Indian Eagle is not just a leading international air-ticketing agency in America or the best platform to book flight tickets in India, but an ever-growing family of Indian expats in thousands across the United States. For more than 16 years, we have come a long way with their collective trust in booking hundreds of thousands of Indian Eagle cheap flights to India from USA. We felt an urge to decode what makes us the most trusted ticket booking partner for Indian expats in USA, through our hard-earned customer testimonials.

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.

The post Know What Makes Indian Eagle the Most Trusted Ticket Booking Partner for Indian Expats in USA first appeared on Indian Eagle Blog | US-India Travel News | Diaspora Stories.

The post Know What Makes Indian Eagle the Most Trusted Ticket Booking Partner for Indian Expats in USA appeared first on Indian Eagle Blog | US-India Travel News | Diaspora Stories.

“The future is us (Indians),” said Guneet Monga in her ecstatic speech after winning an Oscar for “The Elephant Whisperers.” Indeed, the world is looking at India and her diaspora for abundance of talent. Recently, it found context in the appointment of Vimal Kapur as Honeywell’s CEO, and the selection of Natasha Perianayagam as one of the world’s brightest students. Now three budding STEM leaders of Indian descent – Neel Moudgal, Ambika Grover, and Siddhu Pachipala – testify to what Guneet Monga proudly said.

Neel Moudgal won the 2023 Regeneron Science Talent Search, America’s oldest and most prestigious STEM competition. Also known as the US’ Junior Nobel in math and science, this competition “brings together the best and brightest young minds to present their experimental projects, futuristic solutions, scientific innovations, and mind-blowing problem-solving abilities to leading scientists.

Neel Moudgal, Michigan 

17-year-old Neel Moudgal glorified not only Indian Diaspora but also his home country, India by having won the 2023 Regeneron Science Talent Search. He received the top award of $250,000 for developing a unique computer model that can quickly predict the structure of various RNA molecules based on easily available data. He demonstrated in his computational biology and bioinformatics project how this invention will facilitate reliable diagnosis and treatment of certain deadly diseases. Neel Moudgal’s computational model is faster and more reliable than the existing methods that use chemical shift data from the magnetic vibration of atoms to predict RNA structures.

The Regeneron Science Talent Search 2023 winner, Neel Moudgal is a programmer for the robotics team at Saline High School near Detroit. He is also a second-degree black belt in Taekwondo. Born to an immigrant couple – Vivek and Varsha Moudgal; Neel owes his love of chemistry and geology to his passion for collecting and studying rocks and minerals.

Ambika Grover, Connecticut 

Ambika Grover, 17, finished sixth among the 10 winners of the 2023 Regeneron Science Talent Search and received $80,000 for her remarkable innovation for stroke patients. She engineered microscopic, injectable bubbles coated with small proteins called peptides. Iron oxide nanoparticles in peptides which cling to blood clots easily work like clot busters to help break up clots and prevent reformation of new clots. Her novel invention can be a lifesaving therapy for restoring the inflow of oxygen-rich blood into the brains of ischemic stroke victims.

Ambika, a resident of Riverdale in Connecticut, is the president of the “Girls Who Code” club at Greenwich High School. She holds a provisional patent for “research using nitric oxide in exhaled breath as a marker for exposure to pollution.” Cardiovascular disease research is one of her goals.

Siddhu Pachipala, Texas 

Siddhu Pachipala is the third Indian among the winners of the Regeneron Science Talent Search 2023. He stood ninth and won a $50,000 award for developing a machine learning tool that can prevent suicide attempts. His low-cost invention is a real-time suicide risk identification tool that works by assessing patients’ writing or journal entries and uses semantics to measure their psychological health. This can also help decide the best course of treatment for such high-risk patients.

18-year-old Siddhu Pachipala is a research intern at EdgeLab in the University of California. He taught K-12 students the art of listening to people’s concerns for human-centered problem solving at a hackathon that he organized for Stanford University. His parents – Sharmila Naidu and Krishna Pachipala – call The Woodlands home in Texas.

