Though Iran reopened its air space on Tuesday, passengers travelling to the US transiting via Gulf countries are looking at the option of going via transit hubs in Southeast Asia including Singapore, Bangkok and Hong Kong. However, this will come at a cost as air fares to the US from Chennai via SEA have shot up sharply in the last ten days. The situation is similar from other cities like Hyderabad or Bengaluru, said sources.
An official of a leading travel agency in Chennai said, ten days ago, the fare for travel to New York (East Coast of US) by Singapore airlines was ₹1.90 lakh. This has increased to ₹2.55 lakh. Similarly, for travel to San Francisco (West Coast of US), the fare was available for ₹2.29 lakh, which has since been increased to ₹2.50 lakh. The fares will increase depending upon seat availability as the fares are dynamic, the person said.
Devaki Thiyagarajan, Founder and Managing Director of the Chennai-based Avocet Tours & Travel Pvt Ltd, says that fare to the US via SEA has increased by around ₹50,000 in the last few days. There have been a number of enquiries to go via SEA, and people who have an emergency to reach the US would look at this option, she added.
With better frequency and connections to a lot of destinations, the Gulf carriers are the most sought after by Indians travelling to places like Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle, said Thiyagarajan, who is also Chairperson of Travel Agents Association of India, Southern Region.
Meanwhile, Malaysia Airlines has informed that there will be a peak surcharge imposed on tickets issued on or after June 27, 2025. The surcharge will be automatically priced in Global Distribution Systems (GDSs) at the time of ticket issuance.
“There is anxiety among customers after the Air India crash and Israel - Iran tensions. They don’t want to get stranded due to airspace closures,” said Rajat Bagaria, Director, Shrishti Tours & Travels Pvt Ltd. “Two of our customers travelling to Europe asked us to rebook on a European airline and cancelled their Emirates and Qatar Airways tickets after Monday night’s events. There are also multiple cancellations on Air India’s domestic and international flights,” he added.
Srikanth and his family who arrived from San Francisco last week have a return ticket via Doha in two weeks. But, they are in a panic due to the Gulf crisis and are looking at the option of going via one of the transit hubs in South East Asia. There are more passengers who are looking at this option fearing that the situation in the Gulf could be volatile for the next few days.
This sentiment is not just specific to India.
Graham ‘Skroo’ Turner, Flight Centre Travel Group CEO, said currently flights from Australia to Europe that are routed with stopovers in destinations like Doha and Dubai are still operating fairly normally. “But we are seeing airlines re-route flights to avoid impacted airspace, and that’s making the trip slightly longer for passengers. Perhaps an hour more from Dubai to London for example,” he said. The most common transfer hubs that we’re seeing requested are Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Johannesburg, or even direct between Perth and London, he added.