# Festival travel: Delhi-Patna flights dearer than Dubai tickets 2026-10-06T22:16:51+00:00 | India | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Lakhs of people in the Delhi-NCR region planning to return home for Diwali and Chhath are facing a tough travel season this year, with most regular trains to Bihar, Jharkhand and Purvanchal already full a month before the festivals. Many trains have long waiting lists, while tickets in several categories have stopped being available. The rail ticket shortage has also driven up airfares. A Delhi-Patna flight on 10 November, ahead of Chhath, now has a starting fare of Rs 20,000. This is more than the starting fare for a Delhi-Dubai flight during the same period. Trains such as the Sampoorna Kranti Express have also run out of berths. ## Indian Opinion Analysis The fare difference between a domestic route and an international destination shows how festival demand distorts pricing when rail capacity is exhausted. Lakhs of migrant workers and students who depend on trains have no affordable alternative if waiting lists do not clear. Railways has not announced additional festival specials yet, and the 10 November Chhath travel date remains the peak to watch for any relief. ## Coverage - amarujala.com Led with factual fare and seat data, no official comment sought. This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: Chhath, Delhi, Diwali, Indian Railways, Patna Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/festival-travel-delhi-patna-flights-dearer-than-dubai-tickets/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/festival-travel-delhi-patna-flights-dearer-than-dubai-tickets/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/