New Delhi: Air fares on key routes connecting metro cities to Patna, Lucknow and Guwahati have surged 3 months ahead of Diwali which falls on on November 1, 2024, this year. Advance airfares are surging for the October-November season owing to the onset of the festive season in India.
Mumbai-Patna route
According to IRCTC flight booking, flight fares on the Mumbai-Patna route remain above Rs 10,000 one-way, with Rs 13,168 on October 30, 2024, Rs 11,222 on October 31, 2024, and Rs 10,802 on November 1, 2024. Fares remain elevated through to November 7, with flyers expected to travel to the capital city of Bihar for Chhath Puja on November 7-8, 2024.
Mumbai-Lucknow, Varanasi route
Fares on the Mumbai-Lucknow route remain elevated from October 26, 2024, until October 31, 2024 ahead of Diwali. Flying from Mumbai to Varanasi will cost passengers more ahead of November 1, 2024, with fares in the range of Rs 7,849-9,047 in the week ahead of Diwali, according to an IRCTC search.
Bengaluru to Patna and Lucknow
Bengaluru Patna air fares are in the Rs 8,500-14,000 range in the run up to Diwali on November 1, 2024, and then for Chhathh Puja on November 7, 2024. In the week before Diwali, airfares on the Bengaluru-Lucknow route remain elevated between Rs 8,100 and Rs 11,488.
Guwahati air fares surge
Mumbai-Guwahati fares cost Rs 10,000 on average in the week before Diwali/ Kali Puja and then until November 3, 2024. Bengaluru-Guwahati airfares remain in the range of Rs 8,000-10,000 around Diwali, according to an IRCTC search.
Yearly trend?
To be sure, air fares have a trend of surging ahead of Diwali with fares rising 42 per cent year-on-year in 2023 from 2022, the ET reported, citing MakeMytrip CMO Rishi Singh. The travel booking platform also sent communications to customers urging them to book tickets for the festive season at least 3 months in advance. At the time of writing air fares had already surged 15 per cent for the period leading up to Diwali, the ET reported, citing Cleartrip’s VP of air category, Gaurac Patwari.
Diwali air fares: Advance air ticket bookings for Diwali are likely to hurt the consumer’s pocket with air fares having surged above normal owing to an uptick in demand for festive season travel. Biz News Business News – Personal Finance News, Share Market News, BSE/NSE News, Stock Exchange News Today
