Christmas rush: Airfares from Bengaluru to Kochi, Hyderabad & Vizag skyrocket

BENGALURU: Airfares have skyrocketed to touch the five-figure mark for a one-way trip from Bengaluru to Kochi, Hyderabad, and Visakhapatnam for this weekend, with many in the city scrambling to get home for Christmas. Even bus fares from Bengaluru to parts of Kerala have touched Rs 5,000 per passenger, while all trains are running full.

The one-way non-stop fare from Bengaluru to Visakhapatnam for Saturday touched Rs 17,000 on domestic carrier IndiGo, while Air India Express had a few tickets for Rs 13,683. The regular fares to the Andhra city are around Rs 4,100.

With many people from Kerala working in Bengaluru and yearning to be home for Christmas, train tickets sold out in early November without the option of waiting list. The rush on this section is also because of pilgrims taking the holy trip to Sabarimala in Kerala. Tatkal tickets for trains to Kerala opened on Thursday and Friday, only to be sold out in seconds.

“I got a booking on Hamsafar Express from Bengaluru to Kochuveli in Kerala, but the waiting list number was 684. There is no way it will get cleared. Christmas is an important family reunion time for us and I’ve booked a ticket on IndiGo airlines for Saturday morning from Bengaluru to Kochi. It cost me Rs 15,340,” lamented Saju John, an IT professional and resident of Madiwala.

Friday night fares for a one-way trip from Bengaluru to Kochi touched a shocking Rs 16,223 on Akasa Air and Rs 14,837 on IndiGo as many made a desperate dash home for the weekend, ahead of Christmas which falls on Monday this year.

Airfares from the city to Thiruvananthapuram have also touched the range of Rs 10,000 to Rs 17,000 (one way, per flyer). During off-season, the regular fares to the Kerala cities are Rs 2,700 to Rs 4,000.

Bengaluru to Hyderabad one-way fares have also soared for the weekend and range from Rs 9,400 to Rs 15,400. “There are 16 non-stop flights scheduled from Bengaluru to Hyderabad, including IndiGo, Vistara, Air India Express, and Alliance Air on Saturday, and most flights seem to be sold out...,” said a terminal staffer at Bengaluru airport. The regular fare on this route is just over Rs 3,000.

However, airfares to Chennai haven’t escalated much, with the ticket prices for Saturday being just over Rs 5,000. The Sunday fares are around Rs 2,700.