This story is part of our continued effort to give a shoutout to achievements of Young Indians in America. Travel Beats is a subsidiary of IndianEagle.com, a most trusted air-ticketing partner for Indians in the US. Indian Eagle has a proven track record of booking discounted flight tickets to India from USA.

The post Neel Moudgal Tops 2023 Regeneron Science Talent Search and Wins $250K; Other Two Indians Finish among 10 first appeared on Indian Eagle Blog | US-India Travel News | Diaspora Stories.

The post Neel Moudgal Tops 2023 Regeneron Science Talent Search and Wins $250K; Other Two Indians Finish among 10 appeared first on Indian Eagle Blog | US-India Travel News | Diaspora Stories.

The US Presidential race for 2024 is gaining momentum over the entry of another Indian American, Vivek Ramaswamy, a 37-year-old biotech millionaire. He made his presidential bid public through a tweet, “We’ve celebrated our “diversity” so much that we forgot all the ways we’re really the same as Americans, bound by ideals that united a divided, headstrong group of people 250 years ago. I believe deep in my bones those ideals still exist. I’m running for President to revive them.”

With Nikki Haley on the other end of the spectrum, the competition will be heating up between two Indian-origin Americans if Vivek Ramaswamy continues with his presidential run as long as possible. His promise to rekindle the American spirit, restore the culture of merit, and revive the national identity over diversity is the foundation of his 2024 US presidential bid, which also hinges on his call for “a Declaration of Independence from China – total decoupling”.

Who is Vivek Ramaswamy, a GOP hopeful for the 2024 presidential election? Born in Cincinnati, Ohio to an immigrant couple from Kerala, Mr Ramaswamy is a biotech entrepreneur, avid investor and published author with a net worth US$500 million. With a biology degree from Harvard and a law degree from Yale University in his portfolio, he made headlines as a wolf of Wall Street in 2015 when he brought the United States’ biggest biotech IPO to cash in the biotech bubble. Forbes Magazine featured him on the cover of its September edition as “The 30-year-old CEO conjuring drum companies from thin air”. He had established his first healthcare startup in 2014 to leverage technology in drug development.

His next shot at fame was when he published the book titled “Woke, Inc.: Inside Corporate America’s Social Justice Scam” in 2021. The New York Times bestseller, a critical take on stakeholder capitalism, pictures his vision for the American capitalism. Neither business nor technology takes center stage in his agenda for the 2024 presidential run. Rather, he is vocal about Americans’ national identity crisis:

“Faith, patriotism & family are disappearing. We embrace one secular religion after another—from wokeism to climatism—to satisfy our deeper need for meaning. Yet we cannot even answer what it means to be an American. The GOP can fill that void. E pluribus unum: from many, one. That is the dream that won the American Revolution; that reunited us after the Civil War, that won us two World Wars & the Cold War. That is the dream that still gives hope to the world. That is American exceptionalism.”

His primary agenda for the 2024 Presidential bid:

In his agenda for the presidential election 2024, Vivek Ramaswamy prioritizes fool-proof border security and removal of lottery-based immigration in favor of merit-based admission. He vows to check government forces that pressurize tech companies to censor free political expressions; he believes that one’s political expression is an American civil right. His other suggestions are:

• The United States should lead the world in sustainable energy by realistic climate programs that deter the economic growth of America but holds China unaccountable.
• The United States should achieve self-sufficiency in semiconductor manufacturing and protect the dominion of Taiwan by safeguarding key technologies.
• The United States should take measures to prohibit the use of TikTok by minors under 16 years.
• The United States should introduce financial regulations to make China find itself accountable for spreading the pandemic across geographies.
• The United States should prevent American companies from expanding into China until the Chinese government adopts fair trade practices.

