Flying within the country at short notice could burn a big hole in your pocket. Spot airfares (tickets bought at short notice) have shot through the roof as airlines make the most of the peak travel season.
The cheapest economy class ticket on the Delhi-Kolkata sector for travel on June 8 was Rs 16,649. Though cheaper fares were available, a one-way Delhi-Mumbai economy class ticket could set you back Rs 15,000-30,000 on Jet Airways, Jet Konnect and Air India. These prices were sourced from Yatra.com. Prices on other sectors were also high.
"Fares this May are 10% higher than they were last year. Fares to US and Europe have also increased dramatically. Prices won't fall unless additional capacity is created," said Sharat Dhall, president, Yatra.com.
"Airfares have increased 10-20% this year. There is nothing like low-cost airlines any more," said Rajji Rai, advisor to Travel Agents Association of India.
{{/usCountry}}"Airfares have increased 10-20% this year. There is nothing like low-cost airlines any more," said Rajji Rai, advisor to Travel Agents Association of India.
{{/usCountry}}HT had, in its In Focus column dated May 22 said that air fares would remain high through most of this year.
The aviation ministry had recently advised airlines to charge less for spot fares so that planes don't fly empty. Indian carriers, the ministry had argued, on an average, have load factors of 75-80%, which means that at least 20% of the seats in an aircraft are vacant each time they fly.