Uncommonly Fantastic Fare Finds to India Save up to $3,971 (60%) in Business Class

Uncommonly Fantastic Fare Finds to India Save up to $3,971 (60%) in Business Class

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By booking a package even if you don’t need a hotel.

A trip to India, whether for business or pleasure, can be expensive. You usually need to be in Business Class just to be comfortable on a flight that can be 30+ hours round-trip, and those Business Class tickets often don’t come cheap. So how about a package deal combining flights and hotel that can save you up to 60% on your flight? Before you say “I don’t need a hotel,” hear us out.

We’ve found a way that both business travelers (who need a hotel) and leisure travelers (who may or may not need a hotel) can absolutely make this strategy work for them—and save up to 60% to India.

First, some background on packages. It’s common for Online Travel Agencies like Expedia and Orbitz, and even an airline’s own website, to offer package deals (hotel + airfare) that could save you thousands of dollars. Both Expedia and Orbitz packages offer many hotel options, filtered by price, ratings and many other variables. So you can choose the right one for you.

In this special report, we’ll review a few different options to India for travel in Business Class that can save a leisure traveler between $1,012 and $3,971, and a business traveler up to a whopping $6,344.

Leisure vs. Business Travelers

We’ve divided our examples below into Leisure and Business Traveler categories to address the savings potential for each. We’re distinguishing between them based on the high fares business travelers are typically faced with when traveling without an advance purchase and/or Saturday-night stay. Let’s check out some examples of packages to India that make the flight up to 60% less expensive.

No Hotel Needed

There are a few reasons that you might not need a hotel. As a leisure traveler, you might already have a hotel or vacation rental booked, or you might be staying with a friend. As a business traveler, your team may have booked a room for you already.

But, to make the most of this package opportunity, you’ve got to just go ahead and book a hotel, even if you don’t need it. Both Orbitz and Expedia offer packages that only require you to book a minimum of a one-night hotel stay. So you could pick any one night during your trip, book the lowest-priced room for that night, and just not stay there in order to get that low Business Class fare. Or, book one or more nights at a hotel you would actually stay in; it’s up to you.

So just what kind of savings are available through a package to India?

Leisure Travelers Who Don’t Need a Hotel:
Save up to $3,971 (or 60%) by Booking a Package

Say your favorite airline is Delta. So by booking a hotel + airfare package instead of just your flight, you can decrease the cost of the flight. Consider this example:

Boston-Mumbai: The lowest published Business Class fare on Delta on this route for May 7 to 14 is $3,756, while the Expedia air-and-land package, on the other hand, is $2,744 (based on one traveler) flying Delta in Business Class and pricing a low-end hotel (that you won’t actually use). That’s a total savings of $1,012, or 27% less.

But you can’t always count on your preferred airline to give you the best deal. Consider the following example:

Detroit-Mumbai: Say you want to travel to Mumbai from August 4 to 18. The lowest published Business Class fare on Delta is $6,568 per ticket—quite high.

Time to consider a different airline (United) to score the package deal.

The Orbitz and Expedia air-and-land package is $5,194 (based on two travelers and a bit more if just one traveler), or $2,597 per person, flying United in Business Class and including a low-end hotel (which, remember, you don’t have to use). That’s a total savings of $3,971 each, or 60% less per ticket. Wow.

Leisure Travelers Who Don’t Need a Hotel:
Save up to $1,451 (or 33%) on Non-Stop Flights

San Francisco-New Delhi Non-Stop: The lowest published Business Class fare on United Airlines on the San Francisco-New Delhi route for June 8 to 15 is $4,374.

The Expedia air-and-land package is $2,923 (based on one traveler) flying United in Business Class and pricing a low-end hotel for one night (that you won’t use). That’s a total savings of $1,451, or 33%.

Hotel, Please

Now, what about those travelers who do need a hotel? For these cases, we’re still going with a package because it lowers your airfare. But this time, we’re picking a hotel that you’ll actually want to stay in.

Leisure Travelers Who Do Need a Hotel:
Save up to $2,369 (or 25%) on Non-Stop Flights

New York-Mumbai Non-Stop Example: The lowest published  Business Class fare on Delta for May 11 to 19 is $4,863 per ticket. If you book the five-star St. Regis Mumbai for seven nights (May 12 to 19) in a deluxe king city-view room, that adds $1,972, bringing the total cost of your air and hotel to $11,698 per couple.

The Delta Vacation air-and-land package, on the other hand, is $9,329 (based on two travelers) flying Delta in Business Class and staying at the St. Regis for seven nights. That’s a total savings of $2,369, or 25% less.

Business Travelers Who Need a Hotel:
Save up to $6,344 on Non-Stop Flights

New York-Mumbai Non-Stop: The lowest published Business Class fare on Delta departing on a Monday and returning on Friday for April 13 to April 17 is $10,192 for one ticket. Plus, if you book the St. Regis Mumbai for three nights (April 14 to 17) in a deluxe king city-view room, that adds about $982 for the hotel, bringing the total cost of air and hotel to $11,174.

The Expedia air-and-land package is $4,830 (based on one traveler) flying Delta in Business Class and staying at the St. Regis for three nights for the same dates. That’s a total savings of $6,344, or 57% less. Wow.

How to Book Orbitz and Expedia Packages

1. Go to the Expedia home page and click “Bundle and Save.” On the Orbitz home page, click “Vacation Packages.”

2. Enter departure and return cities and dates.

3A. If you don’t need a hotel: Check the box that says “I only need a hotel for part of my stay.” (Remember, you will choose a hotel for one night only, to get the price of your flight lowered.) Select the date for the one-night hotel stay.

3B. If you need a hotel: No other input is needed, just go straight to your travel class selection (see No. 4, below).

4. Select Business Class under “Preferred class.”

5. Click “Search.”

to Consider

Before booking anything, always check flight and hotel prices first to see whether it is cheaper to book the package or the flight and hotel separately.

Also, FCF can’t possibly price every trip combination for travel dates, airlines and hotels, so the sample savings above are a high-level overview of how you can take advantage of hotel and air packages to India, in general.

A Passage to India? Make that “A Package to India.” The savings are as spectacular as the country.