Flight fares from Chennai soar as Christmas, New Year holiday travel begins
The growing number of passengers has caused flight ticket prices to rise dramatically, with domestic fares jumping three to four times their usual rates.
Representative image; Screengrab of flight ticket prices
CHENNAI: The rise in the number of passengers travelling to hometowns and tourist destinations during the Christmas and New Year holidays has led to a sharp rise in domestic and international flight fares from Chennai.
Several routes, including Thoothukudi, Madurai, and Kochi, as well as international destinations such as Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Thailand, and Dubai, have recorded manifold rise in ticket prices.
The growing number of passengers has caused flight ticket prices to rise dramatically, with domestic fares jumping three to four times their usual rates.
Current ticket prices compared to regular fares:
- Chennai–Thoothukudi - Regular Rs 4,796 - Today's fare Rs 14,281
- Chennai–Madurai - Regular Rs 4,300 - Today's fare Rs 17,695
- Chennai–Tiruchy - Regular Rs 2,382 - Today's fare Rs 14,387
- Chennai–Coimbatore - Regular Rs 3,485 - Today's fare Rs 9,418
- Chennai–Salem - Regular Rs 3,537 - Today's fare Rs 8,007
- Chennai–Thiruvananthapuram - Regular Rs 3,821 - Today's fare Rs 13,306
- Chennai–Kochi - Regular Rs 3,678 - Today's fare Rs 18,377
- Chennai–Mysuru - Regular Rs 3,432 - Today's fare Rs 9,872
- Chennai–Singapore - Regular Rs 7,510 - Today's fare Rs 16,861
- Chennai–Kuala Lumpur - Regular Rs 11,016 - Today's fare Rs 33,903
- Chennai–Thailand - Regular Rs 8,891 - Today's fare Rs 17,437
- Chennai–Dubai - Regular Rs 12,871 - Today's fare Rs 26,752
However, despite the many-fold increase in fares, a large number of passengers are still going ahead to book tickets, resulting in many flights being full and travellers scrambling for tickets, which in turn is sending the fare further up.
Train tickets to other parts of Tamil Nadu are already sold out, while omnibus operators have jacked up tickets prices to make the most of the rush. Many passengers seem to be opting for flights despite the price hike because the special fare special trains and omnibuses are charging very high fares and the travel time is lengthy.