Discount airlines are here to stay. Also known as low-cost carriers, Low cost airlines have changed the face of the Indian travel and airlines industry forever, are driving fare structure overhauls and have forced the majors airlines to offer more direct flights. So much ink is spilled and pixels lit up that you would think every person in India could name a discounted airlines. Most travelers in India know about Indigo airlines and Spice Jet-- but where are the rest of them? And can you find all these revolutionaries when you do a simple search on airfares? Our guide to the domestic discounters answers these questions and more, and includes a comprehensive list of all the major players.
But before we get into the list, here are few important way on searching and booking fares on these airlines
1. Just because your flight is on a discounted airline, it doesn't mean you'll be slumming in the skies. Spice Jet’s so-called line "Power to fly" setup includes leather seats, heaps of legroom, onboard snacks and meals if you want.
2. Similarly, major airlines can often match and undercut discounter prices. Rather than there being two classes of airlines, the truth is more likely that there is increasingly little difference between the prices and service levels of the minors and majors. This is good -- your choices have multiplied. (In the future, there will be two types of airlines: not major and discount, but rather those that run with business plans that work for the company and traveler alike, and those that don't.)
3. Thinking discounted airline when traveling to any Indian locations. Most of the low-cost airlines have focused on flights to warm-weather vacation destinations. These include various cities in India; destinations like Mumbai, Bangalore and Goa; Hyderabad, particularly the east-south India; and Southwestern locations. Several discounters have made a specialty of offering low-hassle direct flights from major Indian cities such as Guwahati, Bagdogra and Kolkata in the East, and Raipur, Ahmedabad , Mumbai and Goa in the West. As a result, the major airlines are matching in these markets as well; it has never been more affordable, or so downright cheap, to fly across the India.
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5. For the best deals and most information, go directly to the airline Web
site (linked below) if you know that a certain discounter flies your route. If
you do book a flight, you'll usually save a few bucks on the booking site
service fee.
6. If you are flying to or from a location served by Go Indigo or Spice Jet, check its Web site first -- You may see a flight you'll want to purchase right away, but if not, you'll get a good sense of "market price" along the route.
7. Perhaps even better, search aggregators for a very broad look at fares. The big aggregators now include most discounters.
9. Additionally, when considering alternate airports, check route maps for flights that may get you very close to your final destination. Discount airlines serve smaller airports like Vadodara and Surat, or Gwalior and Jabalpur. This can be the most labor-intensive component of finding these fares.
6. If you are flying to or from a location served by Go Indigo or Spice Jet, check its Web site first -- You may see a flight you'll want to purchase right away, but if not, you'll get a good sense of "market price" along the route.
7. Perhaps even better, search aggregators for a very broad look at fares. The big aggregators now include most discounters.
9. Additionally, when considering alternate airports, check route maps for flights that may get you very close to your final destination. Discount airlines serve smaller airports like Vadodara and Surat, or Gwalior and Jabalpur. This can be the most labor-intensive component of finding these fares.
