CJP protest: Airfares soar as train services hit; slight rise in last-minute bookings

NEW DELHI: The unprecedented clampdown in Delhi in the wake of CJP protest, including cancellation of several trains to the city, saw a "slight increase" in last-minute bookings on flights to and from Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) for this weekend.

Airfares on some routes saw a surge, too.Travel industry insiders said the shift could become more pronounced if the agitation and the restrictions on movement continue longer as the festive season begins Monday with Navratri."There has been a slight increase in bookings on Delhi flights for this weekend. It is too early to say anything for sure in terms of train and bus passengers moving to air as the weekend flights in the pre-festive season were pretty full and the fares were anyway high," said an airline official.A senior official of a leading online travel agency (OTA) said: "Till Friday night, we didn't see a major spike in spot fares from Lucknow, Prayagraj and other parts of UP. Only spot fares on Varanasi-Delhi route for Saturday were higher by 15% over a month back. So far, there is no substantial increase in flight demand."OTA sites showed Varanasi-Delhi one-way fares starting at Rs 6,200 and going up to Rs 14,000 Saturday - higher than usual.

The big worry for airlines and Delhi airport is passengers, crew members and other staff being able to reach IGIA in time due to the feared large-scale disruption of metro service and impacted traffic movement.If the protest continues for a longer duration and pushes up demand for air travel, then airfares - which are anyway higher due to spiralling operating costs from higher jet fuel prices and a crashing rupee - will soar further, according to travel industry stakeholders.

Airfares from Amritsar surged sharply Friday, with some flights touching Rs 8,000 against the usual one-way fare of around Rs 4,000. Fares for the Saturday flight from Ludhiana saw fluctuations throughout the day, soaring as high as Rs 12,987 before falling to Rs 4,301 at 8 pm."Those with onward travel plans, especially international flights, have limited choices and are having to buy expensive tickets to avoid further cancellations or missing their connections," said Dalip, a travel agent in Amritsar. There was no big change in flight and cab fares from Chandigarh to Delhi till Friday evening.(With inputs from Chandigarh, Amritsar and Ludhiana)