Flight fares double as holidayers return to Chennai after Deepavali break
But the fares on outbound flights are less than half, as there are hardly anyone flying out of the city
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CHENNAI: With thousands rushing back to Chennai after the long Deepavali break, the flight fare from Madurai to Chennai on Monday is as high as Rs 10,119 but the fare from Chennai to Madurai is only Rs 4,260.
Nothing perhaps explains better how dynamic pricing work in transportation section. That explanation, however, certainly does not make the people any happy, being forced to shell out more than double of the usual fare.
Airlines have doubled the fares for flights from Madurai, Thoothukudi, Tiruchy, Coimbatore, and Salem to Chennai, while outbound flights from Chennai to these cities remain low.
Like in the case of Madurai, the fare from Thoothukudi to Chennai on Monday stands at Rs 11,925, while traveling the opposite route costs just Rs 6,771.
Other routes reflect the same trend, with Tiruchy to Chennai at Rs 11,109 while Chennai to Tiruchy is only Rs 5,796; Coimbatore to Chennai at Rs 10,179 but Chennai to Coimbatore only Rs 4,466; and Salem to Chennai costs Rs 9,516 while Chennai to Salem is priced at Rs 4,647.
The surge in fare has caused anger among travellers. In response, airlines have justified it saying they were operating flights to other cities from Chennai with skeletal passenger count, which leads to operational loss. On the other hand, there is high demand on occupancy to inbound flights. This way, the fares are adjusted to make up for losses.