Airlines reap big from long weekend as fares shoot up

What you need to know:

The cost of air tickets for domestic routes more than doubled during the long weekend, coming as a boost to airlines that have been reeling under the effects of the coronavirus.
Travellers from Kisumu to Nairobi on Jambojet were parting with Sh9,800 Monday from a low of Sh5,800 while Skyward Express remained fully booked.
The rise in fares to Nairobi has been precipitated by a high number of travellers returning after the long weekend from different parts of the country.

The cost of air tickets for domestic routes more than doubled during the long weekend, coming as a boost to airlines that have been reeling under the effects of the coronavirus.

The price of a one-way ticket to Mombasa that went for Sh5,800 on budget carrier Jambojet last week shot to Sh16,000 on Monday, highlighting high demand by passengers seeking to travel during the holidays.

Travellers from Kisumu to Nairobi on Jambojet were parting with Sh9,800 Monday from a low of Sh5,800 while Skyward Express remained fully booked.

The rise in fares to Nairobi has been precipitated by a high number of travellers returning after the long weekend from different parts of the country.

The government declared Friday 29 a national holiday to celebrate and send off former President Mwai Kibaki. This was followed by the Monday holiday in observance of Labour Day and Tuesday (May 3) for Idd-ul-Fitr which marked the end of Ramadhan.

Holiday seasons in Kenya are normally characterised by high demand of passengers seeking to travel to different destinations, pushing up the prices of air tickets.

Kenya Airways #ticker:KQ also increased fares to a high of Sh19,280 on Monday for a one-way ticket from Mombasa, up from a low of Sh8,875 in mid-April.

High demand during Easter festivities a fortnight ago saw Jambojet increase frequencies on some routes in order to cope with the high number of passengers seeking to travel by air.

The carrier increased the number of flights to Mombasa, Malindi, Eldoret, Kisumu, and Ukunda.

Those travelling back to Nairobi from Mombasa tomorrow on Jambojet will pay Sh 5,800 while those using KQ will part with Sh8,895 one way.

Travellers coming from Kisumu using Jambojet will spend Sh5,800 on one-way ticket while those using Skyward Express will pay Sh6,950.

Many Kenyans have embraced air travel in recent days following increased competition in terms of the number of airlines that offer services on different routes of the country.

Thanks to the competition, the cost of air travel has significantly reduced over the recent past making it affordable to most Kenyans seeking alternatives from road.