The post Indian American Vivek Ramaswamy, a Biotech Millionaire, Enters 2024 Presidential Race alongside Nikki Haley first appeared on Indian Eagle Blog | US-India Travel News | Diaspora Stories.

The post Indian American Vivek Ramaswamy, a Biotech Millionaire, Enters 2024 Presidential Race alongside Nikki Haley appeared first on Indian Eagle Blog | US-India Travel News | Diaspora Stories.

Emirates Airlines is in the world’s top 10 safest airlines for 2023, according to AirlineRatings.com that rates airlines against various parameters of safety in the sky every year. Other than a good safety rating and highly competitive fare deals, Emirates flights have other reasons to woo you on board during a long-haul international flight between USA and India.

IndianEagle.com, a most trusted USA-India travel booking portal, handpicked five best experiences as compelling reasons to book Emirates Airlines flight tickets for your upcoming travel. In September 2022, Emirates received three Skytrax World Airline Awards, including World’s Best Economy Class for its steadfast commitment to making international economy flights comfortable and enjoyable through periodic upgrades in seating, service, catering and technology.

Let your kids be pampered on board

Inarguably, Emirates is one of the best family-friendly airlines for catering to kids’ needs on board. Be it dietary care to or infight entertainment of children, Emirates goes an extra mile to ensure parents travel in comfort. Children’s meals available on Emirates Airlines flights to India from USA are served to young travelers aged between two and 12. If your child has specific diet requirements, you can make a choice from Emirates’ children-only inflight meals during or after booking your travel.

The availability of organic baby food on board makes Emirates flights the first preference of family travelers with kids younger than 2 years. The airline assures, “You can rest easy knowing your little one is properly nourished on board”. If you carry home-made baby food or milk, you can get it reheated on the aircraft. Also, Emirates’ flight attendants provide bottle-warming service. Those not carrying baby food from home can request it as baby-feeding bottles and milk formula loaded with essential nutrients are available for free on Emirates flights from Boston to Chennai, Emirates flights from San Francisco to Kolkata, and on other routes between USA and India.

Among the top kids-friendly airlines, Emirates loves to keep young travelers entertained and occupied on board. The airline’s award-winning inflight entertainment comprises children-specific programs including 50 Disney classic films that leave little room for your child to throw tantrums. Flight attendants provide funky headphones that children can put on comfortably to tune to their favorite channel or program. Apart from that, older children are provided with age-appropriate activity packs so that they don’t get bored during such long-haul Emirates flights from Seattle to Delhi, and on other routes from India to USA.

“Emirates Airlines makes traveling with kids easier by providing complimentary strollers in Terminal 3 at Dubai International Airport. With your baby cruising in a stroller, you can easily get around the terminal and experience various facilities during a layover at Dubai Airport. Some of our customers flying with Emirates described this as an ‘incredible service’”, said the chief travel advisor of IndianEagle.com. The strollers are sanitized and disinfected for the safety of kids, as assured by the airline.

Let your taste buds relish regional delights

Regionally inspired inflight dining is one of the reasons to grab the best deals for Emirates flights between USA and India. Dubai’s flag carrier is known for treating India-bound passengers to a selection of festive dishes when an Indian festival like Navaratri or Diwali is around. Even cheap Emirates economy flights to India offer a fulfilling infight dining experience.

There are two onboard menus – one for the first international leg from USA to Dubai, and the other for the connecting leg from Dubai to India. Likewise, Emirates Airlines’ India to USA flights have two different menus. You will be served Greek yoghurt with berry compote, Kanchipuram idlis and uthappam with sambar, Pav with Akuri (a spicy scrambled egg dish in the Paris cuisine of India), Sevaiyan topped with roasted almonds and pistachios, and Breakfast cake with a selection of tea, coffee and juices during the first leg of Emirates flights from Hyderabad to Dallas, from Bangalore to Chicago ORD, from Kolkata to New York JFK, and on other routes from India to USA.

