‘Don’t travel by air’: Supreme Court’s blunt response to plea over 700% airfare hike

“Don’t travel by air. Next case.” The Supreme Court delivered a sharp response on Monday after a lawyer raised concerns over a steep rise in airfares, alleging that ticket prices had increased by as much as 700 per cent.

The exchange took place when counsel argued that air travel had become an essential service and that such steep fare increases violated Article 14 of the Constitution, which guarantees equality before the law. Justice Vikram Nath, however, declined to take up the submission and responded with the remark, “Don’t travel by air.”

The observation comes against the backdrop of a wider challenge to the way private airlines determine ticket prices. A public interest litigation filed by social activist S Laxminarayanan has sought an independent regulatory mechanism to bring transparency to airfare pricing and protect passengers from arbitrary increases and additional charges.

The petition questions the use of dynamic pricing systems, alleging that algorithm-driven fares can shoot up within hours. It also raises concerns over extra passenger charges and the reduction in complimentary check-in baggage allowance from 25 kg to 15 kg.

Supreme Court had earlier flagged airfare fluctuations

The court has previously expressed concern over sharp differences in ticket prices, particularly during festivals and periods of heavy travel demand.

In January, a bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta took note of complaints about high fares during the Maha Kumbh and other festivals. Justice Nath observed that the issue was not confined to a single event, while the bench indicated that it would examine unpredictable fluctuations in ticket prices.

During a hearing in May, the court again called for airfare rationalisation. It pointed to the wide variation in economy-class fares for the same route on the same day, citing an example in which one airline charged Rs 8,000 while another charged Rs 18,000.