Kisumu air fares overtake Mombasa as demand up

The cost of flights to Kisumu ahead of Christmas has for the first time overtaken that on the Mombasa route on increased demand.

Those travelling to Kisumu from Nairobi on Jambojet will pay Sh14,500 on December 21, the highest in the weekend to Christmas day.

The highest price on Jambojet to Mombasa from Nairobi over the period is Sh11,500 and will fall to a low of Sh4,500 on December 24.

Rival Fly540 flight to Kisumu from Nairobi on December 21 is sold out and the fares on the Mombasa route are Sh11,270.

Passengers travelling to the lake side city, ordinarily would pay Sh4,500 and Sh6,500 for a one way ticket, signalling pent up demand on the Nairobi to Kisumu flight. Flights to Mombasa have traditionally been higher than Kisumu.

Air fares to Eldoret from Nairobi have been relatively low prices 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 from passengers.

A one way ticket to Eldoret from Nairobi on December 23 and 24 will cost Sh9,500 and Sh8,500 respectively on Jambojet. This is a significant rise given that average fare to the North Rift town is Sh4,500.

These fares are based on yesterday’s bookings and they will continue rising as we move closer to Christmas.

The cost on all routes will come down on Christmas as the number of those seeking to travel reduces significantly.

The carriers’ main challenge has been convincing Kenyans to book early, which is vital to the low-cost model.

“Kenyans buy today to travel tomorrow or within two days,” said a Jambojet executive. The rising air fares triggered the rush for the SGR tickets to Mombasa, which goes for Sh3,000 on first class and Sh1,000 on economy class coaches.

The SGR train is fully booked between now and January highlighting an increase on number of passengers who will be travelling for Christmas festivities.