Economy travelers are literally pampered on the connecting flight from Dubai to New York, Chicago, Seattle, Boston, Newark, San Francisco, Dallas, Houston, and D.C. The menu has grilled chicken (served with baked beans, creamed spinach, potato croquette), braised chicken with steamed basmati rice, grilled vegetable crepes (served with potato hash, sautéed spinach and mushrooms), and mutter paneer with jeera rice in the main course. Emirates Pizza and Toasted smoked turkey sandwich are the vegetarian snacks on the menu. Desserts include fresh seasonal fruit and chocolate mousse cake. Chickpea salad with potatoes and wild rice is served as an appetizer.

Travel in comfort on Emirates A380 flights

Emirates Airlines’ fleet primarily consists of Airbus 380s and Boeing 777s. Both the aircraft types are deployed for Emirates flights between USA and India via Dubai. In India, only Mumbai and Bangalore are the destinations for Emirates’ A380 flights from Houston and New York JFK. The world’s largest double-decker A380 with top-notch cabin interiors, cushioned seating with plenty of legroom, bigger entertainment screens, and attentive flight attendants makes a compelling reason to book Emirates flight tickets from Houston IAH to Bengaluru, and New York JFK to Mumbai, India. Starting in mid-February 2023, A380s will be deployed for Emirates flights from SFO to Mumbai (BOM) and Bengaluru (BLR).

Interestingly, Emirates’ Premium Economy is being rolled out across the fleet of more than 120 Airbus 380s. Emirates Premium Economy flights to India from USA and other countries are expected to take off in 2024. Fully-flat beds, complimentary Wi-Fi, and onboard lounge are the flagship features of Emirates A380 business class flights from Houston IAH to Mumbai, and New York to Bengaluru. Even economy cabins of Emirates A380s are worth a mention for spacious seats with adjustable headrests, multicourse regional meals, and seamless access to hundreds of entertainment programs on the seat-back HD TV. Economy seats are 18-inch wide and come with 32-inch legroom on A380s – which make you travel in comfort and at ease.

Fly entertained on Emirates

Emirates Airlines has received Skytrax Awards in the ‘Best Inflight Entertainment’ category for more than 12 years. Traveling alone on one-stop Emirates flights between USA and India? The huge content lot of 5000 movies, music, sports videos, TV shows, and web series will keep your company throughout your solo flight. There is unlimited Indian regional content that may leave you spoilt for choice.

Emirates’ award-winning inflight entertainment system (ICE) offers a good selection of Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Bengali, Hindi, Kannada, Gujarati and Marathi movies as well as TV shows. You can binge watch Joji, Marakkar, The Priest, Drishyam 2, and Gold Case in Malayalam; Jai Bhim, Kobra, Kaadan, and Karnan in Tamil; Radhe Shyam, Bangarraju, Konda Polam, and Aranya in Telugu; Jhara Palak, Kuler Achar, Pratidwandi, and Kakababur Protyaborton in Bengali; Chandramukhi, Jivan Sandhya, and Pawankhind in Marathi; KGF, Physics Teacher, Four Walls, and Amruth Apartments in Kannada.

Get Emirates’ free Dubai stopover program   

One of the reasons to book low-fare Emirates flights between India and USA is Dubai Connect, a Dubai stopover program for international transit passengers with a minimum 8-hour layover. Depending on the transit time in your itinerary, you can apply for a “Dubai Connect” package that includes complimentary hotel stay, meals, airport transfers, and a complimentary transit visa to Dubai. Having a US visitor visa (B1/B2) or a Green Card valid for 6 months is key to establishing your eligibility for a visa on arrival in Dubai. Or else, you need to pre-arrange a transit visa to Dubai. Only US nationals and citizens are eligible for the UAE’s free visa on arrival.

