Passengers flying from USA to India with more than $10,000 in cash are often stopped at the origin airport. Certain customs rules apply to carrying cash out of India for USA-bound travelers. Indians or NRIs carrying above $3000 or Rs 25,000 in cash to USA are likely to be held up in India. Whether you are a US citizen, an OCI cardholder, a Green Card holder, or an Indian expat, certain limits apply to carrying cash money between India and USA. This guide is precisely for you to get over any confusion about how much Indian currency or US dollars you can legally carry while traveling.

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How much cash you can bring into India from USA

There is no fixed limit on how much cash in a foreign currency (like US dollar) you can carry aboard flights from USA to India. However, if you are carrying more than $5,000 in cash, or if the total value of your foreign currency, including cash and traveler’s cheques, exceeds $10,000, you must declare it to Indian customs upon arrival at the entry airport.

For example, if you’re carrying $6,000 in cash or $4,000 in cash plus $7,000 in traveler’s cheques, you must declare it to evade penalties or a legal trouble. In Indian currency, the limit is ₹25,000 per person. So, if you’re carrying ₹30,000 in cash, you’re required to declare any amount over the permissible limit. In some instances, charges may also be framed under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) and the Customs Act, 1962, depending on the amount and the intent.

How to Declare: Use the Currency Declaration Form (CDF) available on most USA to India flights or at airport customs. Submit it when you arrive in India via the “Red Channel” or via the ATITHI app. Undeclared amounts can lead to penalties, delays, or even confiscation of the money.

How much money you can carry to USA from India

Just like India, the United States also doesn’t place a limit on how much money you can bring in. You can carry any amount of money with you on flights to USA from India, but if you’re carrying more than $10,000, whether in cash, traveler’s cheques, money orders, or similar instruments, you are officially required to declare it.

How to Declare: Declaration of money can be done by filling out FinCEN Form 105 and noting the amount on your CBP customs declaration form upon your arrival in the United States. Failing to declare cash money over the permissible limit can lead to seizure of funds and serious penalties, so it’s important to follow the process properly.

However, India has restrictions for outbound travelers carrying cash. Precisely, you can carry a maximum cash of $3,000 per person from India to USA or any other country. If you need to carry more than that, you can use other forms like forex cards, traveler’s cheques, or bank drafts. The total foreign exchange you’re allowed to take out of India under the Liberalized Remittance Scheme (LRS) is $10,000.

If you’re carrying Indian currency, you’re allowed to take not more than ₹25,000 per person on international flights to USA from India. Anything beyond the above limits is not permitted without a formal declaration, or unless you have special approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

The post Flying with Cash between USA and India? Know the Rules for Safe Entry appeared first on Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips.

Different airlines have different onboard seating policies. An airline’s inflight seating policy for family travelers flying together varies depending on aircraft, fare types, itinerary and codeshare partnership with other airlines. Not many airlines are liberal about seating a family group of more than two travelers next to each other for free on international economy flights to India or any other destination. Inarguably, some airlines have commodified extra legroom seats in particular, to earn an ancillary revenue.

PC: United Airlines and Freepik.com

“Airlines can’t just treat children like a piece of luggage”

However, United Airlines’ new family seating policy promises to make it easier for economy travelers with kids under 12 years to be seated together aboard flights for free. The policy is compliant with former President Biden’s call for airlines to seat children under 13 with their parents or accompanying adult travelers for at no extra cost. In his State of the Union Address early in February, the President was critical of airlines for upselling adjoining seats to family travelers. He further said, “They can’t just treat your child like a piece of luggage.”

The new policy is nothing but an upgrade to United Airlines’ seat map technology to help family travelers sit together on flights especially when there is limited availability of free Economy seats. The new policy is liberal in offering more options to a family with children under 12. If the upgraded technology finds adjoining Economy seats unavailable, it will unlock upgrades for complimentary reservation of Preferred seats on United flights. Preferred Seating comprises United Economy seats with standard legroom in the rows behind Economy Plus seats with 6 inches of additional legroom.

