Those looking to fly out of the Chennai ahead Deepavali are forced to spend extra as flight fares have shot up for the next few weeks.
A one-way trip to New Delhi costs anywhere between ₹7,700 and ₹11,000, depending on the time of the flight.
Travel agents say there is maximum demand for travel from Chennai to Delhi and Mumbai among metro cities. Fares to Mumbai range between ₹6,000 and ₹9,000. The fares, which were around ₹1,500 to Bengaluru, have more than doubled at ₹3,300.
Tushar Jain of roundtrip.in says the demand in this festive season is akin to pre-COVID levels and comes as a much-needed boost for the airlines and travel industry. Most passengers taking the flights are those who work and get back home to spend a few days with their families.
Preferred option
“Since many offices have opened, working professionals are returning home for Deepavali. Fully vaccinated people are confident of flying now, be it for leisure or business. They are inclined to take a flight instead of train because travel time is far less, even if it means spending more,” he says.
S. Jeyasekaran of Travel Agents Association of India, Chennai Chapter says, apart from Delhi and Mumbai, many within the State travel to Coimbatore, Tiruchi and Madurai. The fares are exorbitant with a one-way ticket to Tiruchi touching nearly ₹7,000 almost as much as the fare to Delhi itself.
The flight ticket from Chennai to Madurai is about ₹5,000. “While there may be many who take buses or trains to these cities, there is a section of last-minute travellers who take a flight. We also had some families that are planning temple trips to places like Madurai and Kanniyakumari around this time,” he says.