Dubai City sightseeing is one of the best perks of flying on Emirates between USA and India. Unlike Abu Dhabi International Airport, Dubai DXB Airport lets you go out to explore the city even during a layover shorter than 8 hours. Interestingly, until 31 March 2023, you can use your boarding pass as “My Emirates Pass” to unlock special deals and grab discount offers at tourist spots, restaurants, museums, theme parks and brand stores in Dubai. We recommend checking our exclusive Dubai Layover Guide for further information.

Disclaimer: Emirates Airlines’ inflight services and amenities may vary depending on routes, aircraft types deployed across the network, and fare types. The information that this article provides is mostly obtained from the airline website, the accuracy or authenticity of which is not guaranteed by Indian Eagle.

The post Why You Should Book Emirates Flights between USA and India; 5 Things to Check Other than Best Fare Deals first appeared on Indian Eagle Blog | US-India Travel News | Diaspora Stories.

The post Why You Should Book Emirates Flights between USA and India; 5 Things to Check Other than Best Fare Deals appeared first on Indian Eagle Blog | US-India Travel News | Diaspora Stories.

Since February 2022, Karnataka’s guidelines for international arrivals to Bangalore International Airport and Mangalore Airport have been relaxed. The removal of the Air Suvidha form, effective from November 21, has made it a lot easier to travel to India from the United States and other countries. Besides, full-vaccination or pre-departure RT-PCR testing is no longer a mandatory requirement. However, the wake of a subvariant of Omicron BF.7 causing a COVID-19 surge in China and other countries has pushed India to take precautionary measures.

The latest circular on “India’s Guidelines for International Arrivals” states, “All travelers should preferably be fully vaccinated as per the approved primary schedule of vaccination in their country of citizenship or residence.” If you’re fully vaccinated and taking flights to Bengaluru from USA or any other country, make sure to carry the vaccination proof. As of now, travelers from only five countries – China, Thailand, Japan, South Korea, and Hong Kong – have to take an RT-PCR test before traveling to India.

Post-arrival random testing and quarantine

As per Indian government’s guidelines for international arrivals that Karnataka complies with, not everyone is subject to a COVID-19 test on arrival at Bengaluru Kempegowda Airport and Mangalore. Random testing is back at all international airports in India. Only 2% of the total passengers of an inbound flight are selected for random COVID-19 testing. If you’re in the 2%, you will undergo an RT-PCR test. You can exit the airport or proceed for a domestic flight to the final destination once your samples are collected. Only children below 12 years are exempted from post-arrival random testing. However, if found symptomatic in thermal screening, they will be tested.

The state government of Karnataka requires those randomly tested individuals to home-quarantine themselves unless the result of their random testing comes negative. If the result comes positive, the samples will be sent for genomic sequencing to determine whether it is the BF.7 Omicron variant. If signs and symptoms suggestive of COVID-19 develop after your arrival in Karnataka, they must contact the nearest health center or the national helpline number 1075.

“The elimination of Air Suvidha is a welcome move. Now fully-vaccinated travelers can take last minute flights to India from USA or any other country in the event of a family emergency without worrying about filling in an Air Suvidha form. Earlier, some of our customers could not immediately travel to India immediately in the exigency of death in family because of the mandatory Air Suvidha form,” said the chief travel advisor of IndianEagle.com, a leading air-ticketing partner of Indians in America.

Post-arrival procedure at Karnataka airports 

Karnataka’s guidelines for international inbound travelers include mandatory thermal screening and pulse oximeter reading on arrival at Bangalore and Mangalore international airports . Every traveler flying in from abroad undergoes thermal screening and pulse oximeter testing. If you are found symptomatic (feverish temperature, cough, cold, sore throat), you will be isolated and taken to a dedicated medical facility for payable COVID19 testing. If you test positive with severe symptoms, you will be quarantined and treated at a paid or government facility until you are negative. The treatment and quarantine costs will be borne by you.

Who can travel to Bengaluru, India from abroad? 

