Thiruvananthapuram, Karipur-bound fliers charged ‘ransom’ fares by carriers

Several airlines now charge anything between Rs 10,000 -15,000 on the Thiruvananthapuram- Bengaluru and Thiruvananthapuram- Chennai sectors while the usual rate is way way below Rs 5,000.
Thiruvananthapuram, Karipur-bound fliers charged ‘ransom’ fares by carriers

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As thousands of air passengers to Kochi have been stranded, with the Nedumbassery Airport(CIAL) being closed down for a week, the private carriers have been charging exorbitant rates for the domestic routes connecting the two nearby airports - Thiruvananthapuram and Karipur. Several airlines now charge anything between Rs 10,000 -15,000 on the Thiruvananthapuram- Bengaluru and Thiruvananthapuram- Chennai sectors while the usual rate is way way below Rs 5,000.

Similarly, charges for the Kozhikode-Mangalore sector have been jacked up. Stakeholders said several north Keralabound persons from the southern parts of the state are now flying to Mangaluru and Bangaluru Airports. From there, they travel by bus to the northern districts and vice-versa.

The closure of the Nedumbassery CIAL Airport has pushed up the demand for flights operating from the Thiruvananthapuram and Karipur Airports. The apparent bid by the airlines to make a quick buck by preying on the desperation of the hapless fliers comes even as the DGCA recently directed the air carriers to peg the New Delhi-Thiruvananthapuram fare at Rs 10,000. Though the Centre had asked the airlines to keep the fares well under the limit for all domestic services connecting the airports in Kerala, the fares are going up owing to factors out of control of the operators.

“Only higher classes are available on most of the routes which ups the cost. Also, tickets of direct flights have been sold out and connection flights increases the cost manifold,” said a city-based travel agent. People booked to and fro tickets from CIAL airport are also at receiving end. A Kochi resident Sam Daniel who had booked to and fro tickets to Hyderabad had to cancel his trip. While his ticket to Hyderabad will indeed be refunded, 15 per cent of the fare was deducted while canceling the Hyderabad- Kochi ticket.

Related Stories

No stories found.
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com