Connecting Flights – What You Should Know

Booking a connecting flights deal to India? Before you book an inappropriate itinerary, and later feel jittery about making a successful connection, read the below tips and useful information. With these you can easily get away with the qualms of missing your onward flight and comfortably reach India for your wonderful holiday breaks.

• Try to book your tickets on both the legs of your flights to India with same airline. In case, if you miss the onward connection, the airline may book you onto a later flight. This may not be possible with connecting flight booked with different carrier.

• Check from which city airport or airport terminal the connecting flight to India is departing. If the connections are at some other airport or terminal than the one you landed at, make sure you allow for the travel time to this airport while making the booking. There are around five airports local to London; London Heathrow alone had five sprawling terminals; it does take some time for getting between them.

• If you have booked your tickets on cheap flights to India with two different airlines, you may need enough time for claiming your baggage from the first flight and checking-in with later flight. Be sure to allow for enough time for baggage reclaim and check-in into the later flight.

• Confirm the gate number and terminal at the connecting airport’s reception. There are chances of modifications in the gate number, so it is better to confirm it beforehand.

Missed connections

Many holiday makers looking for cheap flights to India often take two or more connections. If you miss a connecting flight and you have booked to travel multiple airlines on the same reservation (through ticket), it is generally the first airline on the ticket that is required to look after you by meeting your such needs as meals and accommodation.

In case the connecting flight (missed) was with the same airline as the previous one, then some airlines may look after you while others may not.

Arguably, the airlines should pay for or reimburse the cost of food and stay arrangements for those with missed flight on air travel. However it might be difficult to get the airline to make a refund or reimbursement. Travellers can take the guidance of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the specialist aviation regulator in the UK.

Reference: http://louiskieran.blogspot.com/2012/04/connecting-flights-what-you-should-know.html

Indian Tourism Boom – Millions Take Flights to India Every Year

The Indian Ministry of Tourism compiles monthly estimates of Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) and Foreign Exchange Earnings (FEE) from tourism. These estimates are compiled on the basis of data received from major airports.

Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) 2011

It is reported foreign tourist taking flights to India (FTA) during 2011 were 6.29 million with a growth of 8.9%, as compared to the FTAs of 5.78 million with a growth of 11.8% during the year 2010 over 2009.

The estimates indicate that FTAs have seen a growth of 5.2% in December 2011 over December 2010 as compared to a growth of 10.4% registered in December 2010 over December 2009.

Foreign Exchange Earning From Tourism (FEE) 2011

FEE from tourism showed a growth of 16.7%, as compared to a growth of 24.6% during the year 2010 over 2009.

The growth rate in FEE in December 2011 over December 2010 was 8.3 %, as compared to the growth of 3.2% in December 2010 over December 2009.

Year 2012 January Performance

2012 is also considered as a booming time for the country. As per the press release on the website of the Indian Ministry of Tourism, FTAs during the Month of January, 2012 was 6,81,000 as compared to FTAs of 6,24,000 during the month of January, 2011.

The figures seem quite encouraging for the overall travel and tourism Industry and in particular the airline industry.

Tourism in India - Future

According to the industry experts, Indian tourism will soar above the sky level! It is decidedly an utterly versatile country that caters to the needs of almost every sort of traveller who books tickets on cheap flights to India.

With millions of holiday makers looking for airlines and travel agents offering cheap deals and tickets to India, it comes as no surprise that India is one of the leading tourist destinations in the world.

Most popular destinations among holiday makers booking tickets on cheap flights to India include cities like New Delhi, Mumbai, Goa, Bangalore, Chennai, Amritsar to name only a few. Kerala holidays and deals undoubtedly remain among the hot favourites.

States of Rajasthan, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh are among the top holiday destinations visited by most travellers taking cheap flights to India.

The country boasts the state-of-the-art airports, cheap yet brilliant educational and medical tourism avenues, lavish as well as cheap budget hotels and convention centres and attracts a number of leisure as well as business tours.

Reference: http://jackolivor.blogspot.com/2012/04/indian-tourism-boom-millions-take.html

Tips on How to Handle Flight Cancellations

No matter how careful you have been in planning, it’s true that travel plans may be thrown into disarray anytime for many reasons. Imagine having painstakingly booked deals on cheap flights to India, you thought that you made fool proof plans for your holiday break but suddenly an airport announcement of flight cancellation due to bad weather threatens your tour. What can you do to mitigate the loss, inconvenience and stress?

Contact the Airline or Travel Agent

Call who ever you booked with – the airline or the travel agent. Ask for your rights and understand policies of the airline for such incidents and the terms and conditions of the booking related to changes and refunds. Airlines usually come up with two options – rebooking the tickets on alternative flight at a later time without any penalties, or full refund. Enquire what your options are. When flight schedules are affected by days rather than hours, then travellers are more likely to get full refunds on tickets that they booked on cheap flights to India.

Intimate the Hotel

Holiday makers must inform the booked hotel about the cancellation of their flight. Else the hotel will not refund the deposited reservation fee. Calmly explain them that your cheap flight to India has been cancelled due to severe weather and you won’t be able to make it. It may spare you from cancellation fees. If you have booked the package holiday with travel agent, then your travel agent should do this. But do not assume, enquire if they have already or are going to do it.

Keep eyes on Departure and Arrival Screens

Make sure to check the departure and arrival screens at the airport for keeping eyes on flights which are operating after yours. It helps in getting proper information about the next operating flights to India.

Rebook the Ticket

It is advisable to get the ticket on your flight to India rebooked while the airlines are offering it as an alternative. If you have booked with the travel agent and you opt for a refund, the airlines are going to advise you to contact your travel agents for refund. Travel agents usually take a long time to refund money, especially if there are thousands of refunds during such natural calamities as the recent snow crisis in the UK and the Iceland volcanic eruption.

Reference: http://journeytoincredibleindia.blogspot.com/2012/04/tips-on-how-to-handle-flight.html