Airfares shot up by 80-100 per cent on many routes as SpiceJet flights remained grounded during the first half of the day on Wednesday. Passengers who had to fly on short notice had to shell out an additional Rs. 10,000 for a ticket.
The cash-strapped airline resumed operations in the evening as oil companies eased restriction on fuel supplies to its aircraft.
Rival airlines made hay with tickets being sold for as high as Rs. 52,000 each on a Chennai-Mumbai flight this week. Soaring fares were the norm on many other routes as well.
“Right now, it is the passengers who are the most inconvenienced as last-minute fares have skyrocketed, and as we get closer to the Christmas and New Year break, we are likely to see fares soar even higher,” Sharat Dhall, president of Yatra.com, says.
In Chennai, SpiceJet cancelled its flight to Port Blair. “My flight to Andaman was cancelled today. I have to find an alternative or shell extra at the hotel where I was staying,” said one of the stranded passengers. Till date, SpiceJet has reduced the number of flights across its network from 332 to 239 daily. It has cancelled 1,861 flights till the month-end, which has affected passengers.
For the second day running, the Madurai airport lost SpiceJet connection with Chennai, Hyderabad and Colombo.
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>SpiceJet given a week to submit funding planWell-placed sources in the Civil Aviation Ministry said that SpiceJet would be able to carry on its operations and would not be put in “cash and carry” mode, a badly needed breather for the carrier >Read More... |
>SpiceJet shares continue to plungeIn four trading sessions, the stock has crashed over 25 per cent, eroding Rs. 216. 63 crore from its market value >Read More... |
>Holidaymakers hit as SpiceJet cancels flightsFor hundreds of holidaymakers, all their well crafted year-end travel plans have come crashing without taking off in the wake of no-frills carrier SpiceJet cancelling many flights. >Read More... |
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