FCF’s Buyer’s Guide Unlocks the Flavors of India, plus how to get free side-trips to the Middle East; special fares to the Maldives; and why you don’t want to think about using miles.
Incredible India.
An intoxicating land that overwhelms the senses: the kaleidoscopic swirl of colors, the heady aroma of spices, the fiery taste of curry, the cacophony of myriad languages, and the intense blanket of heat. India is also Gandi, the Taj Mahal and the Ganges. All of these help to make India a bucket-list must.
It’s time to get you there with an FCF Buyer’s Guide packed with incredible deals.
India Offers Limited-Route Tactical Fares
Back in early 2018, FCF first discovered routes where Business Class prices had plunged to under $2,900 for travel to India. Business Class fares have historically been in the $4,000 to $6,000 range on major carriers. Now, a year and a half later, we’re happy to report the trend is holding, and fares are as low as ever.
What are tactical fares? They are significantly discounted fares that airlines offer sporadically for a variety of reasons, usually because their algorithms are screaming at them that seats won’t sell—so they lower the prices.
Tactical fares are many and varied. They can cover specific dates or seasons or holiday times like Christmas or Easter; they can be destination specific; they can offer big differences for cities quite close to each other; or they can involve advance-purchase times, to name a few.
Current Business Class Fare Highlights to India
As always, these lower fares may not last or they may be restricted to certain U.S. departure cities and/or carriers. The bigger picture is that discounted Business Class fares are still valid. Chicago, Dallas, Miami, New York, and Washington, DC, fares range from $2,425 to $2,936 for travel to Delhi and/or Mumbai. With Qatar Airways, FCF has also seen fares as low as $2,452 on Atlanta-Delhi. Even Lufthansa on the Chicago-Bangalore route goes for $2,468.
SPECIAL Non-Stop Routes from the U.S. to India: Delta and United
Two U.S. airlines fly non-stop to India right now: Delta and United. New York to Mumbai on Delta is only $2,887; United’s Newark to Mumbai is $3,037, and San Francisco to Delhi non-stop is only $3,573 for almost 32 hours of flying. Or about $111 per flight hour. To put this in perspective, compare this to flying from San Francisco to Tokyo for $6,956 on United—about 21 hours of flying for a cost per flight hour of $331. So on a cost-per-hour basis, India is a particularly good deal from the West Coast.
forget about using miles or Points to India
The news ain’t great when you try to use miles for Delta or United for an upgrade or free award, because U.S. airlines usually don’t have space when using miles for travel to India. So, cash is the way to go.
British Airways Deals
British Airways’ Business Class fares are often slightly higher when compared to Delta or United, but with the AARP Discount (anyone of any age can join for $16), members save up to $200 on fares booked on British Airways. For example, the Seattle-Delhi fare is $3,281, but with the AARP discount the cost drops to $3,081.
Plus, you can get an additional savings of 10% off with the British Airways Visa card, using the promo code CHASEBA10.
FCF’s Stopover Loophole Strategy (SLS) Nets Europe for $250
With British Airways, you can make a stopover in London on the way to India for a very small fee, AND that stopover can last a day, or even weeks or months.
For example, Los Angeles to Mumbai is $3,458 in Business Class on British Airways (without the AARP or BA Chase credit card discount). Add in a stop in London for a few days and the fare is $3,713, only $255 more.
The Stopover Loophole Strategy to and from India also Nets the Middle East (for Free) on Etihad and Qatar Airways
With Etihad, you can make a stopover in Abu Dhabi for almost free, AND that stopover can last a day, weeks, or months.
For example, Los Angeles to Mumbai on Etihad is $3,364. Add a stop in Abu Dhabi for a few days and the fare is $3,387 ($23 more). If you were to book these destinations separately, you’d pay a LOT more. A Los Angeles-Abu Dhabi round-trip ticket in Business Class starts at $6,010 with Etihad, while a Los Angeles-to-Mumbai round-trip ticket in Business Class starts at $3,364. Tack on India to your Middle East trip and you will BOTH save thousands and get the second destination.
If you like what you see here, we’ve got more on Etihad’s Stopover Loophole Strategy for travel to Africa and Asia, go here.
Qatar Airways is another stopover-friendly airline. With Qatar, you can make a stopover in Doha for almost free, and again, that stopover can last a day or weeks or months.
Example: Los Angeles to Mumbai is $3,698. Add in a stop in Doha for a few days and the fare is $3,713 (just $15 more). So again, if you were to book these two destinations separately, you’d pay a lot more. A Los Angeles-Doha round-trip ticket in Business Class starts at $8,152. But again, if you use the Stopover Loophole Strategy, you can get to those same two destinations in Business Class for $3,713—a savings of $8,137.
For more on Qatar’s fares to Africa, Asia, Australia, and India, go here.
[aside headline="Travel Beyond India on Qatar: The Marvelous Maldives" alignment="aligncenter" width="big" headline_size="default"]
Another limited-route tactical fare can be found with Qatar Airways to the Maldives via Doha. For more on Qatar’s tactical fares, routes, seats, and more, visit here.
Quick example: The normal fare from Dallas to Malé, on American/Cathay Pacific (connecting via Hong Kong) starts at around $9,890. With Qatar Airways, Dallas–Malé goes for $3,650 round-trip, a staggering savings of $6,240 (63%). For more details on new Business Class fares to the Maldives on Qatar Airways from Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, and Los Angeles, go here.[/aside]
First Class Finds
If you’re interested in going to India in First Class we’ve uncovered some superb First Class tactical fares on British Airways starting as low as $3,899. Go here for the special report and here for current alert with fares starting at $3,899 using the British Airways Visa card promo code CHASEBA10.
OTHER Recent FCF Business Class Fare Alerts TO India
West Coast to India Business Class Starting at $2,954
