KOCHI: The ongoing indefinite strike by several private-bus operators across south India has seen airfares go through the roof, particularly on key sectors such as Kochi-Bengaluru and Kochi-Hyderabad. This, coupled with the early rush for Christmas booking has pushed flight ticket costs to new highs, with some fares more than double their normal range.
Ticket prices on Kochi-Bengaluru route for Thursday ranged from Rs 8,730 to a staggering Rs 29,400, compared with the normal range of Rs 2,300-7,000. And, fares on the Hyderabad-Kochi sector for December 21 (Sunday) hover from Rs 12,418 to Rs 27,900, far exceeding the normal Rs 3,200-5,000 range.
According to Biji Eapen, national president of the IATA Agents Association of India, the average flight ticket price for the week leading up to Christmas has already breached the Rs 10,000 mark and is expected to “skyrocket” further as the festival season approaches.
“Airfares from Kochi to sectors like Bengaluru and Hyderabad have rises, while those for the Christmas season have skyrocketed. The situation will be worse as we near the festival season. The continuing strike by inter-state private bus operators is a key factor.
Airlines follow a dynamic pricing system despite instructions from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to increase flight capacity and cap fares during the festive season and publish on their websites in advance the move to hike fares. The sector is unregulated. In fact airlines can increase the demand artificially by showing lower seat capacity,” he pointed out.
Bus operators’ crisis
The root cause of the current travel chaos lies in the ongoing protest by inter-state private bus operators, who are demanding relief from what they describe as “unfair taxes” levied by Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu.
While a “small group” of operators have resumed service, the majority are continuing the strike, said Rijas A J, vice-president of the Intercity Bus and Car Operators Confederation of India and owner of Sona Travels. “The financial burden is immense. An operator must pay Rs 12 lakh as tax for running a single service (two buses) for a 90-day period. This unsustainable cost is pushing bus owners into a crisis, with many fearing their assets could be seized by lending institutions by early next year.
We also can’t increase ticket prices as the same will result in a drop in demand. This is especially so with the newly launched Vande Bharat service on the Kochi-Bengaluru sector,” Rijas said.
The crisis has impacted even major players. FlixBus, a multinational giant, has reportedly threatened to halt operations in sectors like Alappuzha-Bengaluru and Alappuzha-Hyderabad due to the tax issue, having already drastically cut down on services.
With private bus travel largely unavailable, travellers are increasingly reliant on KSRTC and rail alternatives.
A senior KSRTC official confirmed that the corporation continues to operate additional services to Bengaluru. Furthermore, the Railways has stepped in, announcing the augmentation of coaches in trains destined for Chennai, such as the addition of one sleeper coach to Train No 22640 (Alappuzha-MGR Chennai Central Express) for several days in late November.