Air ticket prices have jumped across the board, but when fares on flights originating from six Indian cities to six international destinations in the neighbourhood are compared, it emerges that, this season, rates from Mumbai have witnessed the steepest hike.
A case in point is tickets to Dubai. "Airfares on the Mumbai-Dubai and Delhi- Dubai flights were almost on a par," said Anoop Kanuga, director, Bathija Travels. Not any more. To go to Dubai next week, a passenger from Mumbai will need to pay at least Rs 34,000, the cheapest return fare this weekend. But a passenger from Delhi can do a Dubai return for Rs 22,000.
Similarly, the cheapest return flight to Singapore from Mumbai costs Rs 7,000 more than that from Delhi.
If the Diwali factor is removed and one looks at airfares on these routes for January, a Delhi-Dubai return ticket cost Rs 19,000, while that from Mumbai cost Rs 22,000. Though the fare difference has narrowed down considerably, Mumbai is still the most expensive Indian metro to board a flight from. Only in case of flights to Singapore, the cheapest return Mumbai-Singapore flight cost Rs 20,000, while that from Delhi costs Rs 21,500.
The prime reason for Mumbai being on top of the airfare hike chart is high Diwali travel demand and the considerable reduction in number of flights from the city this winter as compared to the last. Last winter, Mumbai airport had a total of 1,321 international departures and the number went up to only 1,374 this winter, an addition of a mere 53 foreign flights per week, according to statistics provided by Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd.
In comparison, Delhi airport had 1,499 international departures last winter and has 1,677 this winter, an increase of 178 flights per week. That is, Delhi saw more than thrice the capacity increase as compared to Mumbai this winter. For a clearer perspective, compare the number of seats, (multipy each flight, by say, 200 seats) and one can see that while Mumbai added only 10,600 extra international seats per week this winter, Delhi has added 35,600 (these numbers include all international flights and not just to neighourhood destinations).
Though the Delhi passenger has gained as the capital's airport handles the largest number of flights in the country, the best deals go to passengers from Chennai. Not only are flights from Chennai to conventional favourites in Southeast Asia cheaper, but also those to the Middle East (see box). Chennai passengers also get the best transit options on flights to Southeast Asia, while those from Kolkata and Hyderabad get poor, unattractive transit options.
So while the cheapest fares on five-hour direct flights from Chennai to Hong Kong for travel next week start at Rs 71,000 (Cathay Pacific), the Chennai flyer can jump this hurdle by booking a Rs 32,000 return fare on Thai Airways, which entails a seven hours journey in one direction and 12 hours during the return leg. Compare that to a Hyderabad passenger, who would have to pay an absurd Rs 82,000 for a Hong Kong return direct flight. The transit option that the Hyderabadi gets is on Air India flight where the return fare is Rs 39,000, but the Hyderabad-Hong Kong leg is 23 hours long with a halt in Chennai. Hyderabad-Bangkok direct flight return fares for next week is a stupendous Rs 71,000, but a considerably better transit option via Delhi is available on Jet Airways for a Rs 24,000 fare. But it still does not compare to Chennai, from where a passenger can fly to Singapore for Rs 19,000, which is a six hour journey with a transit halt at Trichy. A direct flight takes four hours and cost Rs 27,000.
"There are several reasons for higher airfares out of Mumbai. Capacities have not increased, demand is up because of the festive season, the Mumbai airport has constraints and Kingfisher had a more prominent presence in Mumbai than Delhi," said Ankur Bhatia, executive director, Bird group, a travel conglomerate. The Bangalore passenger, too, has been hit by the Kingfisher debacle as fares from this city have gone up by an average of 20-30%.
On the extreme end of the fare difference spectrum are flights from Mumbai to Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur. The lowest return fare available on non-stop flights to Hong Kong from Mumbai for travel next week is Rs 61,000 and to Kuala Lumpur Rs 72,000. But those boarding from Delhi can buy Hong Kong or Kuala Lumpur return tickets for Rs 42,000. A Mumbaikar can go to Kuala Lumpur via Hyderabad by doing a 13-hour, one-way, transit flight on Jet Airways for a return fare of Rs 34,000. But the transit option for Hong Kong is still expensive at Rs 51,000 for a return ticket that takes 11 hours in one direction and 14 hours for return. Tickets on direct flights to Hong Kong are more expensive from other metros, like Hyderabad, Chennai. But as shown above, the Chennai passenger has excellent options on transit flights.
On the Hong Kong route, too, the price difference on tickets from Delhi and Mumbai mellows down as one moves out of the festive season. Fares for January next year show Delhi-Hong Kong tickets starting at Rs 35,000 and Mumbai-Hong Kong at Rs 37,000.
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