What if the flight you have booked for a trip is full      

There’s more to United Airlines’ revised seating policy for family travelers with kids. If the flight that you have booked for your spouse and kid is full by the time you contact the airline or the travel agency to reserve two adjacent seats for them, they can switch to another flight with free adjoining seats available given that the route is the same. Surprisingly, you don’t have to pay a change fee or fare difference.

The same policy applies if you happen to book United Airlines’ last-minute flight tickets from USA to India or any other destination. Certainly, it is nearly impossible to find seats next to each other in case of a last-minute booking. United Airlines’ liberal policy to let you opt for an alternate flight will help also in the event of a last-minute aircraft change reshuffling seats aboard a flight.

This is surely one of the great perks of traveling with children under 12 on United flights. This is just the beginning of a much-needed change that a group of Democratic senators is looking to bring in by having introduced the Families Fly Together Act. A spate of complaints from middle-class America families being charged to pay for sitting together with their children on flights has forced the Biden administration to introduce the Families Fly Together Act to “prohibit airlines from imposing any monetary charges on families that want to sit together during a flight”.

However, the seating policy update does not apply to United Airlines’ business class flights (Polaris) and Economy Plus. The airline has plans to introduce more family-friendly features this year, according to Linda JoJo, the Chief Customer Officer. Espoused by the National Consumers League, United Airlines’ family seating policy may inspire other airlines to be progressive and liberal in seating family travelers together for free.

The post What is United Airlines’ Family Seating Policy for Travelers with Kids in Compliance to “Families Fly Together Act”? appeared first on Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips.

Padma Shri Dr Sankurathri, 79, is a living embodiment of what Helen Keller said, “Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.” His life of success and happiness in Canada turned upside down after the crash of Air India flight 182, from Montreal to Mumbai, over the Atlantic Ocean near Ireland took away his wife and two children. However, unlike tragic heroes in literature and cinema, Dr Sankurathri transformed the darkness of grief and loneliness into a beacon of light for the underprivileged in rural India.

PC: Facebook.com/Sankurathri/

After three years of bereavement, he left Ottawa where he was a celebrated biologist for two decades, and returned to his roots in Andhra Pradesh on a quest for a new purpose of his life. He was also a scientific evaluator for the Ministry of Health, Canada. On seeing rural folks of his hometown and beyond mired in poverty due to the lack of education and healthcare, he rose over his personal grief to uplift them. He braved the tragedy to live for a bigger cause – breaking the cycle of illiteracy and physical ailments for the needy.        

In 1989, he established the Sankurathri Foundation in memory of his family ushering in a new era of empowerment for Kakinada. He also set up the Manjari Memorial Foundation (Manjari was his wife) as a registered charity in Ontario, Canada. Both the foundations have their goals aligned towards improving the quality of life for the poor. With all his savings, he started working on several projects through the Sankurathri Foundation, including free education to poor children at Sarada Vidyalaya that he consecrated to his daughter in 1992.

So far, the high school has educated over 5000 children from the economically weaker households, at a zero-dropout rate. The children are helped with study materials, meals, and health check-ups at the school. In its exclusive article on Dr Chandrasekhar Sankurathri, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) lauded Sarada Vidyalaya as “a ticket out of poverty for these kids”. The article also reads, “Ask them how many have parents who cannot read and write. Most of the hands go up. Ask them what they want to be when they grow up? They answer: Teacher, doctor, police officer….”

The Institute of Ophthalmology that the Sankurathri Foundation has been running since 1993 is named after his son, who was only 7 while traveling on the ill-fated flight. The mission of providing free quality eye care to the visually impaired living below the poverty line is inspired by his son’s dream of becoming an ophthalmologist. The Srikiran Institute of Ophthalmologist has restored vision to nearly 300,000 patients of vulnerable age-groups through cataract surgeries, 90% of which were conducted for free. The institute also holds free medical check-up camps in remote areas of the state.

