Passengers alight from Jumbojet aircraft at Kisumu International airport on October 9, 2020. PHOTO | TONY OMONDI | NMG Domestic airfares have nearly doubled ahead of Christmas on increased demand with some routes recording full bookings in the days to December 25.
Ticket prices from Nairobi to Kisumu have risen to a peak of Sh15, 100 from as low as Sh6, 800 during weekdays and about Sh10, 000 on weekends.
Flights to the coastal city of Mombasa from Nairobi are almost fully booked with the cost of remaining seats increasing to Sh17, 000, from an average of Sh7, 200 in November.
Air ticket prices to Eldoret from Nairobi, which is a cheaper route compared to other destinations, have increased to Sh11, 100 from an average of Sh5, 300 during the low season.
The quoted fares are based on Tuesday’s bookings and are likely to continue rising as the Christmas holiday approaches. The prices on all routes are set to come down on Christmas Day as the number of those seeking to travel reduces significantly.
Safarilink CEO Alex Avedi said airfares are up mainly on increased demand for travel during the festive season.
"Demand for air travel has gone up and this is what is pushing the prices up. We are fully booked in the coastal routes from December 20th all the way to December 25th," Mr Avedi told the Business Daily in an interview yesterday.
The standard gauge railway (SGR) passenger service from Nairobi to Mombasa is nearly fully booked ahead of Christmas in a move set to force holidaymakers to seek expensive alternatives like road and air travel.
The bookings register shows that trains have a few seats remaining in the days leading to December 25, signaling increased travel to Mombasa and offering a boost to hotels.
Lack of space on the SGR service, which charges Sh1,000 for economy class and Sh3,000 on the first-class coaches, looks set to benefit bus owners and airlines as families look to enjoy the holiday in the Coast.
Airfares to Eldoret from Nairobi have been relatively low as the route is still not as popular as Kisumu and Mombasa.The route remains the cheapest among the major domestic flight routes due to low demand. Flights to Mombasa have traditionally been higher than Kisumu, but the fares to the two cities from Nairobi now nearly match due to pent-up demand from passengers travelling to Western Kenya.The carriers’ main challenge has been convincing Kenyans to […]