It’s once again that time of the year when people start planning their ways to go home. But the journey home during the festive season is just not about reaching a destination. For lakhs of people who leave their hometowns in search of education and better opportunities, festivals like Diwali and Chhath Puja are a precious chance to go back to their family and celebrate. However, the increasing airfares ahead of the celebrations are becoming increasingly expensive.Now the frustration has found a voice on social media through content creator Aashii Singh. The creator has posted a reel and raised a valid question, “why travelling home to Bihar during Chhath Puja has become so costly?”The video raising questions on rising airfareIn her Instagram video post, she draws attention to the rising cost of domestic air travel. She also urges the Union civil aviation minister to address the issue.“This topic needs to be talked about!!!” she wrote in the caption.The debate comes at a time when reports of steep festive-season airfares are emerging across several domestic routes, including flights to Bihar. As per online booking platforms, on October 6, 2026, fares to Patna had risen sharply ahead of Diwali and Chhath, with some Mumbai–Patna tickets crossing INR 26,000 for a one-way journey.Why so costlyIn her reel, Singh compares the present cost of air travel with what she remembers paying years ago. She says that going home was never this pricey. Tickets that once cost around INR 3,000–4,000, and at most INR 5,000, have become dramatically expensive now. She argues that even people who can afford air travel now think twice before spending INR 20,000 or more on a single journey home.She also shared a flight-fare screenshot on her video. It shows Delhi–Patna fares of approximately INR 18,000–20,000 for direct flights.For someone travelling alone, such a ticket can take up a substantial part of a monthly salary. For families travelling together, the expense multiplies quickly. A family of four could face an airfare bill of around INR 80,000 for a single journey if each ticket costs INR 20,000, minus local transport and other travel expenses.Chhath Puja: A festival that brings people back to their roots
Chhath Puja (Canva)
“Aap emotions ke paise charge kar rahe hain kya”?That’s one of the main questions. Chhath Puja is not a festival but an emotion for lakhs. Dedicated to the worship of the Sun God and Chhathi Maiya, the festival involves prayers, fasting and offerings made to the setting and rising sun, often at riverbanks, ponds and other water bodies.The rising price issue carries particular significance for Bihar, Jharkhand and parts of eastern Uttar Pradesh, regions with large populations of people who migrate to other cities for work and education.For most people, returning home is not simply a holiday choice. It can be an opportunity to participate in family rituals, meet elderly parents, reconnect with relatives and pass traditions on to the next generation.The timing of the festival also creates a concentrated travel rush. People working in Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and other employment hubs may all seek to travel within a relatively short window. This puts pressure on flights and trains, particularly on routes connecting major cities with Patna and other destinations in Bihar.Without an air ticket, people are forced to take the trains which are already overcrowded during Chhath Puja time. When train tickets are difficult to secure and flight prices climb, travellers can find themselves facing an uncomfortable choice: spend far more than planned or miss an important family occasion.The emotional cost of an expensive journey home
Chhath Puja festival (Canva)
At the heart of Singh’s message is a familiar feeling among people living away from their hometowns: the desire to be present for the moments that matter.A journey home during Chhath is often planned around family responsibilities, religious observances and the hope of spending a few days with loved ones. When the cost of getting there rises dramatically, the decision becomes more complicated than choosing between two modes of transport.