“15 million Indians are living without vision,” according to Dr Sankurathri’s Srikiran Institute of Ophthalmology located on a serene five-acre site near Kakinada and equipped with modern equipment. There are 10 outpatient clinics, 4 operation theatres, a pharmacy, two optical shops, a cafeteria, and an auditorium. Interestingly, the institute is recognized as the best NGO in ophthalmology by the state government. The institute continues to get support from the University of Ottawa Eye Institute, Rotary International, Infosys Foundation, Eye Foundation of America, the Canadian International Development Agency, and Arvind Eye Hospitals Tamil Nadu. Moreover, the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce adjudged him as the “Humanitarian of the Year 2013”.

“The demise of his wife and children was the culmination of the family tragedy that had begun in his childhood. When Chandrasekhar Sankurathri was only 7, his mother died of an unidentified illness. His elder brother went missing after two years of his mother’s untimely death. The fate continued to be hostile against the family as the Godavari floods left many village households including theirs penniless the next year. He lost his only sister when he was 13.

However, he defied to be at the mercy of his fate and became a ray of hope for others. After the air incident in 1985, his stoicism became his strength. This reminds me of the concluding dialogue from “Riders to the Sea”, a popular Irish play, “No man at all can be living forever and we must be satisfied”, said Sourav Agarwal, the Editor of Travel Beats.

The post Padma Shri Chandrasekhar Sankurathri: His Tragic Loss in Air India Plane Crash 1985 Made Him a Hero for the Poor appeared first on Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips.

The Deepavali Day Act, a nationwide movement by Indian American leaders from different walks of life trying to get a federal holiday on Diwali in the US, is still in the dark after 4 years of its introduction. However, something is better than nothing. After Texas and Pennsylvania, California is all set to make Diwali a public holiday for its South Asian population.

PC: BAPS.org and California State Capitol

On June 2, the California State Assembly voted unanimously (78-0) to pass Assembly Bill 268, a proposal that would make Diwali an official state holiday. The bill was introduced by Assemblymembers Ash Kalra and Darshana Patel, California’s first two Hindu American legislators. Hailed as the best Diwali gift to California’s largest Indian-origin population in the US, the legislation – AB 268 – would enable community colleges, public schools, and state offices to close on Diwali.

The California State Assembly Bill 268 is now heading to the State Senate for approval. It is a significant step towards promoting inclusion of Indian immigrants who have been contributing to California’s growth in all spheres for decades. AB 268 would add the Festival of Lights not only to the list of California State holidays but also to the court calendars for judicial personnel. It would designate Diwali as a paid holiday for state employees in California.

Recognizing Diwali at the state level is not just about a day off. It is about embracing the cultural identity of Indian immigrants who have woven themselves into the socio-economic fabrics of the Golden State. Diwali is also a time for Indian families across California for a reunion at temples in the state. California is inching closer to saying, “Yes, Diwali belongs here too. Your traditions matter.”

“I’m grateful to my colleagues for their unanimous, bipartisan support of AB 268, which would have California officially recognize Diwali as a state holiday,” said Ash Kalra after the vote. Fellow Assemblymember Darshana Patel also highlighted the cultural significance of the bill, calling it a proud moment for the American Hindu community. The Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA) added, “Kudos to the US Indian Seniors for mobilizing the Hindu community on this important initiative.”

“We are happy for our customers from California, who would get to celebrate Diwali with peace of mind, most probably starting this year. Diwali celebration is grand not only in California but also in the northeast coast where many school districts observe Diwali as a holiday. May the Deepavali Day Act gain momentum this year to make the Festival of Lights a federal holiday” said the chief customer relations officer of Indian Eagle, the most trusted travel-booking partner of Indians in the US.

The post California State Assembly Bill 268 to Make Diwali an Official Holiday for Its Largest Immigrant Community appeared first on Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips.

“Swetha and Venkat Raju’s Brooklyn Curry Project in Fort Green, a neighborhood of Brooklyn, is to dosa lovers what Queens’ Ganesh Temple canteen is to devotees in the Big Apple. What they had started as a makeshift social hang during the pandemic has now become one of the few best places for authentic South Indian food in New York City. It is their third kid (now 5 years old) after a 15-year-old son and a 9-year-old daughter,” said Sourav Agarwal, the Editor of Travel Beats, a leading Indian Diaspora portal.

