Good news if your family group is arguing over tickets. The aviation regulator has told carriers to keep fares reasonable during the festive weeks and to add capacity on busy sectors. Major airlines have already put hundreds of additional services into the system, including a large block from the country’s biggest carrier and further adds from the full-service and low-cost fleets. The idea is simple. More seats equal calmer prices and fewer last-minute heartbreaks.
What does this mean for the traveler right now. First, expect more choice on trunk routes such as Delhi–Mumbai, Bengaluru–Delhi and Kolkata–Delhi, along with tier-2 connectors that traditionally choke during peak weeks. Second, watch for pop-up nonstops on city pairs that normally require a connection. These short-term adds often carry better timings for workdays and festival weekends. Third, prepare for dynamic pricing that is still active, just less wild than previous years when capacity lagged demand.
Booking tactics that work in surge weeks. If your dates are fixed, book today and set a single fare alert to catch dips on parallel carriers. If you are flexible by a day, move your departure to late night or very early morning; these blocks tend to stay saner. For families, split the booking into smaller clusters if you need five or more seats; mixed inventory can keep the average fare lower. On short hauls under ninety minutes, consider airlines with hand-baggage-only fares and pay for priority boarding rather than checked bags if you can travel light.
Airports will be busy, so think like a regular and not like a holidaymaker. Check in online, carry a soft sling with essentials and bring a spare power bank because security lines will be long. If traveling with elders or small kids, request assistance in the app the day before so a staffer can fast-track you when queues swell. Leave generous buffers for connections, especially through hubs that are adding many extras during the rush.
If your flight changes after booking, do not panic. Most carriers allow a no-fee shift to a similar timing when they adjust schedules. Screenshot the notification, open a chat within the app and request a same-fare move. If a delay pushes you into an unreasonable arrival time and the cause is within the airline’s control, ask for a meal or lounge voucher. Keep receipts for snacks or rides in case you need to claim later.
Last, be kind to yourself on return days. Avoid the heaviest post-Diwali Monday if possible; move to Tuesday morning or Sunday late night to dodge double-priced fares. And if you must fly on peak days, book the earliest departure on your route. Morning flights face fewer cascading delays.
Follow Travel Moves on Instagram and Facebook for live fare trackers, route adds and airport hacks during the festive window.
