Toronto - Delhi: Book Now or Wait?

humblejiva

Calling all seasoned India travelers from Toronto...

My boyfriend & I are trying to plan our first trip (finally!) to India for October 2009 and have been poking around for potential flight possibilities and prices.

Seems the going rate right now is $435CDN each way for an Air Canada direct flight or British Airways stopover flight... To me this sounds crazy inexpensive. So we're wondering - should we jump at this opportunity and book this much in advance? I don't want to miss a great fare, but I've never booked an airfare this far in advance.

Any other tips you can make for flying Toronto to Delhi would be most appreciated (other airlines, other considerations, etc).

Thanks so much!

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sthakur

$435 tax included, then its a great flight deal, book now, but if taxes are not included then I would wait because fares are not refundable, your plans may change.

I fly to Mumbai, twice a year and always book at the last minute, a few days before departure and never have paid more then $1300 even in high season for a flight, just need a good travel agent.

I hate direct flights to India, too long, tiring and body hurts for a few days afterwards, plus with a stop over you can get see a different city as well for free.

Last Feb 09, I flew Qatar Airlines to Mumbai, and paid $1165 tax included last minute.

October is slow season, so fare deals will pop up during Sept. For example, BA was $255 each way + taxes(high) in late Feb 09.

sthakur

camelgirl

That sounds like a fantastic price!! If it includes taxes & fees. I'd grab it! Even $500 CDN would be a very good price. I've never gotten that good a price from the US. We usually figure anything close to $1,000 R/T is a good price. But since times are bad for airlines now, maybe you could get a better deal. I don't know!

I've done both non-stop and one-stop flights and I can't say I like either one better. It's a long journey no matter what & I feel awful for a couple of days!

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humblejiva

sthakur and camelgirl,

thanks so much for your thoughtful replies. this is all good food for thought. so much to consider!

Hal

With the fuel surcharge and taxes they add, it's more than you might pay on Jet or one of the Middle Eastern carriers. Right now Jet is charging $392 (plus taxes and fuel) each way.

CANADON

I just checked one of the consolidators(kayak) and they were offering a flight, taxes included ,as $915(american). Certainly the prices seem cheaper than the last time I went.I think I paid 1300.00 and change to Mumbai in 2007 from Toronto.

humblejiva

Just wanted to thank everyone for your replies! Its really appreciated considering I'm so new to this!

nycank

Price varies by the day of the week and also by local festivals and seasons. However any ticket sub 1000USD is considered good.

Haylo

Flights often dip for short periods, if you know what the usual cost is, and you find a flight that suits your needs that you know is a bargain, the best thing to do is snap it up straight away. As soon as a few flights are sold, the price is likely to rise to its usual levels.

One SwissAir flight I had been watching, but rejected due to flight times, had been steady at £450 for weeks. It then dropped to £301 for just one afternoon a couple of days ago, but then rose to its current price of £650 by the same evening!

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nycank

Ahh The eternal tussle between RPU (Revenue Protection Unit) and Marketing arm of the airline