Karnataka floods: With roads blocked, airfares spiral

BENGALURU/MANGALURU: Airfares between Bengaluru, Mangaluru and Thiruvananthapuram have spiked due to several roads and many train services between the cities being closed. Passengers say they have had to pay 20% to 30% more for last-minute bookings on Bengaluru-Mangaluru and Benglauru-Thiruvananthapuram routes.
Direct flights on the Mangaluru-Bengaluru route are currently available for anywhere upwards of Rs 4,000 to Rs 11,000 this week, while usually they are priced below Rs 3,000.Between Bengaluru and Thiruvananthapuram, fares stood upwards of Rs 5,000, in view of the closure of the Cochin International Airport till Sunday. While many coughed up the steep fares to travel, many others put their travel plans on hold.
“I had booked a bus ticket and was supposed to go home on Friday to join my family for Bakrid celebrations,” said Faeza Z, a medical intern at a private college in Mangaluru. “But the bus was cancelled due to landslides in Shiradi Ghat and when I checked flights, the price for onward journey was Rs 15,000. I gave up hope of going home,” she said.
“Shame on all air travels @ flyspicejet @IndiGo6E are misusing the flood situation and have increased all flight fares. There is no communication to Mangaluru via roads, these air travels are looting money,” netizen Aishwarya S tweeted on Saturday.
Another passenger Shravan Rao tweeted, “Floods in Karnataka, roads and rails are inaccessible and airlines are looting the common man. Mangalore to Bangalore flight ticket which costs 2000 is now 16000. Pls intervene.”
While flight operations between Bengaluru and Kochi resumed a little after noon on Sunday, four flights between the two cities in the morning were cancelled. The cancelled flights included Air Asia India flight I5 1451 and Indigo flight 6E 536 and 6E 413. Four night trains between Kerala and Bengaluru were cancelled on Friday and Saturday.