Flight ticket prices soar ahead of Xmas holidays

CHENNAI: The air ticket prices are going through the roof due to the last-minute rush with Chennai airport witnessing a steady increase ahead of Christmas and New Year holidays.

The authorities have also increased the number of flights to important cities including Madurai, Thoothukudi, Coimbatore, Tiruchy, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram.

While the number of flights for Madurai has been increased from 12 to 14, for Thoothukudi there will be eight flights instead of six. Coimbatore gets six more flights, taking the total number to 16 while Tiruchy flights will increase from six to eight.

However, the increase in flights hasn’t helped in bringing down the fare. Ticket to Thoothukudi now costs Rs 14,500 compared to Rs 5,300 earlier. Similarly Madurai tickets now cost Rs 14,000 against previous Rs 3,600. For Coimbatore, tickets sold for around Rs 3,500 are now costing around Rs 13,500. Tiruchy tickets too have jumped to Rs 10,000 from around Rs 3,500 last week. Ticket fare for Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi in neighbouring Kerala to haave gone up from Rs 3,500 and Rs 5,150 to Rs 19,500 and Rs 21,000 respectively.

While trains and buses ply almost housefull on weekends, flights were the preferred mode of transportation since one can reach destination quicker. However, flights to Thoothukudi, Madurai, Tiruchy, Coimbatore, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram are full. Flyers rue that there are no tickets for Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram since the Ayyappa devotees have already booked them.