Peak travel season pushes airfares up

With the onset of holiday season,  heavy rush for seats in some sectors in India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, the UK and  the US has been witnessed.

By Pratap John/Chief Business ReporterAirfares have shot up yet again with the onset of the peak travel season that sees heavy rush for seats in some sectors in India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, the UK and the US.Securing seats in economy and upper class cabins in these sectors for about two weeks from June last week is really difficult, an industry source said yesterday.Also, there is not “much difference” in fares on direct and indirect carriers that operate to key sectors during this holiday season. And within the first, business and economy cabins, different types of fares are available based on the sub classes offered. Hence fares quoted are only indicative and apply to a particular class in the cabin concerned. A first class two-way ticket costs in excess of QR30,500 (return fare) on the Doha–London route for travel in the next one month on a direct carrier. The return economy class fare in the sector is around QR4,500 for travel in the next one month. However, this will go up to QR5,100 for those who schedule their trip between June-end and July-end.Round-trip economy fare on the Doha – Paris route is around QR5,300 for travel between June-end and July-end and QR4,600 for a two-way trip within a month.Business fares (round-trip) are close to QR22,500 in the route, a travel agent said.On the Doha – Chicago route, the return business class fare is around QR26,600 in a direct carrier for travel in the next one month. Travel in this class between June-end and July-end would cost in excess of QR22,000. Return economy fare for travel within a month on the route is around QR7,300 and around QR7,650 for travel between June-end and July-end.Travel to Malaysia, a sought-after destination, has become costlier now. A return economy class fare from Doha to Kuala Lumpur is about QR3,500 for travel in the next one month. But this will go up to QR4,240 for travel between June-end and July-end.Kochi, which generally sees “heavy rush” on the Qatar and India sector, costs in excess of QR3,000 for travel within a month and QR3,150 between June-end and July-end.Trivandrum in south India costs around QR5,500 for a round trip in business class for travel in the next one month. And this goes up to QR5,750 for travel between June-end and July-end.Economy fare in the sector is around QR2,700 for travel in the next one month, while it goes up to QR3,300 for travel between June-end and July-end.Mumbai in India is priced QR2,300 upwards for a round trip on economy class in a direct carrier for travel in the next one month. This goes up to 2,650 for travel between June-end and July-end.The current fare of QR1,800 on the Doha-Colombo route (round trip) goes up to QR2,350 for travel between June-end and July-end, a source said.Australia, another favourite spot for holiday makers, costs about QR23,500 in business cabin for a round-trip between June-end and July-end. Return economy fare is about QR8,000 on the sector during the period. “Higher airfares are seen between June-end and September,” points out Syed Ansari, manager of Doha-based Safari Tours & Travels.He said finding seats on flights to many Indian cities was “really challenging now.” Also, many routes such as London, Paris and Kuala Lumpur see heavy rush of passengers from Doha, Ansari added.Baggage guidelines

Passengers using Doha International Airport are expected to follow the hand baggage guidelines set by the Airline Operators Committee, information available on the DIA website said. These state that hand (cabin) baggage carried onboard an aircraft must not exceed 56cm x 36cm x 23 cm (22” x 14” x 9”) in dimensions and a weight of 7kg. Passengers can check whether their baggage is the right size by using the measuring gauges found around the check-in hall and at the entrances of the immigration halls in Terminal A. Also, the weight of one piece of checked-in luggage has been limited to 32kg irrespective of the number of pieces a passenger takes. Additional charge will be levied for extra weight, which is different from one airliner to another.Passengers need ensure liquids and gels they carry must be stored in containers no larger than 100ml.Prepackaged liquids and gels must be stored in a single resealable, transparent bag with a capacity of no more than one litre.These bags are available at the information desk at the departure terminal.DIA said passengers may bring on board medicines and baby food if they can demonstrate that they need these items during the flight.