India Guide
Getting around
By air
Considering the huge distances involved in getting around the country, and the time it takes to get from A to B, flying is an attractive option, despite the cost – the journey from Delhi to Chennai, for example, takes a mere 2hr 30min by plane compared to 36 hours on the train. Delays and cancellations can whittle away the time advantage, especially over small distances, but if you're short of time and plan to cover a lot of ground, flying can be a godsend. There's also been a massive proliferation of privately run domestic airlines in India in recent years, with more planes covering more routes than ever before.
As with train tickets, making an airline booking can be a time-consuming business – it's much easier to book through your hotel or a travel agent – we've listed useful agents throughout the Guide. If you haven't got a confirmed seat, be sure to get to the airport early; even if you have got a confirmed seat, always reconfirm 72 hours before your flight. Airlines have offices or accredited agents in all the places they fly to, listed in this book in the relevant Guide chapters. Children under twelve pay half fare and under-twos (one per adult) pay ten percent.
With so many competing airlines, it's virtually impossible to generalize about fares. Flights on popular routes can be extremely cheap, with no-frills carriers like Air Deccan offering flights from Delhi to Mumbai, for example, from around £25/$50. The best advice is to shop around.
The whole Indian aviation market is currently in a state of massive flux, so don't be surprised if new companies have entered the market by the time you read this (or some of the ones listed below have disappeared). The situation is further complicated by the ongoing merger of the two huge state-owned carriers, Air India and Indian Airlines (along with their respective subsidiaries, Air-India Express and Alliance Airways). The two airlines formally merged in August 2007, though it's expected to take at least two years for the two airlines to fully integrate their various operations. In addition, leading private carriers Kingfisher and Air Deccan also announced merger proposals in late 2007.