PC: Brooklyn Curry Project

It was 2016 when Venkat and Swetha Raju with their firstborn moved from Bengaluru to New York for a better life in the land of American Dream. “We really missed home when we first came here, so we just started cooking and inviting neighbors over,” Swetha, a software engineer, told Brooklyn Magazine, as we Indians believe that the way to one’s heart is through the one’s stomach. Soon the neighborhood began to swear by their food, and of course, their friendliness. Venkat, a lawyer by profession, is equally good at cooking; both come from families with a tiffin business in Karnataka.

Brooklyn Curry Project was born out of their daughter’s lemonade stand that was set up one summer near the weekly farmers market in Fort Greene. The sense of satisfaction, as they describe their feeling of meeting people at the lemonade stand, became a driver for their heartfelt wish to serve Bangalore-style masala dosa, fluffy idli, uthappam, and masala chai to the locals. While dosa – the king of the menu – is the crowd puller, they do also offer nutritious lunch platters with chapati, rice/khichdi, curry, pickle, and moong sprout salad.

Both Indians and non-Indians make a beeline to their humble food stand even before the first ladle of fermented batter makes it to the heated pan for a crispy dosa every Saturday morning. In addition to filling the void of authentic South Indian food in the lives of Indians in and around Brooklyn, Swetha and Venkat dispelled the most common myth of Indian food being all about butter chicken and chicken tikka masala. “Indian food is so stereotyped outside of India. There is more to our food culture; every region has its own cuisine,” said Swetha, a cofounder of Brooklyn Curry Project.

“It is like having a piece of India in your backyard. Swetha puts love into every dosa she makes. They even catered for our 2-year-old’s birthday celebration and made it extra special. The sambar she makes is probably the best. No exaggeration at all. As a New Yorker with a small child and no family nearby, their stand makes Brooklyn feel more like home,” said one of the regulars to Brooklyn Curry Project in Fort Greene. “It reminds me a lot of what my mom cooks in India. The food tastes just like mom’s. Besides, the Raju family is amazing,” said another Indian regular.

Mango lassi and masala chai are among the bestsellers in the Rajus’ repertoire. The USP of their parttime venture is their practice of environmental sustainability; those who bring containers from home for takeaways get a 5% discount. Another USP is the judicious use of spices that they source from India and ground at their New York residence. They also share various dosa recipes on Instagram and offer a weekly subscription of dosa batter so that customers make their own in home and don’t miss them on week days.

“Venkat and Swetha Raju organize an annual dosa eating contest out of their business sensibility for increasing the brand equity and brand loyalty among their customers. Indeed, Indian food is ruling tastebuds even on the other end of the spectrum, that is Washington Square Park at lower Manhattan where the ‘Dosa Man of New York’ effervescently serves smoking hot masala dosas. There is no denying that the proliferation of Indian food culture, including Payal Saha’s Kati Rolls, continues to make New York home to a majority of Indian immigrants,” said Editor Sourav Agarwal.

This exclusive story is part of the series, Indian Life in America, by Indian Eagle, the most trusted travel-booking partner of Indian Expats in the US. Subscribe to Travel Beats, a thriving community portal by Indian Eagle, for Indian Diaspora stories, US-India travel news, visa and immigration updates.

The post This Indian Working Couple, a Techie and a Lawyer, Brings Indian Culture of Socializing over Food to USA appeared first on Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips.

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For nearly two decades, passengers flying across the world have been subject to the strict 3-1-1 liquids rule introduced in 2006. Whether on domestic routes or international flights from USA to India, travelers are allowed to carry liquids in 100 ml containers and pack in a quart-sized clear plastic bag. If you ever wonder why this rule exists, it’s because it was designed to prevent fatal events like terrorist attacks using liquid explosives.

