N ow getting a ticket from Air India looks like a quest for finding a code of discount rather than choosing a suitable departure time. The airline has put different types of promos along with the fare discounts as well as other offers for travellers and now it is possible to save up to Rs 10,000 on the air ticket booked through this airline. Know how.
While there are many elements involved in this promotion, the main point of focus lies in promotional fare offered by Air India on both its domestic and international flights.
Besides the base fare reductions, the airline also offers additional discount codes, which can be used at the checkout. As a result, you can make a number of reductions rather than rely solely on one promo offer.
Domestically, the Air India promotional fare code is SAVERAI allowing the user to reduce his base fare by up to five hundred rupees per passenger when booking via the website or application. Internationally, the same code allows for up to one thousand rupees saving per passenger.
Other promo codes from Air India include the FLYAI which reduces domestic base fares up to a thousand rupees per passenger and the VisaFLY code aimed exclusively at Visa cards and allowing up to twenty-five hundred rupee reduction per passenger.
Another important aspect of Air India promotional fares is the number of payment discounts available for the passengers using specific bank card types. These offers do not require additional promo codes other than choosing the correct type of payment.
Using an HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, or SBI credit card for payment, passengers will receive the instant discount on the domestic and international base fare. In particular, the SBI bank card holders enjoyed promotional fares reducing domestic base fare up to ten percent.
There is also the UPI-related option with the cash back up to a thousand rupees for domestic tickets on the website or application paid for via Mobikwik UPI system.
Now we are talking about true eligibility since not all travelers will receive equally deep discounts. Air India maintains a list of fares specific to certain categories of passengers, which goes beyond the regular public sale:
Students ranging from 12 to 30 years can benefit from a 10 percent discount on domestic base fares with additional baggage allowance by proving their student status with a valid identification or letter of acceptance at their educational institution when booking the trip.
People of age 60 and older belong to a separate discount category, as long as they have an identification document for them proving the fact; although this promotion cannot usually be combined with any discounts on the base fare.
Air India offers preferential prices to the military and their dependants as well, generally, a special ID card or a dependent card is required for it when making a booking — and tickets must be booked in advance.
There is also a fare category specific to Indian children and infants below the age of 12, providing an extra 10 percent discount on economy fares and even a larger 25 percent discount on business class fares in addition to route-based discounts.
In addition to promo codes, membership in the Maharaja Club loyalty program of Air India allows to receive discounts upon logging into an account before searching for tickets online. Log-in members get up to 15 percent off base fares and 50 percent discount on convenience fee on one-way and round-trip tickets booked directly on the official website or app.
The new members normally get bonus points after their first flight, and these can then be used to book award flights or upgrade cabins—award flights one way from the US to India would cost around 40,000 Maharaja Points, which is 30 percent lower than most other routes.
Joining the program is absolutely free and takes just a couple of minutes, making it one of the easiest ways to get even more benefits in addition to whatever promotion may be going on at the moment.
For anyone confused about which offers may be relevant to their purchase, it is a rather clear-cut procedure. It starts on Air India's own website or application, within the section labeled "Offers" or "Special Offers," before you begin the flight search itself, where you will find an overview of all currently valid promo codes, periods of sale, and category-specific fares. There, look out for the option of a "Promo Code" entry during the booking process, where you will be able to use the corresponding code yourself before purchasing.
A final check of the eligibility requirements is advised beforehand — a number of these offers are only applicable to people who present proof of their identity and status during booking or during check-in, while there are no cases of two or more codes being able to be used in tandem when booking tickets. Moreover, Air India excludes group bookings from being eligible to use any of its promotional codes, so if you're making a group booking yourself, you should better check with Air India directly on the matter.
