Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru (MS)

Mangaluru, Jul 21: Incessant rains causing landslides on the Ghat sections have made travel between Bengaluru and Mangaluru difficult. Due to a hill collapse at Shiroor, road travel towards Mumbai is also blocked.

Residents of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi are opting for trains and flights to reach Mumbai and Bengaluru. However, instead of increasing the number of flights, airlines have skyrocketed ticket prices to capitalize on the situation.

Generally, airfare between Mangaluru and Bengaluru is around Rs 3,000. However, the price has tripled after the onset of monsoon, reaching Rs 9,000. On Sundays, the fare is a whopping Rs 16,000. The Mangaluru-Mumbai airfare has crossed Rs 12,000.

In addition to raising ticket prices, airlines have reduced the number of flights. Previously, six flights operated daily to Bengaluru from the city's international airport. However, since July 1, Air India has canceled two flights, leaving only four flights operating daily. These flights are fully booked even on weekdays. Similarly, five flights to Mumbai operate daily from the city’s airport, and all seats are filled to capacity.

Entrepreneur Dilraj Alva criticizes the price hike, stating that it is unjust to escalate prices when demand is high instead of increasing the number of flights to metro cities.

With road travel virtually impossible, there is now a high demand for trains in the coastal region. The train from Mangaluru to Bengaluru is fully booked every day. MP Captain Brijesh Chowta has appealed for more trains, and accordingly, the railway department is running special trains from July 19 to 22. Two trains will run from the coastal region to Bengaluru every day during this period.

There are no flight tickets available on the Mangaluru-Bengaluru route until July 31. A few flights do have tickets, but they go via Mumbai or Hyderabad.