High air fares weigh on holiday plans
Published: 05:06 PM,Jun 16,2023 | EDITED : 12:06 PM,Jun 17,2023
High air fares are weighing on holiday plans of many Omanis as well as expatriates as demand soars amid school vacation and Eid holidays.
Today, anyone who wants to travel to a holiday destination or on vacations should be ready to shell out a minimum of RO 200. While an economy class one-way ticket to a south Asian destination bought on May 1 was RO 60, the same will cost you RO 212 if one buys the same today. Thus, a family of four will end up paying nearly RO 900 against a one-way business class ticket.
'This is an annual ritual that airliners resort to as they say 'make the hay while the sun shines' and it has put all my family's holiday plans on stake,' said Ansar Abdullah an expatriate working for a private firm.
Summer vacation for Omani school students started in early June and they will remain closed for two months before they reopen in August for new school year.
The approximate fares are London (RO 254), US (RO220), Karachi (RO 82 or 96), Colombo (RO 129 or 58), Manila (RO 340), Kathmandu (RO 39 or more), Kannur (RO 120 or more), Kozhikode (RO 110/195 or more), and Kochi (RO110 or more).
'This is just a demand-supply-price relation,' said an airline representative. Fares are predominantly determined by market forces of demand and supply,' he said.
The fare hike comes at time when Indian carriers GoFirst ends services and Air India reduces its flights to Kochi.
'It is holiday season and the airfares are shooting high. It is predominantly due to the fact more demand and less capacity,' said Sunil D'Souza, CEO of Travel City.
'It’s common when demand outstrips supply and it's the peak season when schools close and people plan their holiday breaks.
'In a calendar year there are 2-3 peak seasons causing higher demand for seats,' he says.
In an earlier interview with the Observer, Marie Owens Thomsen, Chief Economist, IATA has said that there is a direct link between demand and supply in air travel and airfare hikes are basically triggered by fuel price increase and this is more logical as airlines too have to follow the business principle of covering the cost first and then aim at profits.
'All our costs are increasing owing to factors like this and rising air fares in some sectors is partly because of rising costs and of course, the law of demand,' Thomsen had said.
@kabeeryousef
Today, anyone who wants to travel to a holiday destination or on vacations should be ready to shell out a minimum of RO 200. While an economy class one-way ticket to a south Asian destination bought on May 1 was RO 60, the same will cost you RO 212 if one buys the same today. Thus, a family of four will end up paying nearly RO 900 against a one-way business class ticket.
'This is an annual ritual that airliners resort to as they say 'make the hay while the sun shines' and it has put all my family's holiday plans on stake,' said Ansar Abdullah an expatriate working for a private firm.
Summer vacation for Omani school students started in early June and they will remain closed for two months before they reopen in August for new school year.
The approximate fares are London (RO 254), US (RO220), Karachi (RO 82 or 96), Colombo (RO 129 or 58), Manila (RO 340), Kathmandu (RO 39 or more), Kannur (RO 120 or more), Kozhikode (RO 110/195 or more), and Kochi (RO110 or more).
'This is just a demand-supply-price relation,' said an airline representative. Fares are predominantly determined by market forces of demand and supply,' he said.
The fare hike comes at time when Indian carriers GoFirst ends services and Air India reduces its flights to Kochi.
'It is holiday season and the airfares are shooting high. It is predominantly due to the fact more demand and less capacity,' said Sunil D'Souza, CEO of Travel City.
'It’s common when demand outstrips supply and it's the peak season when schools close and people plan their holiday breaks.
'In a calendar year there are 2-3 peak seasons causing higher demand for seats,' he says.
In an earlier interview with the Observer, Marie Owens Thomsen, Chief Economist, IATA has said that there is a direct link between demand and supply in air travel and airfare hikes are basically triggered by fuel price increase and this is more logical as airlines too have to follow the business principle of covering the cost first and then aim at profits.
'All our costs are increasing owing to factors like this and rising air fares in some sectors is partly because of rising costs and of course, the law of demand,' Thomsen had said.
@kabeeryousef