Homecoming hurdle: Flight fares skyrocket, all seats booked till Fri
Kolkata: No seat was available on any direct flight between Srinagar and Kolkata until Friday, as panic-stricken tourists were anxious to rush home after the terror attack in Pahalgam. As a double whammy, flight fares skyrocketed, forcing tourists to try to book a journey home via Delhi.
Those who tried to book flights from Srinagar to Kolkata on Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning were in for a shock, with fares hovering between Rs 34,000 and Rs 81,000, instead of Rs 12,000-Rs 15,000 before the attack. Th-ose who could afford it, grabbed the few available seats.
"Air fares to Kolkata and other major Indian cities have gone through the roof since the terror attack on Tuesday. We have been calling for a maximum retail price on flight tickets to ensure dynamic pricing does not cause distress in times of calamity, be it natural disasters or man-made ones. While fares will go up when demand increases, there must be a cap," said Indian Association of Tour Operators chairman Debjit Dutta.
IndiGo and Air India Express operate one daily direct flight each between Srinagar and Kolkata, all of which were booked until Friday. "The only way to return from Srinagar is by flight but prices are extremely high. Flights from Srinagar to Kolkata cost over Rs 36,000. How can airlines exploit such situations? Shouldn't they keep fares normal to help those who are stranded?" wrote techie Sudip Das from Kolkata, now stuck in Kashmir.
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Though Union civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu advised airlines to increase flights in response to heightened demand and ensure uninterrupted connectivity from Srinagar to various destinations across India, there was no addition to the two direct flights between Srinagar and Kolkata until Wednesday evening. Two additional flights were deployed to fly out stranded tourists to Delhi and Mumbai.
Airlines, however, paid heed to the minister's request to waive cancellation and rescheduling fees for tourists whose trips to Kashmir were getting cancelled. Air India and other airlines announced the waiver. "We have extended waivers for rescheduling or cancellations for travel until April 30, applicable to bookings made on or before April 22," Indigo announced on X. Air India Express said: "We are waiving all change and cancellation fees for our flights to and from Srinagar until 30 April 2025."
In case of Kolkata-to-Srinagar flights, the lack of demand saw prices crash from Rs 18,000-Rs 22,000 to Rs 10,000-Rs 13,000 on Thursday. The fares are low until May 9, after which they begin to steadily increase to Rs 16,000-Rs 20,000. "If the situation does not get resolved by then and things remain volatile, fares will again drop," said an airline official.
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