Flight Booking for USA - Complete Information
For many students, this might be your first air travel. This page presents you with a simplified procedure for flight booking to USA. In fact, booking a flight online is as simple as booking a bus or a train ticket.
Typical fare: Rs. 35,000 - 50,000
Before You Start
- Decide when you will be leaving for the US. You would want to land a week or 10 days before your orientation classes commence. Choose a day between Monday and Friday; your flight fare will be cheaper. Wednesdays are usually the cheapest day to travel.
- Flight booking for the US needs some online research. Ask friends or join Facebook groups and inquire about the best available deals for which they have the highest baggage allowance.
- Air India Maharaja Scholars' Offer allows carrying one additional check-in bag (23 kg) for students travelling to the US via Delhi. This is valid for flights to New York (JFK), Chicago (ORD), San Francisco (SFO) and Washington (IAD) and interior points in the USA via New York (JFK) /Chicago (ORD)/San Francisco (SFO)/ Washington (IAD) only.
Required resources
- Passport
- Credit card/Debit card/Internet banking
Step by Step guide Guide on Flight Booking for USA
- Step I: Assuming you are yet to find a good flight deal, go to this website - Kayak.
- Select all the options highlighted below. Under the Flexible? tab, select Exact dates as ± 3days.
- Step II: Now, a list of available dates and flights will be visible. The cheapest fares will be marked in green.
- Step III: Click on the green-coloured fare, which indicates the most economical flight rates. Click on View Deal to see the details of the flight. This will redirect to another website.
- Step IV: Here again, make sure that the right flight(s) are available. Confirm the flight(s). The flight, the respective class (first/business/economy), and the trip fare will be listed. Select the flight that you prefer (if multiple options are available).
- Step V: On proceeding further, you will be asked to fill in the passengers’ details.
- Step VI: Choose any extra services you need. Verify the summary of your booking and go ahead with the payment.
- Step VII: Once you complete the payment, you will get a confirmation email which contains the payment receipt and your flight details. You will also get your e-ticket via email.
- Step VIII: You will have a your a booking reference number using which you can access the airlines’ online portal (link to this will be in the mail you received). You can change things like your contact number, baggage allowance etc. You can also reschedule and/or cancel your flight using this online portal.
- Step IX: Online check-in will be available 24 hours before the scheduled flight departure. You can complete the check-in online (enter details like Passport number, personal information etc. and confirm your meals, seat number and baggage) to save some time at the airport.
Useful Tips
- Your flight booking for the US should be done as early as possible. The fares will be cheaper the earlier you book it.
- If possible, book your flight with a companion or two. If this is your first-time flight journey, it is natural to feel anxious. Besides, since you are travelling to a foreign land, having someone alongside should help reduce your nervousness.
- Always pick the best baggage allowance service over the flight fare for your first travel. You would want to carry all the things you want to support yourself for at least the first few months.
- You can avail the student offer for flight bookings only one time. Take full advantage of the offer. Next time you travel to the US you will have a US National Visa, not the US Student Visa.
- If you think that there might be a possibility of rescheduling or cancelling the flight, it is a good idea to book your tickets on the respective airline's website rather than any third-party website. It might be a bit of hassle with third-party websites to reschedule/get your refund. However, the process is pretty straightforward with the respective airline's website.
- Here's an interesting fact: Your flight booking for USA can be cheaper if you search for flights in incognito/private browsing mode. Doing so will give you flight options at the lowest prices. Based on the cache and cookies in your browser, flight prices do fluctuate when a particular route is frequently searched.