Hyderabad: Air travel has suddenly become far more expensive, catching many holidaymakers off guard. Soon after the ministry of civil aviation (MoCA) removed airfare caps imposed during the IndiGo crisis in Dec, airlines hiked ticket prices sharply, in some cases by as much as 200%.The surge is most visible around April 2 and 3, coinciding with the Good Friday long weekend. On April 2, a one-way evening flight from Hyderabad to Goa, a relatively short 500-km route, shot up to nearly Rs 15,000, far above the earlier cap of Rs 10,000 and nearly three times the usual fare.A similar trend is seen on longer routes. Flights from Hyderabad to Srinagar and Guwahati have touched Rs 20,000, crossing the earlier ceiling of Rs 18,000, even though these routes are usually priced much lower.Travel agents say the spike is being driven by shifting travel plans. Ongoing disruptions in West Asia have pushed many travellers to opt for domestic destinations instead of international trips. This has led to a rush for popular holiday spots like Goa, Kashmir, Ooty and Darjeeling during the three-day Good Friday break. Most flights, especially evening departures and return journeys, are already filling up fast.“The trend is likely to continue through the holiday period as demand remains high and seats are limited. Tourist routes from Hyderabad to destinations like Goa, Srinagar, Shimla and Manali are seeing heavy bookings. This year, bookings for the Good Friday weekend also started earlier than usual, which has pushed prices further,” said Moez Meghani, owner of Max Travels.Passengers, however, are feeling the pinch. Many say the fares are becoming unaffordable. “A short trip to Darjeeling, via Bagdogra, now costs almost as much as an international trip. When I checked tickets for my family of three, it came to nearly Rs 40,000, with each ticket priced between Rs 13,000 and Rs 14,000. That’s close to fares for places like Sri Lanka or Malaysia,” said R Ajay Raj, a frequent flyer.Fares based on demandAirfares are market driven and are under the provisions. The airlines are free to fix tariffs, having regard to all relevant factors, including cost of operation, characteristics of services, generally prevailing tariff, said Murlidhar Mohol, minister of state in MoCA.While answering to a question on ‘Airfare regulation on Middle East routes’ in Rajya Sabha on Monday, the minister said that the fares are fixed by airlines keeping in mind the market, demand, seasonality, prevailing international scenarios and other market forces. The airfare increases with increase in demand for seats as the lower fare buckets get sold out faster and move to higher fare buckets.GFX: AIRFARES FROM HYDDestinationRegular fare Fares on Apr 2 & 3GoaRs 6,000Rs 15,000SrinagarRs 10,000Rs 20,000GuwahatiRs 9,500Rs 20,000BagdograRs 9,000Rs 14,000IndoreRs 6,700Rs 13,000
