Nagpur airfares climb ahead of Diwali on November 8, with some tickets at Rs 17,799

Those planning to travel home for Diwali may face a heavy burden on their pockets this time. People from Nagpur district who live elsewhere for work or studies return to their families every year for the festival. But air fares on online websites are already sky-high, and on several routes tickets have reached between Rs 11,000 and Rs 17,799.

Diwali will be celebrated on November 8 this year. Large numbers of people come to Nagpur from several cities, including Hyderabad, Pune, Mumbai and Delhi. Tickets become hard to get at festival time, so people book in advance. Booking has begun this time too, and travellers have started booking early to avoid higher fares.

Each airline shows a different fare online. Some are at Rs 11,000, while others run up to Rs 15,000. But as crowds build, fares are raised sharply. Some airlines bring credit card offers around Diwali, yet passengers get little relief.

The costliest fares are on the Pune-Nagpur, Mumbai-Nagpur and Hyderabad-Nagpur routes. Fares do not stay the same through the day. The rate seen in the morning may differ in the evening. If demand is high in the morning, the fare rises considerably, and if demand falls in the evening, it is lowered a little. In effect, the bigger the crowd, the higher the fare.

As a result, one passenger gets from Pune to Nagpur for Rs 12,000, while another has to spend Rs 14,000 to Rs 15,000 for the same journey. The rush of travellers from Bengaluru, Pune and Mumbai is greatest at festival time, and airlines take full advantage of it.

The railways are not in a better state. Bookings on trains to Nagpur from Pune and other places are full, and all are running house-full. There seems no hope of getting a train ticket during the festival. This leaves people with no option but to travel by bus or flight.

Bus operators, along with airlines, also take advantage of this compulsion. During the festival, the bus fare from Pune to Nagpur rises to Rs 4,000 to Rs 5,000, against up to Rs 900 on ordinary days.