While the 3-1-1 liquids rule still exists, only 11 items have been exempted from the TSA security rules 2025. All thanks to the new CT scanner technology being implemented at TSA checkpoints across the US. Currently, the powerful Computed Tomography (CT) scanners are available at Atlanta (ATL), New York (JFK), and Los Angeles (LAX) airports. These advanced 3D scanners give TSA officers a full digital view of what’s in your cabin bags, allowing them to inspect items more quickly and accurately.

The current list of TSA-approved 11 liquid items you can carry in any size through New York JFK, Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson, and Los Angeles International airports:

1. Prescription medications (liquid, gel, aerosol)
2. Over‑the‑counter medications and contact lens solutions
3. Breast milk and infant formula
4. Baby/toddler food & drinks
5. Liquid-filled teethers
6. Ice packs, gel packs, freezer packs for medical products
7. Fresh eggs (neatly separated for inspection)
8. Live fish or coral in water (in a transparent container)
9. Biological specimens in preservative solution
10. Non-spillable wet batteries
11. Duty‑free liquids in sealed, tamper-evident bags

Do I need to declare any of the 11 full-size liquid items to TSA officers?

It is recommended that you declare to TSA officers if you carry any of the approved 11 liquid items more than 100ml. it is because the approved full-size liquid items in your carry-on bag may be screened in some situations.

Does TSA’s 3-1-1 limit still apply to packing personal care liquid items in carry-on bags?

Yes, the old 3-1-1 liquid rule sill applies to most personal care items like shampoo, cream, sunscreen, perfume, hair gel, etc. You can pack full-size bottles of these items only in your check-in bags. However, the list of TSA-approved full-size liquid items is anticipated to grow with time.

The post What are TSA-approved 11 Full-Size Liquid Items that I can Pack in a Cabin Bag and Pass through TSA Security? appeared first on Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips.

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Best Flight Deals for any Routes between USA and India

Indian Eagle deals for US to India travel are not just limited to popular routes such as flights from Chicago to Delhi, San Francisco to Mumbai, New York to Bengaluru, Chicago to Hyderabad, D.C. to Delhi…Rather, we have itineraries with unmatched fare deals for any routes between USA and India, to say, from San Antonio to Visakhapatnam, Atlanta to Nagpur, Minneapolis to Kolkata, Denver to Lucknow, Raleigh-Durham to Kochi…You search IndianEagle.com for your travel origin and destination, you would find tens of flight deals in your preferred travel class, from Economy to Business.

Save Big with Exclusive Deals and Discounts

For more than 16 years at Indian Eagle, our brand promise has been – making international travel affordable with the lowest airfares available, and we continue to deliver on it. Thanks to our airline partners among the best airlines between USA and India for their insider deals that you can grab through IndianEagle.com or as phone-only by calling our 24/7 customer helpline +1800-615-3969.

On top of that Indian Eagle flight discounts, $25 to $50, are released at the onset of a festive season or a travel season or on some occasions like International Women’s Day, so our customers could save BIG on US to India flights tickets for round trips or one-way bookings. Many Indian families across the US unlocked good savings during our Diwali 2024 campaign – Indian Eagle Festival of Flights – and grabbed our Women’s Day special discount coupons throughout March 2025.

Anita R, an IT Consultant in Duluth, Georgia, shared, “I saved $250 on Atlanta to Mumbai flight tickets for our winter holiday family trip in 2024 with Indian Eagle deals. Online booking was a breeze!”

Transparent Pricing and Reliable Information

Transparent ticket pricing and reliable information, from flight search to payment, make Indian Eagle the most trusted ticket booking partner for Indian expats in America. We fairly comply with country-specific pricing policies and tax regulations leaving no space for hidden charges and ensuring you get the best fare deal to travel with peace of mind. We believe in communicating clearly whether an itinerary is cancellable, refundable, or what fare rules or airline policy applies to it before you buy it.

Informed Travel with Airport & Airline Guides

Booking flight tickets for the lowest fare is just not enough to make your international travel hassle-free. You need to know whether you need a transit visa for a Schengen layover, what layover length is ideal for smooth international to international or domestic connection, whether you can leave the international transit airport during a layover, how to spend long connection time at the arrival airport, how to get a visitor pass at US airports, how to upgrade your travel class on Air India flights….

