How to get cheap tickets for Domestic Travel in India

By vivek007

Competition amongst domestic airline carriers in India has led to price cutting and promotional/deal offering. Savvy travelers can get significant deals by doing some home work and buying tickets in advance.

Things You'll Need

Planning your trip in advance to get cheap airline tickets
Credit Card to make online purchases
Time to search various websites to find the lowest fare available

Steps

Plan your trip well in advance so that you can shop around for low fares. Most airlines offer lower fares for purchases 21 days or more in advance of the actual travel date. Also decide whether you will need hotel accomodation at your destination. Several travel sites give you discounts when you make hotel reservations through the airline.

Visit online sites that compare various airlines and fares. A few sites for domestic travel in India are:

Be sure to look at the full purchase price. Most airlines charge a low fare but the taxes and surcharges are quite high and therefore the full fare might be the same as other airlines. If you are not satisfied with the prices call a local travel agent, quote him the lowest price you have found online and ask him to find a lower fare for you.

Plan to travel late at night, early in the morning or over the weekends when lower fares might be available. Several airlines are offering discounts for loyalty program members or offer hotel fares at a discount along with purchase of airline tickets. In addition certain credit card companies offer cash back on airline purchases.

Tips

Be sure to print out your e-ticket before going to the airport.
Email the reservation to yourself so that you can mark your calendar.
If after doing your research airlines fares are still pricey consider traveling by rail or bus to your destination.
By traveling at night you can save on an extra night of hotel stay and be ready to attend to business at your destination the next morning.
You can purchase tickets for all Indian Railways at www.irctc.co.in

Caution

When buying tickets on an online website make sure you look at the full fare price including all surcharges and taxes.
Certain new privately-operated airports like Bangalore and Hyderabad might charge an additional airport tax (mostly on international travelers currently).