Airlines cash in on Diwali fervour, hike fares

Diwali holidays are round the corner, and that means, so is domestic travel. To cash in on that, all airlines — low-cost as well as full service carriers — have hiked fares on many sectors for the next few days.

Insiders have said airfares are set to increase further in the coming days, when last-minute travellers rush to book.

According to travel agents, a one-way ticket from Mumbai to Delhi for Thursday was hovering at a maximum of around Rs25,000, and for Jet Airways it was over Rs15,000. The low-cost carriers too are selling flight tickets for a maximum of around Rs12,000.

A cursory look at popular travel portals reveals fares up to Rs30,000 on the same route for Wednesday on full service carriers Air India and Jet Airways, and around Rs14,000 on low-cost ones. The average airfare to Delhi hovers around Rs7,000-10,000 one way on other days.

"It's peak season for the travel industry, as a result of which airlines are trying to earn some money by increasing fares," said Mithun Roy, a travel industry expert.

Similar is the situation with respect to train travel, as the waiting lists are turning passengers away. "Touts are charging about Rs1,000 extra per ticket. It's difficult to travel with the whole family in such circumstances," said Om Prakash, a banking executive from Andheri, who has planned a short vacation to his hometown Gorakhpur in UP.

Even hotels and other accommodations at major tourist destinations are already booked, and those doing it at the last minute will have to shell out a bomb. "Most of our resorts have been booked as there is heavy rush due to the holiday season," said a spokesperson for Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation.