MALAPPURAM: Christmas, and New Year fill a vibrant mood into the month of December. For many NRIs residing in Gulf countries, December marks a special place as many look forward to reuniting with families back at home to regale in festive spirits. But all such hopes of returning home get dashed as December is also the month of loot. From November 24 to December 31, airlines have increased ticket prices fivefold from Gulf countries to Kerala.
A family of four needs more than two lakh rupees to reach Kerala from Jeddah. On Air India Express, one ticket may go up to Rs 73,000 and sometimes Rs 55,000. On normal days, these tickets are sold for just Rs 13,000. If from Dubai, a family of four will spend at least one and a half lakhs. The ticket price ranges from 37,000 to 43,000 rupees. Normally, the ticket from Dubai is just Rs 10,000.
Companies point to higher fuel prices as the reason for the hike. But these are just trivial reasons to cover the real intent that is pushing airline companies for this loot. Ticket prices are also increased on the occasion of Vishu, Onam and school holidays in the Gulf. Moreover, this has turned into a new normal for airlines to charge crazy money for one-way travel to Kerala.
The Ministry of Aviation has not sanctioned the state government's move for chartered flights during the season.