According to a study, airfares are trending upwards throughout the holiday season, with the average one-way ticket price on major domestic routes increasing by 10-15% for Diwali and by 20–25% for certain flights to Kerala towns for Onam. According to a travel site, ixigo’s study for PTI, the average one-way economy class cost for a non-stop trip on the Delhi-Chennai route between October 30 and November 5 is INR 7,618—a 25% increase.
Holiday Airfares Rise Up to 25%: 10 Key Points To Know
- Holiday Airfare Increase: Airfares have increased during the holiday season, with a 10-15% rise for Diwali and 20-25% for flights to Kerala towns for Onam.
- Specific Route Increases: The average one-way ticket price on the Delhi-Chennai route between October 30 and November 5 is INR 7,618, reflecting a 25% increase from the same period last year.
- Mumbai-Hyderabad Route: The ticket price for the Mumbai-Hyderabad route has increased by 21% to INR 5,162.
- Other Route Increases: The Delhi-Goa route saw a 19% increase to INR 5,999, and the Delhi-Ahmedabad route increased by 19% to INR 4,930.
- Decreases on Some Routes: Some routes saw a decrease in airfare, such as a 27% drop on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad route to INR 2,508 and a 25% drop on the Mumbai-Udaipur route to INR 4,890.
- Demand Surge for Diwali: Travel demand for Diwali is increasing, with one-way fares on popular routes like Delhi-Chennai, Mumbai-Bengaluru, and Delhi-Hyderabad rising 10-15% year-over-year.
- Onam Travel Demand: For Onam, airline reservations and searches have tripled, with airfares to major Kerala cities increasing by 20-25% annually.
- Price Analysis for Onam: The Hyderabad-Thiruvananthapuram flight saw a 30% increase in airfare to INR 4,102, while the Mumbai-Calicut flight increased by a similar percentage to INR 4,448.
- Government Response: Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu mentioned the implementation of an online grievance resolution system to prevent unfair ticket price increases during peak seasons.
- Airfare Regulation: Since the abolition of the Air Corporation Act in 1994, the government has no longer regulated airfares, though airlines have been advised to self-regulate and keep ticket prices reasonable.
This is in contrast to the price from November 10–16 of the previous year. The ticket price for the Mumbai-Hyderabad route is 21% more for the comparable time at INR 5,162, while for the Delhi-Goa and Delhi-Ahmedabad routes, it is 19% more at INR 5,999 and INR 4,930, respectively. The investigation indicates that there are fee increases on certain other lines ranging from 1 to 16 percent.
Travel demand for Diwali is increasing, according to ixigo Group Co-CEO Rajnish Kumar, with airfares rising over the previous year. “Popular routes like Delhi-Chennai, Mumbai-Bengaluru, and Delhi-Hyderabad are seeing average one-way fares ranging between INR 4,000-5,000, marking a 10-15 percent Y-o-Y increase as the festival approaches,” he said.
However, over the specified comparative period, prices have also decreased on a number of routes by 1 to 27%. The Mumbai-Ahmedabad flight ticket price has decreased by 27% to INR 2,508, while the Mumbai-Udaipur flight ticket price has decreased by 25% to INR 4,890. According to the data, the ticket for the Bengaluru-Hyderabad trip has decreased by 23% to INR 3,383, while for the Mumbai-Jammu route, it has decreased by 21% to INR 7,826. Furthermore, an examination of airfare patterns on certain routes for the next Kerala festival revealed that increases in price had occurred on several routes ranging from 1% to 25%. Simultaneously, ticket costs have decreased on some routes by around 6–35%.
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The data represent the average one-way ticket for non-stop flights departing between September 6 and 15, this year, and August 20–29, 2023, the Onam holiday period. For the specified comparative period, a 30% increase in tickets to INR 4,102 has been observed for the Hyderabad-Thiruvananthapuram flight. The Mumbai-Calicut flight will also see a similar rise, reaching INR 4,448.
The second week of September saw a tripling of airline reservations and searches for travel to Kerala, indicating an increase in demand for travel during the Onam celebrations this year. According to Rajnish Kumar, the average cost of flying to major cities like Cochin, Calicut, and Thiruvananthapuram has increased by 20–25 percent annually. Concerns about expensive travel have persisted, particularly during the busiest and festival seasons.
In light of this, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said to Lok Sabha earlier this month that the ministry intended to implement an online grievance resolution system to guarantee that travelers weren’t taken advantage of by needless ticket increases. Following the abolition of the Air Corporation Act in March 1994, the government no longer sets or regulates airfares. The ministry informed the Rajya Sabha last month that airlines have been counseled to self-regulate and have been made aware of the need to be moderate in their ticket prices.
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