Fares raised to cash in on rush of passengers
Picture used for representational purpose. (Photo: PTI)
Kochi: With school vacations nearly at an end in the Gulf and the Onam season underway in Kerala, airlines operating from the three airports of the state have raised their fares exorbitantly to cash in on the rush of passengers.
While many Keralites are returning to the Gulf after enjoying their school vacations that began in July and end on September 1, in the state, some are flying in from the Gulf to spend Onam with their families here, keeping the airlines busy. Many budget airlines have in the process hiked their fares that hovered between Rs 6000 to Rs 8000 one-way during the off season, five times. And with Air Arabia, Qatar Airways, Emirates, Oman Air, Etihad, Saudia, Kuwait Airlines, and Fly Dubai joining the other airlines cashing in on the rush, one -way fares to the Gulf have been starting from Rs 16,000 over the last couple of weeks.
Ask the airlines and their officials claim they are only following “the dynamic pricing system” of the industry the world over . They also point out that the pricing by companies registered in India, like Air India Express, Spice Jet, Jet Airways and Indigo, is constantly monitored by the DGCA.
But passengers complain that the Air India Express which is supposed to support them in such times, is also toeing the line of the private airlines. An AIE spokesman, when contacted, said it could
not alone avoid “the dynamic pricing system” in vogue.
“We encourage passengers to travel off-season from mid-October when the fares hit rock bottom. Bu these cannot be taken as the benchmark price,” said an airline official, adding, “Not all seats go for the same price. Some of them are booked three months in advance and go for much lower. So to say that airlines are fleecing passengers is not true.”
( Source : dc correspondent )
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