Passengers flying out of Kolkata faced an unprecedented airfare crisis on Thursday, as widespread flight cancellations by IndiGo Airlines erased the usual price gap between domestic and international travel. The situation forced many to abandon or drastically alter their travel plans, paying exorbitant amounts for last-minute tickets.
Domestic Fares Eclipse International Travel Costs
The scale of the price surge was staggering. A one-way ticket from Kolkata to Bengaluru was priced as high as a return fare to Boston in the United States. Similarly, the cost of a one-way journey to Delhi matched the price of a return ticket to Sydney, Australia, or Christchurch, New Zealand. Travellers found that a single trip to Hyderabad was more expensive than a return journey to popular Southeast Asian destinations like Bangkok or Kuala Lumpur.
This extraordinary scenario was triggered by the large-scale cancellation of flights operated by IndiGo, which until recently held a reputation as India's most trusted carrier with the widest network. The sudden reduction in capacity on key routes sent ticket prices on remaining services operated by other airlines soaring to astronomical levels.
Passenger Plight: Cancelled Weddings and Financial Strain
The fare chaos had a direct human impact, disrupting plans for countless individuals. Many travellers were compelled to scrap plans to attend weddings, visit family and friends, or go on holidays. Those with urgent, unavoidable travel needs had no choice but to scramble for the few available seats, paying heavily inflated rates.
Traveler Jagan Devanathan took to social media platform X to express his frustration. He stated that IndiGo rescheduled his flight due to "operational reasons," pushing it back by four days. Needing to get home urgently, he faced tickets costing five times the normal price. After cancelling the rescheduled ticket and receiving a refund, he was forced to pay four times more for a new booking, questioning how the fault and financial burden fell on him.
With no direct services available on crucial routes like Kolkata-Delhi or Kolkata-Bengaluru, even business executives who typically avoid one-stop connections were forced to book them at high prices.
By the Numbers: A Look at the Skyrocketing Fares
The fare data paints a clear picture of the crisis:
- Kolkata to Bengaluru: Normal economy fares of Rs 7,000-Rs 8,000 skyrocketed to between Rs 21,000 and an astonishing Rs 1,00,000.
- Kolkata to Delhi: Usual prices of Rs 6,000-Rs 7,000 ranged from Rs 25,000 to Rs 84,000.
- Kolkata to Mumbai: Typically Rs 7,000-Rs 8,000, tickets were sold for Rs 25,000 to Rs 48,000.
Anjani Dhanuka, owner of Aircom Travels and chairman of the eastern region of the Travel Agents Association of India, provided context. He highlighted that a round trip to the UK or most European destinations costs around Rs 80,000, while a one-way ticket to these places is approximately Rs 48,000. During the crisis, passengers were paying domestic fares that matched or exceeded these international rates. Dhanuka mentioned securing a Rs 26,000 ticket to Hyderabad for a client, noting that cheaper options sold out immediately, leaving people to exhaust their savings.
Other passengers voiced their anger online. Gargi Mukherjee wrote about the suffering caused to ordinary passengers, citing a Delhi to Kolkata fare of around Rs 54,000. Nikhil Jain tagged the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), demanding to know what regulations were in place when a Kolkata to Mumbai ticket cost Rs 32,000.
Amidst the frustration, some travellers retained their sense of humour. Angad Singh compared the difficulty of securing a flight to Mumbai that weekend to "finding a last-minute Coldplay ticket."
The incident has raised serious questions about market dynamics during operational disruptions and the protection available to passengers when a major carrier faces large-scale cancellations.