Our community portal – Indian Eagle Travel Beats – is a one-stop platform for travelers to get all the above information and more in a few seconds. Our travel news blog was the first to reveal that Air India reduced checked baggage allowance for VALUE fare tickets starting 5 June 2025. “Travel Beats was our only reliable source of information on air bubble flights, Indian airport guidelines for international arrivals, safe travel norms, etc. during the COVID-19 pandemic,” shares Nisha Desai from Virginia, among our customers.

Post-Booking Assistance through Omni-Channel Support 

Our service to customers does not end with booking of US-India fight tickets with the best deals. Indian Eagle’s customer service unit has a dedicated team to assist you with emergency rescheduling of your confirmed travel, or refund against cancellation (if your booking is refundable). Our omni-channel support extends post booking to alert you whether a suddenly emerged geo-political conflict would impact your travel, or if there is an update on the checked baggage allowance for your itinerary.

“I received the first intimation from Indian Eagle that my journey got extended by 4 hours due to rerouting of Air India flights amid Pakistan’s airspace restrictions. They provide real human support especially when you need it the most. It makes Indian Eagle our trusted ticket booking partner,” said Vikram Nag from Chicago.

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Flying in Premium Economy is no luxury. Rather, it is a matter of comfort for those who always made compromises and endured discomforts to save for their daughter’s education. Like most middle-class parents, they always preferred buses and auto-rickshaws over cabs while putting Ananya’s needs ahead of their own. Their day-to-day struggle did not go unnoticed by her. Hence, she had eagerly been waiting for the day she would be able to book premium economy flight tickets.

Ananya’s dream came true at Indian Eagle

With Indian Eagle deals for Air India flights to USA, her dream came true. Premium Economy offers a greater deal of comfort than Economy but costs lesser than Business Class. This significant upgrade comes with cozy seating, extra legroom, priority boarding, and personal attention to travelers’ inflight needs. For her parents, it was more than a travel experience, it was a matter of pride for them.

When Ananya called Indian Eagle customer support helpline, she was very clear about what she was looking for – the best flight deal. I recall her words, “I just don’t want my parents to arrive exhausted or stressed. I wish their first international flight to be full of joy, not fatigue,” said the chief ticketing officer of Indian Eagle Travel. We offered her the most unbeatable fare deal from Air India, one of our airline partners, for a nonstop flight from New Delhi to New York including a domestic connection from Kolkata.

Why Air India for Premium Economy Travel

One of her colleagues in the US referred Indian Eagle to her as a reliable travel partner for parents’ solo international travel. Our ticketing team goes the extra mile when it comes to booking international flight tickets for parents and family travelers. For Ananya’s parents, we recommended Air India not only for unmatched fares, but also nonstop travel, short flying time, brand-new A350 aircraft, premium economy comfort, etc.

Flying in the Premium Economy was their first such premium travel experience, from priority check-in at Delhi International Airport to smooth onboarding to the A350-900 plane, cushioned seating with extra legroom, business-class-like inflight dining, personalized service to their individual needs – all these made their first international trip nothing short of a dream as Ananya shared with us later.

Air India’s A350-900s, one of the most advanced widebody Airbus planes in the fleet of major airlines, have earned rave reviews for elevating passenger experience in terms of comfort, luxury, and inflight service. Indian Eagle best deals for Air India flights in all travel classes on A350s between New York to Delhi, and Newark to Delhi are available both on the website and on calls to +1800-615-3969.

Ananya further shared with us that her father, a retired schoolteacher, has kept the boarding passes safe as a cherished memento of her love for them. When they landed at JFK Airport in New York, she welcomed them with tears in her eyes. Precisely, this was the moment that she waited for long because, sometimes, a flight is not just a flight – it’s a way to say “Thank You”.