All Indian passport holders, foreign citizens with/without OCI/PIO cards, and foreign nationals having valid visas to India (as per the Ministry of Home Affairs guidelines) can travel to Bengaluru. All PIO cardholders including those having the handwritten ones can travel to and from India until December 31, 2023 as the PIO to OCI conversion deadline is extended. Do also check the latest OCI card news with respect to travel to and from India.

COVID19 testing at Bangalore International Airport 

Kempegowda International Airport has a dedicated COVID-19 testing facility for passengers, both inbound and outbound. The 24/7 COVID testing center near the arrivals area of the terminal offers both Rapid RT-PCR tests (Abbott ID NOW) and regular RT-PCR tests. The result of a Rapid RT-PCR test is available within 30 minutes, whereas the regular RT-PCR test results are delivered within 5-6 hours from the time of sample collection. A Rapid RT-PCR test costs a few times more than the cost of a regular RT-PCR test at Bangalore Airport.

This guide on flying in to and arrival in Karnataka is part of our continued effort to provide the latest information about travel to and from India.  We, at Indian Eagle, have addressed thousands of travel concerns and queries during the pandemic in the past two years, thereby ensuring hassle-free boarding and arrival for travelers. Indian Eagle, a most trusted travel-booking partner of Indian Diaspora, is committed to making international air tickets to India available for reasonable fares.

The post Traveling to Karnataka? Know What Guidelines Apply to International Arrivals at Bengaluru Airport first appeared on Indian Eagle Blog | US-India Travel News | Diaspora Stories.

The post Traveling to Karnataka? Know What Guidelines Apply to International Arrivals at Bengaluru Airport appeared first on Indian Eagle Blog | US-India Travel News | Diaspora Stories.

‘US airports vs Indian airports’ had been trending on social media until recently, as the Memorial Day holiday weekend 2022 saw a mayhem at the airports across America over the cancellation of around 2800 flights in the very beginning of summer travel. The topic got a new perspective: Indian airports are better than US airports, when Jay Kotak, son of an Indian billionaire banker with a net worth of USD 1360 crore, tweeted a photograph of Boston International Airport airing his frustration over serpentine security lines, inordinately long waiting hours, operational delays, fewer flights, staffing shortage and likes there.

He tweeted, “Mumbai Airport handles MORE passengers than Boston. Yet, there are a few lines. All counters are staffed, the airport is new and clean. Flights are cheaper. India works.”  The tweet gained momentum over the past few days with NRIs who shared his sentiments about the ongoing pandemonium at US airports where they took international flights to India from. Boston Logan International Airport’s pre-pandemic traffic was 42 million in 2019, whereas Mumbai CSMI Airport recorded 46 million passengers during the same period.

The aforementioned issues continue to hit the air travel industry of the world’s biggest economy as the delay of more than 3000 flights to, from, and within the US left fliers fumed on June 20; whereas major Indian airports including Hyderabad RGI Airport were gearing up for the International Yoga Day celebrations scheduled on June 21. The contrasting pictures of the airports in the two different hemispheres validate the current trend – Indian airports are better than US airports – only to some extent.

The week preceding Father’s Day on June 19 was another headache for major northeast US airports, including Boston, Atlanta, New York, Newark, and DC. On the eve of the Father’s Day weekend, more than 500 incidents of flight delay and tens of flight cancellations rocked Boston Logan Airport alone amid thunderstorms, the lingering impact of which was accentuated by US airlines’ severe staffing shortage. During the Father’s Day weekend, Atlanta’s Hartsfield Jackson International Airport and other major gateways saw the disruption and rescheduling of fliers’ travel plans for the same reasons.

America is still deep into the travel woes, which aviation experts expect to continue through and after the US Independence Day 2022 due to the nationwide shortage of pilots and airport staff amid a huge post-pandemic travel demand.

