As the time for the return journey of Keralites after the summer vacation nears, the airlines have increased the ticket fares up to five times. This unjustifiable increase in the fares was made for tickets on flights to the Gulf countries scheduled after August 10. The Air India Express (IX434) flight from Dubai to Kochi on August 11 is priced at 387 Dirham (Rs. 8,785). But the return flight to Dubai on the same flight costs 1,807 Dirhams (Rs 41,019). This rate is for those who booked the tickets till Monday. The fares could change again today. The explanation by the airlines is that it is natural for the fares to increase when the demand increases and that the fares are reduced when the demand decreases.

However, the fact is that all the seats on the flight that operates to Kerala for Rs 8,785 and the return flight which charges Rs 41,019 are fully occupied. Due to the low number of flights, most of the services to the Kerala sector are operated with full passengers. The truth is that even during the season, there is no hike in fares as is charged from Kerala passengers for flights from the Gulf to other places such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad. Many expatriates reach Kerala after landing in Delhi and Mumbai due to the high rates. If a family of four wants to travel to the Gulf from Kerala, they have to spend at least Rs 1.7 lakh according to the current rates. The same family would have paid the same rate when they arrived home. Thus, the average travel cost for a family coming home for the annual vacation would be a whopping Rs 3.5 lakh.

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