With the Christmas-New Year holidays and the peak season for NRI travel approaching, flight fares from Ahmedabad to the US and Canada have witnessed a significant increase of approximately 30%, adding burden to students’ travel budgets.
Travel data reveals that one-way airfares, which previously ranged from Rs 70,000 to Rs 90,000 per person, have now soared to as high as Rs 1.7 lakh per person. Students heading to their respective universities are bearing the brunt of this price hike.
“The usual one-way airfare is around Rs 80,000, but due to the increase in student travel ahead of the fall intake, ticket prices have skyrocketed,” lamented a student heading to Toronto for her postgraduate studies, who paid Rs 1.47 lakh for her flight.
Another student traveling to Canada for her undergraduate program faced a similar situation, shelling out Rs 1.6 lakh for her ticket. A youth heading to California for an undergraduate course also expressed his disappointment, revealing that his flight cost Rs 1.3 lakh, exceeding the usual price of Rs 80,000 and impacting his travel budget.
Travel industry experts attribute the price surge to the high demand for flights during the December-January period, particularly during the Christmas-New Year holidays in the US and Canada. Additionally, the rise in aviation turbine fuel costs has further contributed to the escalating travel expenses.
Virendra Shah, chairman of the Travel Agents Association of India (Gujarat), explained, “The high demand for flight tickets and the increase in the cost of aviation turbine fuel have pushed up travel costs.”
A travel consultant from Ahmedabad further highlighted the impact of student travel on ticket prices. “During the fall intake, a large number of students from across Gujarat travel to the US, Canada, and the UK. This has led to a surge in ticket prices by at least 30%, with flights to Canada experiencing the most significant increase.”
Despite the availability of direct flights to the US and Canada via Abu Dhabi, the consultant noted that the price difference compared to flights via Mumbai or Delhi is negligible. The increased flight frequency from Ahmedabad has also not translated into lower ticket prices.
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