Private airlines,
including those based in the Gulf, have exorbitantly hiked the airfares from
various destinations in West Asia to Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, and Kozhikode
in the State, putting the travel plans of hundreds of Non-Resident Keralites
(NoRKs) into disarray.
Along with the steep
hike in the airfares to the State, the non-availability of seats, especially in
the most sought-after Economy class, in the flights of the foreign airlines
that operate to the three airports has come as a big blow to the NoRKs and
their families. The one-way airfares from the Gulf to the three airports that
was in the range of Rs.6,000 to Rs.9,000 for the Economy class before the Air
India pilots' strike has been steeply hiked and is now in the range of
Rs.30,000 to Rs.62,000. The fares that were hiked by 50 to 100 per cent by the
private carriers immediately after the strike began went up by 500 to 600 per
cent in July.
Cashing in on
strike
The steep hike in the
airfares have been resorted to by the private airlines in the country and the
foreign airlines to cash in on the cancellation of flights of Air India and Air
India Express as a result of the strike by the pilots owing allegiance to the Indian
Pilots Guild and the forthcoming summer vacation in the Gulf countries, sources
in the travel trade told The Hindu. In the Qatar-Thiruvananthapuram
sector, the fare for an Economy class ticket on July 1 and 3 was Rs.60,317; in
the Dubai-Thiruvananthapuram sector, it was Rs.49,037 on July 1 and 3; in the
Dammam-Thiruvananthapuram sector Rs.36,718 on July 1, 2 and 3; and in the
Kuwait-Thiruvananthapuram sector Rs.62,574 on July 1. The minimum fare after
the pilots' stir in these sectors was Rs.16,887, Rs.13,962, Rs.15,983 and
Rs.14,410, respectively. In many Gulf-Kerala sectors, the Economy class tickets
have been sold out and the NORKs are forced to travel in the Executive class.
An Executive class ticket in a foreign airline operating in the Qatar-Thiruvananthapuram
sector in July will cost Rs.88,361.
Airline sources said
several flights of Air India and Air India Express had been cancelled and
frequencies reduced to the Gulf sector.
Travel trade sources
said the airlines would hike the fare in the Kerala-Gulf sector after August as
there would be a heavy rush of NoRKs returning after the holidays and Onam.
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