Reportedly, Delta Airlines is reducing its daily flying capacity by 100 flights from July 1 through August 7. Southwest Airlines has stripped its summer schedule of nearly 20,000 flights through the Labor Day, September 5. American Airlines, on June 22, announced the cut-off of its service to four US cities, including Islip and Ithaka in New York; Toledo in Ohio; and Dubuque in Iowa after the Labor Day weekend. The airline has cited the ongoing pilot shortage as the most obvious reason.

United Airlines whose suspended routes – Newark to Mumbai and SFO to Delhi – have been restored for scheduled services will reduce flying on domestic routes from New Jersey by 50 flights a day starting July 1. This cut is equal to about 12% of UA’s schedule at Newark Liberty International Airport. Airport construction and capacity restraints, rather than the shortage of pilots, have factored into the strategic decision to reduce flight delays that have jeopardized travel plans over the past few weeks, according to the airline’s spokesperson.

The staffing shortage that the US aviation industry is going through due to the pandemic-induced furloughs and early retirement of aircrew, as well as some of the working crew’s non-compliance with the vaccine requirement, shows America’s myopic outlook to and lack of preparedness for a travel rebound. The same is true about Europe and Australia having understaffed airlines and airports these days. If a recent Bloomberg report is to be believed, London’s Heathrow Airport struggling with labor crisis, has directed airlines to temporarily cut 10% of their operations at two of its terminals amid a dire surge of complaints about long queues, missed flights, baggage delays and other similar issues. Amsterdam Schiphol Airport and Germany’s Frankfurt Airport – two of the busiest international hubs in Europe – are no exception to this grim scenario.

On the other hand, India prepared for the post-pandemic travel boom in a phased manner, not from the beginning of 2022 but from the peak days of air bubble flights in 2021. Indian aviation saw a five-fold growth on the domestic front as 1.20 crore travelers flew within the country in May 2022, which was a meagre 21 lakh in May 2021, as per the data from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Given the poor ratio of airports (137) and total number of domestic flights to the annual passenger traffic in India, the airports and airlines managed the flying of 1.20 crore passengers on domestic routes without major hiccups in operations.

Needless to say, the passenger load factor is higher in India than that in the US where there are 5217 public airports (as of 2020). Surprisingly, no major US airport won the Skytrax Award 2022 for the World’s Best Airport Staff. Delhi International Airport emerged as the best and cleanest airport in India and South Asia at the Skytrax World Airport Awards 2022.

Saying that the operational efficiency of Indian airports is comparatively high is no exaggeration, given the civil aviation infrastructure which is still developing in India. Mumbai International Airport alone registered the highest single-day number (91,904) of passenger footfalls on October 17, 2021 when a third wave of the pandemic was around the corner. With reduced manpower in the fiscal 2021, India smoothly handled more than 10 million international departures and arrivals, mostly through New Delhi IGI Airport and Mumbai CSMI Airport, amid a slew of travel regulations including temperature check, random testing, immigration check, Air Suvidha registration form verification, quarantine measures, and final destination-wise passenger segregation.

However, India’s total air passenger count – over 115 million – in fiscal 2021 is one-third of the total passenger traffic – 345 million – in fiscal 2019. Indian airlines and airports are gearing up for achieving numbers beyond their pre-pandemic capacity.

“I must say India is not a never-never land of aviation. There are occasional hiccups too, but they are of small magnitude unlike the existing bottlenecks in the United States’ recovery of aviation economy. In May, a number of complaints about immigration delays and long waiting hours erupted on social media due to a few unmanned immigration check counters in the arrival and departure terminals of Bengaluru Kempegowda Airport and Chennai MAA Airport. However, the airport staff crunch in India is not as miserable as it is in the US. Reportedly, the chairman of Airports Authority of India (AAI) has reported the issue to the Ministry of Civil Aviation,” said Sourav Agarwal, the Editor of Travel Beats, a one-stop travel news portal for Indians in America by Indian Eagle.

