« Astitva Yaa Pehchaan?
Asthmi Ka Din »

Desi Travel Agents - Deal or Steal?

Posted on October 20th, 2004 by Poonam

So I was looking for India tickets today, and the lowest I found was for $1475 (that too from NY-Mumbai-NY). No good. :no: From Chicago its $1520 per person. The airline is Air India.

With these Indian travel agents, all you have to do is keep calling and calling. I must have called @least 8 desi travel agents today. Two agents told me that they don’t have seats, two of them said that I won’t find anything below $1700, another two said that they would have to waitlist me, and the last two gave me quotes.

Anybody have any suggested travel agents in the USA that are reliable, then please let me know.

They say that ticket prices are up this year, I am not sure why because I know what usually the rates are: the highest I have traveled during this Christmas time is $1200.

Traveling dates: 22nd December (flexible to either the day before or after)
Return date : 14th January (flexible for 13-16th January).

[UPDATE - 10.45 pm]

After speaking with Neeraj, we might go the route of buying a one way ticket from the US (Chicago-Mumbai) which @ most should cost $800. Then buy a one way ticket from Mumbai (Mumbai-Chicago) for return that should cost hopefully no more than Rs. 30,000 ($600). If this is successful, we will be saving $300 ($100 each ticket for 3 tickets). Good na? **fingers crossed**

[UPDATE - 21st October - 11.27 am]

Talked to a few agents this morning and they say
one way ticket: $900 + taxes.

Neeraj talked to his travel agent in Mumbai and she says :
one way ticket back to Chicago = Rs. 30,000 ($600)
round trip ticket (Chicago-Mumbai-Chicago) = Rs. 49,000 ($1088). :shock:

I think we should buy our tickets from India, what do you say?? :roll: What a difference between $1088 and $1520! :shock:

Alvida. Jai Mata Di.







25 Responses to “Desi Travel Agents - Deal or Steal?”

  1. Mona Says:
    October 20th, 2004 at 8:28 pm

    hiiii Poonam, miss yaaaa sorry I was away for a while because of work :blush:

    hmmm I dunno if I am right or not, but when I was looking for the tickets for going to India for December … somehow the ticket for Air India is quite expensive compare to other flights. I take Thai Air for my trip to India but I am not sure whether there is Thai Air going to India for US though :???: and Malaysian airlines is also cheaper. Air India and Singapore Airlines, the prices are not much differences from the agent here. Yeah I think you should check to more travel agents. Somehow they always give different information and prices because each travel agent has limited seats from the flight itself, that’s why sometimes you can get seats from one travel agent but not from others.

    ahhhhhh our schedule going to India is pretty same :hyper: I hope we have a chance to meet there :rotfl: have a nice dayyyyyyy

  2. JaI Says:
    October 20th, 2004 at 9:07 pm

    hey Poonam, first of all the time u are flying out of here is peak time, usually dec 10th to dec 25 th is the peak season and tics between these 2 dates are really really expensive, and even i have heard that tic rates are higher this year.

    I would suggest, if possible travel after 25th dec - ticket rates will automtically come down to around 1300 per head. Try http://www.makemytrip.com, i got my tics from them last year. I would suggest take their customer service number and call in, they usually give good deals.

  3. Saima Says:
    October 20th, 2004 at 9:17 pm

    Wohaaa,with ticket prices so damn high,might aswell not go.:shock:

  4. Poonam Says:
    October 20th, 2004 at 10:42 pm
    Hey Mona :wave: I have been wondering where you are..as your site is down and you are not around. Found out from Amit that you were in Dubai. I hope that you are enjoying your stay there. :grin:

    I don’t think that Thai Air goes. I know that Singapore Airlines goes but the flight is really long because it goes thru the Pacific. More than 24 hrs! :shock:

    In the USA, the cheapest flight is Kuwait Airways (but I don’t find it to be the safest) even that flight was costing around $1400 (as quoted by one agent). Then Air India, and then the others are about the same (Lufthansa, Swiss Air, British Airways, etc). I have miles for British Airways and KLM but not enough for a free trip. :sad: Next time hopefully.

    I have called today only eight agents, maybe I will try my luck with a few more tomorrow. Running out of agents!

    I might just go with the $1520 or the other idea is to get a one-way ticket (at the most might cost $800) and then get a one-way from India back home. I have asked Neeraj to find out from his travel agent how much it will cost to buy from India to Chicago.

    We are definitely going to try and meet up. I think we talked about meeting in Jaipur? Let’s hope for the best! :grin: You will have to give me your contact numbers in India and we will get together for sure! :grin:

    Jai, I have checked MakeMyTrip previously but never find availability there. Maybe I will try again. I have flown during this time for the past four years so I know what the rates are suppose to be. The agents were saying that its high this year because last year they were low due to SARS and the war. So many ppl are travelling this yr than last yr. That’s what they say every yr though!

    The reason I am leaving on the 22nd is because I get the 23-25th off from work…so why not use the days to be either travelling or in India?

    Saima :wave:, thanks for stopping by! Keep coming! I am taking my parents along with me this year as Neeraj and I are getting engaged. :blush: So I have reason to go. :grin:

  5. Ashwin Says:
    October 20th, 2004 at 11:05 pm

    hmm.those tickets are expensive!! i took the pacific route last time I flew to India and it worked out pretty cheap. But as u said..the journey is long and strenous. I think the idea you have thought of sounds good.

