Summer vacation declared for schools; families booking air tickets in advance; fares expected to go up as every year

DUBAI: Schools in the Gulf countries have announced summer vacation dates. With this, expatriate families are busy booking air tickets to return home. The period from the last week of June to the first week of September has been announced as a vacation.

Many have already started booking tickets since there are facilities to book air tickets six months in advance and the fares for tickets booked in advance are lower. Although the fares are initially low during this period, the experience of previous years has been that airlines increase fares as inquiries through websites and in-person increase.

Even budget airline companies charge high fares during the holidays. Air ticket fares are increased according to market trends. Various companies charge up to five to six times the normal fare. The expatriates have been raising complaints on this issue for ages. However, the reality is that there is no end to the looting by airlines.

Members of Parliament from Kerala have raised this issue in the House several times. The reply given by Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu is that the issue is not entirely under the control of the Central Government but everything possible will be done.