11 Tips to Get Pocket-Friendly Last-Minute Flights to India

The most common way to get cheap airline tickets to India is by booking them in advance.

However, there are times when booking flights beforehand is not possible.

There are chances that you have a family emergency, or you may be taking advantage of some unexpected time off work.

Whatever may be the reason, finding a last-minute flight can be expensive.

Here are a few tips to help you get pocket-friendly last-minute flight deals.

1. Sign Up for Deals and Offers

Instead of looking out for flight ticket deals to India, let the deals come to you.

Sign up for newsletters and alerts and stay on top of flash sales and last-minute discounts and deals.

This way, you can avail of last-minute discounts on airfares as soon as they are released.

Also, you can follow your favorite airlines on famous social media channels like Facebook and Twitter.

This is because they notify about price-drops, sales and all other offers on these.

Airlines need to do this to promote their services to gain social media followers and loyal customers.

Hence, take advantage of the airline promotions for your last-minute travel.

2. Be Flexible with your Schedule

A great trick to get cheap deals on last-minute flight tickets is to be as flexible with your schedule as possible.

Therefore, if you do not want to spend loads, be open to shifting your travel dates, flight time, and airports.

So, when you book tickets to India last-minute, do not hesitate to shift your time or even the airport you are traveling from.

This is because, if you pick the dates and timings others are not too keen about, there are chances of you finding the best deals.

Hence, try booking at the eleventh hour, and if you are lucky, you can travel last-minute without spending much on airline tickets.

3. Re-Consider your Destination

The date, time, and the airport are not the only things you should be flexible with. If possible, reconsider your travel destination.

If you are traveling due to a family emergency, we know this might not be an option for you.

However, if you are taking a quick weekend getaway, you can save a bundle just by changing the place you are flying to.

Perhaps taking a long weekend to Delhi might cost an arm and a leg, but what if flights to Bombay happen to be cheap right now?

Hence, just by changing your plans a bit, you can prevent yourself from spending a fortune.

4. Keep your Eyes Open!

There are certain days when airlines release deals on airfares.

Like, on Tuesday afternoons, airlines tend to release last-minute flight deals if their weekend departures are not fully booked.

Therefore, keep your eyes open for such deals and offers.

Also, many airlines launch flight sales on Mondays.

They do this so that their competitors will have to match or drop prices on a Tuesday.

Hence, set aside a little time on these days to avail of such deals.

5. Rely on Price Alerts

If you do not have time to look for last-minute flight deals, consider setting up a price alert.

This way, you will let someone else do the grunt work for you.

Further, this might be an excellent option for you if you have a rough idea about where and when to travel.

There are specific sites out there that can assist you in keeping tabs on a particular route.

These can then tip you off about the relevant price drops.

Hence, if you use these, you can pounce on a good last-minute deal.

Also, you can set up alerts to monitor your travel route on different dates to see when you can travel the cheapest.

6. Quit Delaying!

The tried and tested method to get cheap airfare to India is to book as early as possible.

However, this may not be possible now that you are looking for last-minute flights.

Also, this means that you have delayed enough. Therefore, do not wait a minute longer.

A most common travel myth is the idea that the airlines move tickets at fire-sale prices just before a flight. But this is not the case.

Hence, if you know when you will be flying the coming few days, do not delay any further. The time to book your ticket is now!

7. Use your Earned Miles

Every time you buy cheap tickets to Canada or India, you earn some reward points.

Therefore, if you stick to one airline for every flight booking, you are sure to earn miles and status.

These can come handy during the times when you need to book a last-minute ticket.

Also, consider getting a good travel card. The miles that you earn on your credit card also offer the same benefit.

Hence, if you have a reliable travel card, you are sure to have a better option in the form of miles when it comes to paying inflated airfares.

8. Compare Airlines

Usually, most online travel booking portals offer the same prices.

If you find a difference, it may be because one of these may have a somewhat different itinerary than another.

This is because these gather their information from a similar database.

However, different airlines offer different prices for the same destination.

Therefore, while searching for cheap flights from Canada, make sure to keep an eye on which airlines the website provides.

Hence, if you consider searching airlines individually, the chances of getting cheap last-minute deals are higher.

9. Fly Red-Eye

Another way to fly cheap is by taking odd hour flights.

If you are okay traveling late at night, this may be an excellent option for you to fly cheap last-minute.

Also, these flights are suitable for people who want to visit a city and return the same day.

10. Consider Layovers

Before booking your tickets to India, make sure to check for all the layovers and stops.

Generally, the more the stops, the more are your chances of saving. Hence, opt for stopovers as they tend to be cheaper as compared to the direct ones.

Also, try choosing a less famous destination city. Toronto to New Delhi , India flights can be expensive as compared to those going to Chennai.

Hence, just a bit of change in your travel destination can result in cheaper tickets.

11. Do Not Stop Looking!

Getting cheap last minute flight deals to India is not an easy task.

Therefore, do not stop your search even after booking the best available flight.

Also, make sure that there are no cancellation charges on this booking.

Since most of the airlines want to fill up their vacant seats in the last couple of days, there is always scope for cheaper airfares.

Hence, there are chances of you finding much better deals.

When you find one, all you need to do is to cancel your existing flight and re-book.

However, you cannot always get this deal, especially in the peak season.

Undeniably, finding cheap airline tickets to India, last-minute is not an easy task. But, this does not mean that you should give up.

Follow the above tips, and you might get lucky!