Economy fares that previously ranged between about ₹75,000 and ₹86,000 for connecting flights to the US are now priced between roughly ₹1.5 lakh and ₹2.45 lakh, depending on the airline and route. “The fare that used to be a round-trip is now one way,” travel agents said.
P Venkateshwaran had booked a ticket to London a month ago by Kuwait Airlines for nearly ₹30,000. However, due to cancellation of the flight, he had to shell out ₹1.25 lakhs in Ethiopian Airlines via Addis Ababa. “There is very limited choice available now and all the flights are flying full,” he added.
Travel agents said economy class fares from Bengaluru and Chennai have risen two to three times their earlier levels across several international carriers as flight capacity shrinks.
According to Devaki Thiyagarajan, Managing Director of Chennai-based Avocet Tours & Travel Pvt Ltd, fares on the Bengaluru–San Francisco route via Singapore operated by Singapore Airlines have increased from ₹78,537 to ₹1,51,469.
On the Bengaluru–Hong Kong–Los Angeles route operated by Cathay Pacific, fares have risen from ₹80,961 to ₹2,45,268. Similarly, the Bengaluru–Frankfurt–New York route operated by Lufthansa has seen fares increase from ₹80,932 to ₹2,32,408.
A similar trend is visible for departures from Chennai.
The Chennai–Singapore–San Francisco route on Singapore Airlines has seen fares increase from ₹80,717 to ₹1,58,942. On the Chennai–Hong Kong–Los Angeles route operated by Cathay Pacific, fares have risen from ₹86,746 to ₹2,44,236, she said.
Fares on the Chennai–Frankfurt–New York route operated by Lufthansa have climbed from ₹75,356 to ₹2,28,625. The Chennai–London direct flight operated by British Airways has also recorded a steep rise, with economy fares increasing from ₹43,420 to ₹2,28,625, she added.
Connectivity through Asian hubs remains limited. Airlines such as Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines and Malaysia Airlines offer fewer international connections from their hubs, mainly towards destinations such as Australia and Los Angeles. Thai Airways connects to the US but does not operate to the UK or Europe on those routes, she said.
Anjani Kumar Dhanuka, Director of Kolkata-based Aircom Travels Pvt Ltd, said it has become difficult to secure seats to Europe or the US.
“Passengers are ready to pay ₹5 lakh or ₹6 lakh for a one-way ticket, but getting a seat on a flight that can safely reach the destination is almost impossible,” he said.
Apart from airline cancellations, some passengers who had booked earlier are choosing to cancel due to safety concerns and rebook through alternative routes at significantly higher costs, he said.
Published on March 15, 2026