The post Indian Eagle Fulfilled a Daughter’s Dream with Best Deals for Her Parents’ First Flight to USA appeared first on Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips.

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The Trump administration has proposed a premium service fee – $1000 – for US visa applicants to fast-track their interview appointments and bypass long waiting times. This is proposed in addition to the current processing fee of $185 for US tourist visa and student visa categories. With plans to be launched as a pilot program in December 2025, the new premium processing fee would enable you to secure early non-immigrant visa interview slots in India.

Cutting short, B1/B2 visas will particularly come with a hefty $1000+$185 fee given the US tourist visa interview delays at the US Embassy and Consulates in India, if President Trump’s proposal is approved. A significant number of US tourist visa applicants would take a hit, as evident from Hyderabad to Dallas, Chennai to Detroit, Kolkata to New York, Bengaluru to Seattle flights carrying Indians on B1/B2 visa.

Trump’s fast-track visa interview processing fee aims to monetize the demand for non-immigrant US visas and generate a revenue stream out of unusually long interview wait times. With over 10 million non-immigrant visas issued in 2024, including nearly 6 million tourist visas, the demand is high, and interview delays are often frustratingly long. By offering to expedite US visa interview appointments for a premium fee $1000, the Trump administration is to give travelers a choice: wait it out or pay to move up.

This proposed fast-track visa interview service is very much like President Trump’s vision of a Gold Card visa program that would sell US citizenship for $5 million, granting faster access to those willing to pay. Since returning to office in January 2025, Trump has quickly moved to reshape immigration policy by tightening screening procedures, revisiting visa categories, and now, introducing a paid route for faster visa appointments.

The post Trump Considers $1000 Fast-Track Fee for Non-immigrant US Visa Interviews: All You Need to Know appeared first on Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips.

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As cost-effective alternatives to Vienna, Air India has started using Mongolian airspace and taking fueling stops within India for some of its 71 weekly North America flights to and from India. This strategic shift is aimed at reducing the soaring operational overheads and cutting down on excess travel time without compromising passenger safety and regulatory compliance. Mostly, Air India flights from San Francisco to Delhi and Vancouver to Delhi are being rerouted through the Mongolian airspace.

Those who have Air India flights from SFO to Bengaluru in June or July 2025 should brace themselves for longer flying times, 23-28 hours. Some flights (180|2845/2603) from San Francisco have two pitstops – Kolkata (CCU) and Mumbai (BOM) – en route to Bengaluru, each pitstop scheduled for 1 hr 15 min. Currently, some other SFO-BLR flights by Air India include a DEL Airport layover stretching 1 hour 35 minutes. But Bengaluru to San Francisco itineraries have some relief for Air India passengers. Some flights (AI 175) are nonstop while some (AI 2661|173) have one stop (Delhi).

Among Air India’s US to India flights, SFO to Mumbai itineraries do currently have one pitstop – Kolkata or New Delhi – increasing the total travel time to 20-22 hours, as seen on IndianEagle.com. On the other hand, flights from Mumbai to San Francisco are being rerouted via Bengaluru Airport or Delhi IGI Airport. Some SFO to Delhi flights operated by Air India are two-stop itineraries with Kolkata and Bengaluru as domestic pitstops in India.

Air India’s Chicago to Delhi flights and JFK to Delhi flights are back to nonstop operations, as refueling stops have been removed from the itineraries scheduled in June and July 2025, according to IndianEagle.com, the most trusted travel-booking partner of Indians and Americans for over 15 years. But DEL to ORD itineraries (Air India 127) continue to have a refueling stop in Vienna for 1 hr 10 min, which makes the journey as long as 19 hours 45 minutes.

You can check out Indian Eagle last-minute deals for alternative flights from San Francisco to Mumbai and Bengaluru for summer travel. Our exclusive phone-only fare deals from Air India and other airlines are also available at +1800-615-3969 round the clock. Subscribe to our newsletter for significant updates on USA-India airlines that could impact your travel plans.

The post Air India Flights from SFO to Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru may have Two Pitstops; Brace for Longer Travel Time appeared first on Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips.