Airfares to the Gulf region soar: Booking tips for flyers

Airline companies have hiked ticket fares on Gulf routes, taking advantage of the Iran-Israel-US conflicts, limited services, airspace restrictions, and fuel costs. Although the number of passengers has declined, airfares have only been rising. This week, a ticket from Kochi to Dubai on Air India Express costs between ₹11,148 and ₹13,549. Meanwhile, it is ₹13,939-₹14,399 to Sharjah. IndiGo charges up to ₹30,551-36853 to Dubai. The tickets on Air India range from ₹17940 to ₹21,802. 

A single ticket in Air Arabia from Abu Dhabi to Kozhikode today costs around ₹50,000. The same rates apply to their Sharjah-Kozhikode flight too. Meanwhile, the ticket from Kozhikode to Sharjah costs ₹49,000, and to Abu Dhabi it costs ₹ 42,000. Earlier, it wouldn’t cost more than ₹15,000 for both sides. 

FlyNas charges up to ₹42,000 from Kozhikode to Riyadh for March 13, while Saudia Airlines charges up to ₹48,000. Meanwhile, FlyNas charges a whopping ₹80,000 for a flight from Riyadh to Kozhikode on the same day, while Saudia Airlines charges ₹70,000. Earlier, tickets on this route could be purchased at an average rate of ₹20,000–₹25,000. Tickets on Oman Air today from Kozhikode to Muscat cost ₹33,000, and from Muscat to Kozhikode, ₹ 84,000. Meanwhile, the airfares remain almost the same in the Jeddah sector. 

The minimum charges to fly from Thiruvananthapuram to various destinations in the Gulf and back on March 11 and 12, as per the data available at 7 pm on Tuesday evening (Many have gone up by 5-6 times):   
Thiruvananthapuram-Dubai: ₹17,000, ₹17,000
Dubai-Thiruvananthapuram: ₹53,000, ₹58000
Thiruvananthapuram-Abu Dhabi: ₹32,000, ₹32,000
Abu Dhabi-Thiruvananthapuram: ₹53,000, ₹50,000
Thiruvananthapuram-Muscat: ₹35,000, ₹20,000
Muscat-Thiruvananthapuram: ₹42,000, ₹45,000
Thiruvananthapuram-Sharjah: ₹20,00, ₹19,000
Sharjah-Thiruvananthapuram: ₹52,000, ₹51,000

What can flyers do?
1)Set fare alerts on your booking platforms to be notified when the ticket prices drop in the Gulf routes of your choice.
2)Have more than one option with your travel date, as shifting dates can reduce fares significantly.
3)Keep track of airline apps for announcements about disruptions, free rescheduling options, extra flights and refunds, especially during this time of crisis.
4)Book your tickets at the earliest, directly through the airline's app instead of other platforms.
5)Use incognito mode to book your tickets to avoid hidden fares.