Flying to Dubai cheaper than Delhi

Weekend travel for Diwali on short notice is proving to be a costly proposition. With air fares almost trebling on certain metro routes, it makes more sense to go holidaying in Bangkok or shopping in Dubai than visiting relatives in Kolkata or Chennai.

At least for four days stating November 5, air fares in some domestic routes will be so high that they will burn a hole in your pocket and gobble up your bonus. “Thanks to the festive season, ticket prices in the winter schedule, which marks the beginning of the tourist season, have shot up,” said Rajesh Rateria, chairman, Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI).

Sample this: the normal low-cost carrier (LCC) fare on the Mumbai-Delhi route for a one-way ticket is around Rs3,250; but on Friday, the price had shot up to Rs16,132. For the Mumbai-Kolkata route, the normal LCC fare is around Rs4,100; but on Friday, the price was Rs15,184-Rs19,216. For Delhi-Chennai, ticket prices hovered around Rs21,300, up from around Rs5,550.

And in case you thought of lounging on the beaches of Goa this weekend, the plane fare from Mumbai is Rs9,590-Rs11,202. “On any other day, the fare is around Rs2,750,” said another travel agent.

“This is a normal phenomenon during the winter schedule. But due to Diwali, and also the fact that it falls on a weekend, when passenger traffic is really high, air fares on domestic routes have trebled.

“Isn’t it better to go to Bangkok or Dubai? A one-way Mumbai-Dubai ticket is Rs8,932, and Mumbai-Bangkok Rs11,218. Why not fly international?”