Finding a cheap flight ticket to India is all about strategy. Forward planning months in advance can open multiple bargain opportunities, but you have to know how to play the game. In some cases, business class round trip tickets can be had for less mileage than a round trip ticket in coach. Be flexible, be creative and you may well be rewarded for your efforts.

Students

STA Travel (AU, AT, CN, DE, DK, HU, JP, MY, NZ, NO, SG, ZA, SE, CH, TH, TW, UK, USA)

A global travel specialist with 30 years experience. Their services include: Student airfare, Adventures, Discount Cards, Travel Insurance, Global Cell Phones and Visa Application Services. Purchase services in person, online or by phone. STA Travel has branch locations in Bangalore, Kolkata, Chandigarh, Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai & New Delhi.

Student Flights (UK, AU, ZA)

International independent retail travel group with over 2000 stores worldwide based in the UK. Products include airfares, budget accommodation, bus, rail and ferry passes, student discount cards and discounted travel insurance.

Student Universe

Online student travel agency with cheap tickets based in the USA. SU also offers discounted tickets for teachers. Users can purchase airline tickets and rail tickets, book hostel rooms, purchase travel insurance and much more. SU serves Bangalore, Mumbai and New Delhi.

ciee

Council on International Educational Exchange. This organization promotes in-house programs in teaching and studying abroad, alongside advocacy outreach programs and research projects. Several projects are available within India.

Travel Cuts

Canada’s student, youth, educational and budget travel experts. Make reservations within 30 locations across Canada near college campuses, online or over the phone.

Airline Rewards Programs

New Customer

Reward or “frequent flier” programs have existed for 20+ years, yet only a select group of travelers know how to maximize the returns. Travelers not flying on a regular basis may think they cannot benefit from a reward program, which is why airlines have added more ways than ever to rack up reward points. Hotel stays, rental cars, online shopping, monthly phone service and airline branded credit cards are just some of the ways to earn miles indirectly. Any individual can sign up for a reward program at no cost. A limited amount of information is required to register.

Frequent Customer

Some airline reward programs allow customers to complete the entire process of researching available tickets all the way through the final booking. But savvy travelers are better to make a call to an airline representative who has access to much more information than what is displayed on their respective websites. With this information, travelers can span their searches over several days which offers more choices for hard to get seats at great reward pricing. Sometimes finding the best deal requires several calls on separate days before booking the perfect ticket. Be patient.

• Don’t have your itinerary set in stone yet. Wait until you have your flights locked up before confirming with a travel agency as your arrival and departure dates may vary. Agencies love to charge cancellation or change fees.
• Arm yourself with your available travel dates. Be flexible within a few days on both ends.
• Call initially to gather background information, such as dates outbound and return flights available. Ask for the best options up front explaining you are flexible with your travel times.
• Be open to flying into a different major city. Sometimes it’s worth flying into a neighboring airport and jumping on an internal connecting flight at $100/ticket.
• Open Jaws: Fly into one airport where you could start your journey ending in another major city where you could depart from. Example: Fly into Mumbai for a 2 week itinerary, end in Delhi and fly home from there.
• Don’t take the first choices offered by the airline representative unless it fits within your travel dates. You can generally get a feeling up-front if the agent is working for you, or for themselves.
• Be prepared to call over several days at different times. As you gather more information on available flights, destinations and dates, you’ll be in a better position to receive the great deals.
• Play dumb, ask nicely. When I have a good “feeling” of an agent based on their greeting, using a kind, humble tone of voice always gets the agent on my side. Give your dates of desired travel, explain you are very flexible and would like to spend as few miles as possible.

Reward ticket not be possible for this trip to India due to?

-Insufficient mileage balance

-Last minute airfare that was too good to pass up

-Travel agency package included airfare

Remember to register an airline reward program membership number during ticket purchase. If forgotten, this can always be added at the time of ticketing and with some airlines, even after the flight. Also keep in mind that nearly every airline is a member of an airline alliance. This means you can still earn miles toward your reward program from partner airlines within the same alliance.

Star Alliance | SkyTeam | oneworld Alliance

Airline Newsletters

Always feel last to the party? Never seem to catch a break? Then sign up for airline newsletters or follow your favorite airlines via Facebook & Twitter. Last minute deals are only sent to those who have willingly asked to be directly marketed. Great priced tickets and/or vacation packages are often only advertised through in-house email blitzes. But now with Facebook and Twitter, statues updates also alert and reward loyal followers.

Online Travel Sites

The following travel sites offer great deals, especially if you sign up for their newsletters, and booking your flight using the links below helps support the site.

Don’t throw money away! Book Flight + Hotel at the same time & Save up to $500!

Vayama: International Travel Solved

Last-Minute Deals Up to 60% off: Flights, Hotels, Cars, Packages!

Qatar Airways special offers

KLM offering incredible low prices to Europe and beyond. Book now

The conversation continues at answers.fullstopindia.com and on Twitter at #DiscountAirfare.