With Bus &Train Service Cancelled Travelers Looted by Airlines on Airfare during Natural Calamity
Mangaluru: It always happens during peak holiday season, or during festivals like Diwali, Christmas, Ramzan/Bakrid etc- and also during natural, calamity due to rains etc, that the money hungry Airlines industry take the fullest opportunity to loot the customers by charging twice or thrice the fare on flight ticket- and people are bearing the brunt of such dirty games played by airlines, when they have no other option than to take a flight to their desired destination, since most of the bus and train services have been cancelled due to incessant rains, resulting in floods, blockage of road due to landslides, tree falling etc. When such calamity strikes, and people are desperate to reach their destination, the airlines should have pity and charge the travelers the regular or even give a discount, instead they are ripping off the travelers to fill their bosses pockets.Bah humbug!
M S Shetty speaking to Team Mangalorean said, “When I heard the news of the sudden demise of my very close friend Rajesh Naik of Shivabagh-Mangaluru, I tried every airlines who could offer the best price, since travel by car would not make me reach in time for the final rites of my friend. The only option that I had was to travel to Mangaluru by flight by paying the enormous airfare of Rs 17,000, which is ridiculous on the part of airline industry to ripoff customers during such situations. And sadly government is not taking any action when such things happen”
Prakash Manai, who was also the intimate friend of Rajesh Naik, who informed me about the death of Naik said, “I had come to Mumbai on some urgent work two days ago, but I am devastated on hearing the sad news of my dear friend. I tried to get a airline ticket from Mumbai to Mangaluru, but the last minute fares were between Rs 20,000 -Rs 22,000- and also it was hard to get on certain airlines which would reach to Mangaluru before the final rites of my friend. I feel so sorry that I couldn’t be there to pay my last respect to my dear friend. On the other hand, I want to curse the airlines industry for jacking up the prices during natural calamity, and government should take measures in stopping such kind of dirty tricks played by airline industry during such instances”.
While the regular airfare between Mangaluru-Bengaluru is around Rs 2,280 plus, but last Friday, if one would check the airfare online, the prices ranged from Rs 9,715 and above. On 11 August, airfare on Air India was between Rs 14,600 to Rs 15,596, while airfare on IndiGo was Rs 17,599. And on 12 August, ticket prices to travel on Air India, IndiGo and SpiceJet were Rs 18,851, Rs 10,673 and Rs 10,214 respectively. On twitter netizen Aishwarya S has posted-“Shame on all air travels @flyspicejet @IndiGo6E are misusing the flood sitaution and have increased all flight farse. There is no communication to Mangaluru via roads, these air travels are looting money”. Another tweet by Shravan Rao states, “Floods in Karnataka, roads and rails are inaccessible and airlines are looting the common man. Mangaluru to Bengaluru flight ticket which costs Rs 2000 plus is now Rs 16,000. Please intervene”.
Even though the airfares were high, many travelers coughed up the steep fares to travel since there was no option when they had to attend a function or business appointments, but many others had put put their travel plans on hold until the airfares come down to normal price. Air fares between Mangaluru, Bengaluru, and Thiruvananthapuram have spiked due to closure of roads and many trains had cancelled their services. It is learnt that passengers paid 20% to 30% more on airfares to reach the above three destinations.
While the direct flight fare between Mangaluru to Bengaluru usually is around Rs 2000 plus, now you’ll have to pay between Rs 5000 to Rs 15,000 if you really have to be at your destination. Sources reveal that due to the closure of Cochin International Airport till Sunday, people paid nearly Rs 5000 plus on air travel between Bengaluru and Thiruvananthapuram. With many buses and train services cancelled until further notice, travelers if they really have to reach their destinations have no other options than to shell out extra bucks on air tickets- which is definitely shame on the part of airlines to do such kind of illegal money making business.
Photos for Illustration Only
