Now Reading: Chhath travel costs more than Bangkok flights, airfares up 400%
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Chhath travel costs more than Bangkok flights, airfares up 400%
The Story in Brief
Flying home for Chhath Puja is costing more than a trip abroad, with a Delhi-Patna ticket touching Rs 21,000 on 12 November. By comparison, Delhi-Kathmandu is available for Rs 8,000, Delhi-Dhaka for Rs 9,463 and Delhi-Bangkok for Rs 17,279. Airfares on the Delhi-Patna route have surged up to 400 per cent over normal days, rising an average of 183 per cent. Travellers to Gaya, Darbhanga and Purnea are also paying between Rs 10,000 and Rs 18,862.
On the railways, all 10 major regular trains from Patna to Delhi and other metros have no tickets available until 20 November, with waitlists exceeding 200. To manage the rush, Eastern Central Railway has deployed 134 special trains across Bihar and another 102 from other zones, totalling 236 Puja special trains that will run until 5 December. The transport department is operating 200 interstate special buses daily at a 30 per cent discount, and sharing taxis are available for Rs 3,500 to 4,500 per seat on the Delhi-Patna route. Officials said more special trains may be added if needed after the festival.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The surge in airfares means that travellers paying Rs 21,000 for a Delhi-Patna ticket are subsidising domestic carriers' yield management during peak demand, not the cost of the flight itself. Rail and bus authorities have stepped in with 236 special trains and 200 buses at a 30% discount, but the core issue, that a festival journey now costs more than an international one, remains unresolved for those who cannot book weeks ahead. The gap between what passengers can afford and what the market charges will persist until the railways add more confirmed berths or airlines cap surge pricing. Eastern Central Railway has said it may increase train services as needed after Chhath.
Source: bhaskar.com
This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Methodology and corrections.
