPS in the city said that over 8,000 NRG devotees will reach Sarangpur to pay their last respects to their departed spiritual leader. Interestingly, flights from these destinations cost not more than Rs 55,000 if booked for dates after August 17. The flights arriving at city airport from the US are fully packed, said sources. Even for days preceding August 15, the flight tickets were priced at around Rs 52,000 on the shortest route from Chicago to Ahmedabad.
Sanjeev Bhatt, a devotee from New Jersey, told Mirror, "It is difficult to get a ticket to Ahmedabad immediately due to heavy rush of devotees, but I have been extremely lucky to get one. A one-way ticket cost me $2000, but money is no issue here. I will reach Sarangpur on Tuesday to attend the last rites of a man who was more than a father to me."
Airfares have never shot up like this before recollects Urjit Thaker, owner of World Wide Travel, who mainly caters to NRG clients. "I do not remember people buying tickets for such high rates in past. One of my clients bought a business class ticket for Rs 7 lakh for the August 14 flight from Newark as economy class seats were unavailable. Usually, tickets bought from any US destination on the day of flight would cost below Rs 1lakh. These fares are the highest I have seen in 18 years of my business." The cheapest Air India ticket (one-way, for August 15) from Newark for 34 hours of flying costs Rs 2.45 lakh.
15/08/16 Alok Brahmbhatt/Ahmedabad Mirror
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