  6. Poonam Says:
    October 20th, 2004 at 11:11 pm
    I think if I was travelling by myself Ashwin that I wouldn’t even mind taking the pacific route, but with my parents along, I don’t want them to be stressed out just from the travel. They have enough to think about once they land in India and meet Neeraj’s parents. :mrgreen: You know what I mean? :wink:
  7. Ankur Raheja Says:
    October 21st, 2004 at 7:09 am

    Prices are high in December due to Christmas, almost 1.5 times :faint:

  8. Poonam Says:
    October 21st, 2004 at 8:54 am
    Its not due to the Christimas time that is causing the rates to be high. I say this Ankur for the reason that I have traveled during this time for the past four years, and I have never travelled @ a price higher than $1200.

    They say the price is higher due to last year ppl not going because of SARS and the war. So this year more people are going and the price is higher. :roll:

  9. priya Says:
    October 21st, 2004 at 11:53 am

    i have a long list of travel agents i will mail ya…temme the address…
    and hey mez adding ur link on my blog…wokay…?

  10. Poonam Says:
    October 21st, 2004 at 11:59 am
    Why thanks Priya!

    You can mail me: np@neerajpoonam.com

    Anything will help @ this time. Still not sure if I will end up buying from India or from here or do one-ways…geez..so many options.. I wish I just had one. :mrgreen:

    Thanks again! And for adding me. :wink:

  11. Ankur Raheja Says:
    October 21st, 2004 at 12:11 pm

    Which Airline Tickets … you are getting for $ 1,088 :?:

  12. Poonam Says:
    October 21st, 2004 at 12:16 pm
    Neeraj was quoted from his travel agent in Mumbai that Chicago-Mumbai-Chicago is Rs. 49,000 ($1088) on Air India.
  13. Puneet Says:
    October 21st, 2004 at 12:43 pm

    the only reason i would think of for abnormal price increase would be because of fuel price rise…

    i remember reading in newspapers earlier they were thinking about increasing domestic airlines rates coz of rise in fuel price .. coz of rate going more record high …

    could be the same reason for increase in internation rates also

  14. Poonam Says:
    October 21st, 2004 at 1:29 pm
    You know Puneet, I think I remember hearing that on Zee News as well about domestic airline prices going up. But then Air Deccan came into play and changed that in a snap. :wink:

    It seems like a valid reason for prices to go up.

  15. Our Journery Begins....Together Says:
    November 4th, 2004 at 2:57 pm

    Kab Chale India re?
    Current Tune: Yaaron Main India Chala - Kitne Door Kitne Paas

    So still working with desi travel agents on my tickets. Tomorrow. That’s it, I am going to make my decision. I will call all of the travel agents back again that I think will do some…

  16. Gaurav Says:
    November 14th, 2004 at 5:01 am

    hmmmm….interesting… ur comment # 15 is a trackback for ur another article :-? did u do it or it happened by itself?

    This same thing happened to me today. I didn’t tracked it back.

  17. Poonam Says:
    November 14th, 2004 at 8:14 pm
    Gaurav I did it myself. I was referring to this post so I did a trackback. :smile:
  18. Gaurav Says:
    November 15th, 2004 at 2:51 am

    mine was automatic :?: I just put the link in the post and pinged it itself….neways it dosen’t matter much. thnks 4 the response

  19. Poonam Says:
    November 15th, 2004 at 11:05 am
    Right but I purposely tracked backed this post. Maybe I wasn’t clear. :???:

    Actually there is a difference between trackback and pingback, you know the difference? If you put the link in your post, that’s pinging..where I put the trackback link in order to track back.

    Maybe you already knew that and I explained for no reason. :rotfl:

  20. Gaurav Says:
    November 18th, 2004 at 2:06 am

    well…I didn’t know that. Blogs appear to be interesting. So u mean to say if I put the link for your this post in one of my blog’s post u’ll get a pingback automatically? or is it just the internal thingy {within the same blog}?

  21. Poonam Says:
    November 18th, 2004 at 8:32 am
    Yup I will get a pingback automatically. Nope its not an internal thing, it can happen between two people’s blogs.

    For instance, if you put this exact name in your next post, then it will notify me on this post that Gaurav has pinged you. Then I will go to see your site to find out why you have pinged me. :smile:

  22. Gaurav Says:
    November 18th, 2004 at 12:03 pm

    thats cool, thnx 4 the info.

  23. Poonam Says:
    November 18th, 2004 at 12:35 pm
    Anytime dost. :wink:
  24. Alex Says:
    July 18th, 2008 at 12:58 pm

    hey Poonam,

    Would you mind giving your travel requests /checking the fares with us next time.

    We offer low cost airline tickets/best fares to India and we have an online ticket booking.

    check out our website at http://www.alexys.us or send us an email info@alexys.us

    Thanks

    Alex

  25. Nitin Says:
    November 13th, 2008 at 11:33 am

    Hi Neeraj,
    your experience is something many Indians go through while they are shopping for Air tickets to India. I have recently started a community portal which allows Indians in USA to submit trip request and invites Travel agents to submit quote or cost of ticket. This website connects Travel agents and ticket buyers. Buyers talk directly to Agents and decide about doing buying ticket.
    Thanks
    Nitin,
    Founder, DesiCow.com
    url - http://www.DesiCow.com/

Leave a Reply