Don’t travel by air. Next case.
(Justice Vikram Nath)This was the Supreme Court’s response on November 2, when it declined an urgent hearing on a plea alleging a nearly 700 per cent hike in airfares during the festive season.
The remark raises a larger question: is avoiding air travel really a practical option for passengers facing soaring ticket prices?
With airfares climbing ahead of Diwali and other festivals, passengers are opting for trains and buses. But long waiting lists, limited connectivity, rising bus fares and journeys that can stretch beyond a day make these alternatives far from straightforward.
Let's look at what this means for someone trying to get home.
A comparison of four busy travel routes shows just how difficult it can be to find an affordable alternative when flight tickets become too expensive.
Mumbai–Patna: When the cheaper train has no confirmed seat
A direct flight from Mumbai to Patna takes around two hours and 25 minutes. A ticket that normally costs around Rs 4,500–8,000 can rise to Rs 27,000–36,000 during peak festive dates.
Trains are considerably cheaper. Sleeper-class tickets generally cost around Rs 700, while 3AC fares range from Rs 3,000–4,000. However, the journey takes approximately 26–35 hours.
Even for passengers willing to spend that much time travelling, availability is a major hurdle. Regular trains and special services can fill up quickly, leaving passengers with long waiting lists or no confirmed berths.
Buses are not a straightforward alternative either. There is no reliable direct Mumbai–Patna bus connection, making a combination of buses and trains necessary for most journeys.
For someone who needs to reach home within a day, the cheaper option may not be a practical one.
Bengaluru–Patna: A 45-hour train journey or a costly flight?
The Bengaluru–Patna route presents an even bigger challenge.
A direct flight takes approximately two-and-a-half to three hours. Regular fares of around Rs 8,000 have risen to Rs 19,000–30,000 during peak travel dates.
A train journey, meanwhile, can take approximately 44–47 hours. Sleeper-class fares range from around Rs 1,100–2,800, while 3AC tickets can cost Rs 3,000–5,000.
Bus travel is even less convenient. There is no practical direct bus option, and multi-leg journeys can take between 29 and 43 hours, depending on the connections.
For passengers travelling between distant employment hubs and their hometowns, the choice is often between paying considerably more for a flight and spending nearly two days travelling by train.
Delhi–Kolkata: The train option, if you can get a ticket
Delhi–Kolkata offers relatively better alternatives.
A direct flight takes around two hours and 10 minutes. Regular fares of approximately Rs 8,000 can rise beyond Rs 19,000 during peak dates.
In one particularly extreme example cited during the Supreme Court proceedings, a Delhi–Kolkata ticket was priced at Rs 78,694, against an average fare of Rs 11,699.
Trains offer a significantly cheaper option. Sleeper fares generally range from Rs 1,300–2,000, while 2AC tickets cost around Rs 2,500–4,000. The journey takes approximately 17–30 hours.
However, popular trains can have long waiting lists during the festive season, particularly when passengers book close to their intended travel dates.
Buses may offer another option, but passengers must be prepared to spend around 18–24 hours on the road. Availability and fares also depend on demand.
Pune–Nagpur: Even buses are getting expensive
The Pune–Nagpur route demonstrates that switching to road travel does not always mean avoiding steep price increases.
A direct flight takes around one hour and 25 minutes. Regular fares of approximately Rs 3,000–4,000 have risen beyond Rs 18,000 for preferred timings during the festive rush.
Train travel is considerably cheaper, with sleeper fares around Rs 600–1,000 and 3AC fares between Rs 1,500–2,000. The journey takes approximately 12–16 hours.
But trains are heavily booked during the first week of November, making confirmed reservations difficult.
Private sleeper buses offer another option. Regular fares of around Rs 1,200–2,500 can rise to Rs 4,000–7,000 during the festive season. The journey takes approximately 12–16 hours.
Although buses provide more flexibility on this route, the seasonal fare increase shows that passengers may not escape higher travel costs simply by avoiding flights.
Can passengers simply choose not to fly?
When the Supreme Court suggests that passengers simply ‘don’t travel by air’, it overlooks the practical difficulties many face in finding an alternative.
The Court has agreed to hear the matter on November 16. But by then, a significant part of the festive travel rush will be over, leaving many passengers to deal with high fares without any immediate relief.
For migrant workers, students and families travelling home for festivals, the decision involves more than comparing ticket prices. It also depends on ticket availability, journey duration, connecting transport and the urgency of travel.
India’s transport network offers several ways to travel, but these alternatives are not equally accessible across routes. A passenger travelling between two cities with frequent train services may have more flexibility than someone travelling between distant employment hubs with limited direct connectivity.
For someone who can plan months ahead, avoiding an expensive flight may be possible. But for someone travelling because of a medical emergency, a family crisis or a fixed festival date, the choices can be far more limited.
Not everyone can afford an expensive flight. But not everyone can afford the time, the uncertainty and inconvenience of an alternative journey either.
The question, therefore, is not simply whether Indians can avoid flying. It is whether they have a reasonably priced and practical way to get home.
Crisis pricing or war profiteering?
Airlines may defend the fare hikes by pointing to the war, rising crude oil prices and mounting operational costs. But the sharp increases seen during crises, from the mass exodus after the Pahalgam attack in 2025 to the current surge, raise questions that go beyond rising costs.
If fares repeatedly spike when passengers have few alternatives and little time to plan, are airlines merely passing on higher costs, or are they taking advantage of situations in which people have little choice but to pay?