India is truly a fantastic and magical travel destination, favored by backpackers, honeymooners and holidaymakers from all over the world. It is also one of the fastest developing destinations for travel business. The huge increase in oil prices has had an impact on the cost of air travel to India yet despite the huge hike in air fares, cheap flights can still be found.

India Airlines has started to make non-stop flights from United Kingdom or United States to 8 different cities in India. Flights from London City, Manchester or Heathrow to Mumbai, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Cochin and Hyderabad are only £ 289.70. These prices are exclusive of taxes and fees.

Air India also has cheap flights to India from USA,UK and just like India Airlines the advertised price is enticing, but the £ 291.00 in taxes and fees take some of the glamour away. If you are going to travel to India, book well ahead and travel during the days of Tuesdays through Thursdays. The business travelers have many of the flights booked for Mondays and Fridays so avoid them if you are looking for a low cost deal. Likewise Saturday is generally filled by businessmen that either worked late on Friday or just wanted to stay one more night. Sunday is for the business travelers that are going to get off on Monday morning where they are going to conduct business.

Tips for finding that cheap flight!

1. Be flexible with your flight times: Being prepared to fly at unsociable hours such as early mornings or late at night greatly increases your chance of finding cheaper flights.

2. Be flexible with dates: Being flexible with the dates on which you can travel expands your window of opportunity giving you access to a vastly increased number of flights.

3. Fly mid-week: The busiest and most popular time to fly is at weekends, consequently these flights will be in great demand. With no shortage of buyers for a limited number of seats, these weekend flights are likely to be the most expensive.

4. Avoid public holidays: Take any holiday brochure and look at the table of prices. Notice how prices increase sharply on the dates coinciding with UK bank holidays and school holidays. The chances of finding cheap flights to India at these times are practically nil.

5. Avoid dates with religious festivals in India: Similar to the last tip but of course this time the demand for tickets is linked to the increased number of travellers of Indian origin expected to return home or to visit family during these times.

6. Choice of departure airports: Restricting your choice of departure airports will also restrict your access to cheap flights. By far the most used airport for departures to India from the UK is London Heathrow followed by London Gatwick and Manchester. The majority of the cheap flights that I personally find are on routes from Heathrow and Manchester. You do need to ensure that any saving in air fare is not outweighed by extra costs involved in getting to an airport that is not local to you.

7. Book in Advance: Good savings can be made by booking your tickets well in advance. This is particularly the case if you are restricted to times and dates when you can fly.

8. Book Online: This is often cheaper than booking over the phone, it offers a greater choice, and allows you to browse at your own pace. I always get the feeling that at the end of a phone I am not necessarily getting the full picture. Booking online with a reputable company is now considered to be one of the safest ways of paying for your air tickets.

Searching online, through the internet is the best resource for information on cheap airline tickets to India. Many websites offer free information on cheap airline tickets to India.