Indians are taking to the skies in droves, thanks to two things that have made flying in India more affordable now than a couple of years ago — cheaper aviation turbine fuel, courtesy the rout of crude oil, and increasing competition in the domestic skies with 10 airlines jostling for patronage.

But there are some other ways you can pay even less for your ticket. Airlines sometimes tie up with banks to offer deals on tickets. For instance, Air Asia is presently giving 20 per cent discount on the base fare for tickets booked using HDFC Bank credit and debit cards. It’s a limited offer period though — until February 21, for travel between July and September 2016. Airlines are also encouraging customers to book on their mobile sites and apps. Jet Airways, for one, is offering a discount of ₹150 per guest for one-way flights and ₹300 for return flights booked on its mobile platforms.

Use fare unbundling to your advantage and save a few hundreds by travelling light. A SpiceJet ticket will cost ₹200 less if you travel without check-in baggage. And if you have excess check-in baggage, it’s a good idea to pre-book it online; this often works out cheaper than booking it at the airport. Similarly, booking meals online may work out cheaper than buying them on the flight.

Shed the plastic Also, when paying for your online booking, save money by using online banking instead of the plastic cards. IndiGo, for instance, charges ₹75 on each ticket as non-refundable convenience fee for net banking payment, lower than the ₹150 for using debit or credit cards. Booking at the airport can be costlier — SpiceJet charges a non-refundable ‘convenience fee’ of ₹200 for airport ticketing, ₹150 for credit and debit card payments and ₹100 as internet banking charges. From March onwards, its reservation booking charges over phone will increase to ₹200 from ₹100 currently.

Finally, certain categories of passengers pay less than the others. So, if you or a close family member are, or were, in the armed forces, most airlines cut base fare on economy class tickets by half. Besides, carriers such as Air India and Jet Airways offer discounts of 5 – 50 per cent on base fares on economy class travel to senior citizens, students, cancer patients, visually challenged guests and those with loco-motor disability.

Airlines also offer good deals to attract large passenger groups. So, if four or more are travelling together, check for the family and friends discounts on the base fare offered by most airlines. Also, if there are nine or more passengers in your group, check for group discounts. Most airlines also offer corporate discounts and special deals to businessmen from the small and medium enterprises segment.

To sum up, some groundwork can help you fly more for less.

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