Patna: Suspension of Go First flight operation has begun affecting the travellers’ pocket. As the Go First announced not to book any ticket till May 22, airfare for various destinations from Patna went up at least 150%.
Owing to liquidity crisis, the Go First had initially announced to suspend flight operation for two days (May 3-4), which was later extended till May 5 and now the airline company said that it would not accept any booking till May 22. Go Air used to operate flights to Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai from Patna before the suspension.
Many passengers told Khabar Infra that cost of ticket to Delhi, Mumbai and Bengalury had incresed by 1.50 to 2 times after the Go First cancelled its flights to Bangalore, Delhi and Mumbai. “One-way fare from Mumbai to Patna is currently costing around ₹20,000-24,000 against the usual price of ₹10,000-12000,” said Vishwajeet Kumar of Kankarbagh.
Also Read: Go First suspends flight operation for May 3-4 due to cash crunch
As the passengers’ load on other flights has increased due to cancellation of Go First flights, aircraft of other airlines are running full capacity. “The fare outbound travel from Patna is somewhat lower,” said Abhijeet Jaiswal.
According to Mamata Travels manager Kumud Ranjan, ticket prices are not expected to be reduced at present. Some decrease is expected after May 20th. A rebound is expected in the last week of May. Citing May 6 fare, he said that a ticket from Patna to Delhi was costing around ₹10,400-₹14,400 against usual cost of ₹7,000-₹9,000. Likewise, Patna to Bengaluru fare was ₹19,600 and return was ₹23,600.
Also Read: P&W blames Go First for failing to meet its financial obligations
Passengers of Go First to get refund
Passengers, who had booked their tickets through credit cards or travel agents for the flights during the suspension period are yet to get the refund. “The airlines have not paid the tour-travelers, so they are not returning passengers. However, the airline has claimed that the money will be refunded within three days. Many passengers also arrived at the counter on Friday. They were assured to refund the amount. Three pairs of Go First flights were operating from Patna airport. One flight each was from Bengaluru, Delhi and Mumbai,” said a travel agent.
Also Read: Go First looks for partnership, to expand its market share soon
Go First had 8.10% traffic share from Patna
Although Go First had five flights in the summer schedule, one flight each to Delhi and Mumbai was canceled by the airline before it declared bankruptcy. Currently, 37 aircraft are operating from Patna airport. Go First traffic was 8.10%. The Go First flight carried about 1,500 passengers a day.
Now 18 flights to Bangalore, Delhi and Mumbai
There are currently there are 12 flights between Patna and Delhi. Seven of these are from IndiGo, two each from Air India and Vistara and one from SpiceJet. There are three flights between Patna and Mumbai, two of which are operated by IndiGo and one by Air India. There are also three flights from Patna to Bangalore. All three are from Indigo.
