The ongoing wave of flight cancellations by IndiGo has plunged air travel from Bengaluru into chaos, triggering a massive and unprecedented surge in airfares that has left passengers in shock and scrambling for options. With no immediate resolution in sight, ticket prices on key routes have skyrocketed to levels rarely seen, even during peak festival seasons, turning routine travel into a nightmare of uncertainty and exorbitant costs.
Business Corridor Crippled: Mumbai Fares Touch Rs 49,000
The crisis has hit the high-frequency Bengaluru to Mumbai business corridor the hardest. Passengers are reporting fares as high as Rs 49,000 for a one-way ticket, a figure that dwarfs the typical Rs 30,000 peak observed during major holidays. This sudden spike has caught flyers off guard, many of whom have urgent travel commitments.
Priyamvada Vijay, a student who must reach Mumbai for crucial MBA exams, expressed the collective frustration. "This is insane. Prices have skyrocketed overnight," Vijay said. The anxiety is compounded by doubts over the reliability of other carriers. "Even if we don't mind booking on SpiceJet or Air India, we are not sure if those flights will actually take off. Another challenge is that many flights that do operate don't land on time. We are completely unsure of what to do and whom to trust."
Short-Haul Routes Transformed Into Costly Puzzles
The disruption is not confined to long-distance travel. It has severely impacted short-haul routes as well, notably the typically affordable and frequent Bengaluru–Chennai sector. This route has been transformed into a bizarre and expensive routing puzzle for desperate passengers.
Online travel platforms are showing fares on this sector jumping staggeringly from the usual range of Rs 4,000 to an astounding Rs 15,000. For direct flights, the situation is even more dire, with prices quoted between Rs 24,000 and Rs 28,000. Anandavalli Thirumankumar, stranded in Bengaluru since Thursday while trying to return home to Chennai, highlighted the absurdity. "It makes no sense, the fare is something we would never pay in normal circumstances. There are barely any direct flights available. Whatever is left is overpriced beyond imagination. I'd rather have my driver come from Chennai to pick me up and drive back to the city."
Airlines Cite Disruptions, Passengers Cry Exploitation
Airlines have attributed the extreme price surge to a combination of operational disruptions, high demand due to mass cancellations, and limited aircraft availability. However, stranded passengers argue that the current pricing model borders on exploitation during a crisis, leaving them with no viable alternatives.
Nishanth BR, a Bengaluru resident stuck at the airport since Thursday midnight, echoed this sentiment. "We are unable to book other airlines also because of the skyrocketing prices," he stated. When contacted for comment, a major online ticketing platform declined to make any statement, saying they were "not in a position" to address the issue at this time.
Travel industry experts warn that this chaos may persist for another 48 to 72 hours, unless airlines can swiftly restore their regular schedules. Until then, thousands of passengers departing from Bengaluru are condemned to navigate a perfect storm of uncertainty, prohibitive fares, long airport queues, and a concerning silence from key stakeholders, making domestic air travel an exhausting and financially draining ordeal.
