Booking Domestic Flights in India: IndiGo, Air India and the Low-Cost Market

India's Domestic Aviation Market

India has the world's fastest-growing aviation market. Five carriers cover the main domestic routes:

• IndiGo: Over 50% market share. 300+ aircraft. Highest on-time performance of any Indian carrier (78 to 83% consistently). Budget carrier.
• Air India: Full-service carrier, now privately owned by Tata Group. Miles programme (Flying Returns). Premium economy and business class available.
• SpiceJet: Budget carrier. Second-largest by domestic routes but financial challenges have affected operations since 2022.
• Vistara (merged into Air India 2024): Now part of Air India's network.
• Akasa Air: Newest entrant (2022). Ultra-low-cost model. Growing network covering 25 cities.

The Fare Structure on Indian Routes

Indian domestic fares follow a steep curve from advance purchase to same-day:

Delhi to Mumbai (1,400km) indicative prices:

The same-day fare is 4 to 8 times the cheapest advance fare. Book 6 to 10 weeks ahead for the best prices on high-traffic routes like Delhi-Mumbai, Delhi-Bangalore and Mumbai-Kolkata.

Where to Book

Direct from airline:

• indigo.in (IndiGo's site is the most reliable for IndiGo fares)
• airindia.in (full-service; miles accrual)
• akasaair.com (newest routes at competitive prices)

Aggregators:

• MakeMyTrip (makemytrip.com): India's largest OTA; accepts UPI, net banking, credit cards
• Cleartrip (cleartrip.com): Good for comparing fares across carriers
• EaseMyTrip (easemytrip.com): Often has zero convenience fee promotions
• Yatra (yatra.com): Strong presence for regional routes

What Each Fare Class Includes

IndiGo

Super 6E (basic): Seat only. No checked bag. No meal. No seat selection included.

6E (standard economy): Same as Super 6E. Baggage must be added separately. 15kg checked bag: INR 600 to 1,200 if added at booking. INR 2,000 to 5,000 at the airport counter.

FlexiPlus: Fully flexible ticket. Free date change. Priority boarding. Seat selection included. Typically 40 to 60% more expensive than base fare.

Checked bag pricing: Always add baggage at time of booking, not at the airport. IndiGo's airport baggage fee is 3 to 5 times the online rate.

Air India

Economy (base): Includes 15kg checked bag, meal service on flights over 1.5 hours.

Economy (Value): Lighter bag allowance, no seat selection.

Premium Economy: Wider seats, 25kg bag, priority boarding. Available on select routes.

Business: Full-flat on select routes (mainly international). Domestic business class is a wider seat with meal service.

Key Routes and Flight Times

Payment Methods Specific to India

Indian domestic booking accepts:

• UPI (Unified Payments Interface): Instant bank transfer. Zero convenience fee on most platforms. Available via Google Pay, PhonePe, Paytm, BHIM.
• Net banking: Direct from your Indian bank account. Zero or minimal fee.
• Credit and debit cards (Indian and international): Visa and Mastercard accepted everywhere. 1 to 2% convenience fee common.
• EMI (Equated Monthly Instalments): Available on many aggregator platforms for bookings above INR 5,000. No-cost EMI available on select bank cards.

For international travellers visiting India: International Visa and Mastercard work on all platforms. UPI is not available to non-Indian bank accounts. MakeMyTrip and Cleartrip are the most reliable for international card acceptance.

Web Check-In and Boarding

Indian carriers require web check-in for most fares. Web check-in opens 48 hours before departure and closes 1 hour before departure.

Carry-on: IndiGo and Akasa allow 7kg carry-on in the cabin. Air India allows 8kg. Bags are weighed at the gate on IndiGo; enforcement is consistent.

Airport arrival: Arrive 2 hours before domestic departure at major airports (Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata). Security queues at Delhi T2 and Mumbai T1 can take 30 to 45 minutes on busy mornings.