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Indian Air travel comes full circle
WSN Bureau

The increase in India's air fares following the hike in ATF prices by oil companies evokes memories of a time not so long ago when air fares were so cheap that taking a flight was cheaper than travelling by train. In fact, plane tickets were so low that it sparked off competition between Lalu Prasad Yadav’s railways and the airlines. Entry-level, first-time travellers have reportedly already switched to rail travel as the Delhi-Mumbai Rajdhani ticket has now become cheaper than the air fare.

Railway minister Lalu Yadav had in his last Railway Budget announced a cut in train fares. According to the travel trade, the bus service between Bangalore and Chennai has now become a favourite of the denizens of the electronic city, which is closer to the Chennai highway and takes only four hours by car or bus compared to the three-hour commute to Bangalore airport from the city. The airlines are facing escalating costs with fuel getting costlier and over-capacity on every route. Even after hiking fares by a maximum of Rs 1,200 for the longest distance, the airlines will still be making a loss.

They are, for instance, losing crores of rupees circling airports or diverting flights because of overcrowding at the major airports. Recently, a Kolkata-Mumbai night flight was told it would have to wait an hour and a half to land as it was 24th in the queue. So the pilot diverted the flight to Ahmedabad as he did not have fuel to circle for one-and-a-half hours. He refuelled at Ahmedabad and returned to Mumbai. Imagine the loss for the airline and the inconvenience to the passengers.

The low-fare airlines will be worst hit by the increase in fares. Till fuel prices come down the airlines in India can only hope that people on the borderline of affordability will be the only ones switching to train travel. Others, like those who get leave travel allowance, business people, and leisure and group travellers, will continue to use the airlines.

25 June, 2008
 

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