Jambojet increases fare: Jambojet has increased the fare on Kisumu-Mombasa and Eldoret-Mombasa to Ksh.15100 as demand for air travel increases due to the current curfew imposed in the disease infected counties of Nairobi, Kiambu, Kajiado, Machakos and Nakuru.
Travelers from Mombasa to Eldoret or Kisumu have to pass through the locked counties by road or rail. With this option now not available unless one goes through Mt. Kenya region, most travelers are choosing to travel by air.
The surge in air travel is attributed to the current lockdown, which has affected the counties listed above. Are a result, the western region of the country has been cut off by road and rail from the coast region.
According to Jambojet, which operated five weekly flights on the routes, has now increased the frequency to 11 due to the high demand. The demand, the company said increase over the weekend as most people ate opting to travel by air the bear the curfew.
Initially, a passenger travelling from Mombasa to Eldoret and Kisumu to Mombasa last week Friday paid Sh15,100 for one way with the weekdays cost ranging between Sh10,100 and Sh13,100.
The initial fare was Ksh. 8000.00
This is almost the fair paid initially on the route, as the average ticket would cost about Ksh. 8000.00 before the lockdown was imposed.
The airline said, “We have maintained the flights that we had added on the route during Easter because the demand is still there. We see that people who used to connect via Nairobi are now flying direct because of restriction on movement in and out of Nairobi, keeping up the demand on these routes.”
The airline said that it was keen to increase the number traveling on these routes as it seeks to encourage the use of air travel within the country.
Since the presidential directive to lockdown the five counties two weeks ago, all travel out of the region has been paralyzed. Some people had hoped that the region would be opened as candidates currently sitting their KCSE exams would need to travel. However, this hope was quickly dashed last week as the government directed School Principals to issue letters to traveling candidates and that such should travel with their school uniform. Jambojet increases fare.