The post Explained: US Aviation vs Indian Aviation in Light of Post-pandemic Travel Boom 2022 first appeared on Indian Eagle Blog | US-India Travel News | Diaspora Stories.

The post Explained: US Aviation vs Indian Aviation in Light of Post-pandemic Travel Boom 2022 appeared first on Indian Eagle Blog | US-India Travel News | Diaspora Stories.

Another corporate leader from the community of Indian immigrants joined the race of CEOs in America’s economic progress. After Indian American Raj Subramaniam, who hails from Kerala, took office as FedEx Corporation’s CEO on June 1; Verizon announced the appointment of Sowmyanarayan Sampath from New York as CEO of one of its two divisions, Verizon Business. This Indian-origin New Yorker, who is currently the Chief Revenue Officer of Verizon Business, will assume the role of a CEO at Verizon on July 1. Simultaneously, he will be donning the hat of Verizon Business’ executive vice president.

The media release on the appointment of Sowmyanarayan Sampath as CEO of Verizon Business quoted him saying, “I come to this role from a very diverse background, a mindset to constantly learn and a mission to lead with kindness and integrity during this critical moment of radical digitization for our customers. The Verizon Business team is absolutely the best in the business and I am committed to ensuring we continue to build on the momentum and success we have shared together thus far. The time is now to disrupt the industry and stay laser focused on transformational outcomes for our customers and how Verizon serves their needs.”

Verizon Business’ CEO Sowmyanarayan Sampath started his pursuit of American Dream as a senior consultant at ADVENTIS Corporation in Boston following the completion of MBA from Boston University in 2003. He moved to the United States on a student visa in 2001 when the American economy was bleeding due to massive layoffs and bankruptcies in the wake of the dotcom bubble burst. He graduated from Sr Xavier’s College, a most prestigious institute of commerce under the University of Calcutta in 1997 and passed the Chartered Accountancy (CA) exam in 1999.

Just after a stint of two years at ADVENTIS Corporation, his ‘American Dream’ career took a big leap when the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) appointed Sowmyanarayan Sampath as Partner and Managing Director. At the Boston Consulting Group in Washington DC, he demonstrated his leadership in several areas, including but not limited to, relationship management, revenue generation, enterprise transformation, capital planning, and cloud technology implementation.

The foundation he built over 9 years at BCG became the launchpad of his stellar career at Verizon Communications Inc. headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City.  In 2014, he joined Verizon as Senior Vice President of Business Transformation. He led the business transformation team for 3 years to drive large-scale initiatives to build on the momentum of Verizon’s market leadership. From ideation to implementation, he was responsible for everything with regard to two of Verizon’s core initiatives – Network Transformation and OneFiber that Verizon spent billions on to drive its wireless 5G push over the next decade.

In April 2017, he was promoted to Chief Product Officer at Verizon. For two years (2017-2018), he implemented several strategic initiatives for the diversification and market-penetration of consumer and enterprise product portfolios both in the wireline and wireless units. By the end of 2018, he moved on to Verizon Media Group as its Chief Financial Officer. He was responsible for data management, strategy formulation and revenue generation for Verizon Media Group. He went on to climb up the corporate totem pole as President of Global Enterprise, and then, as Chief Revenue Officer of Verizon Business. Headquartered in New Jersey, Verizon Business is a major division of Verizon Communications and caters services and products to enterprise as well as government clients across the globe.

“The ever-growing Indian American CEO club bears evidence to the fact that Indians are the most educated and highest earning ethnicity in the United States. Their median household income is higher than that of any other immigrant community in America. Besides, such inspiring stories of American Dream lure Indian professionals on H1B visa and students to land in the US, thereby supporting the US-India aviation economy over the booking of economy and business class air tickets throughout the year,” said Sourav Agarwal, the Editor of Travel Beats, a leading community portal by IndianEagle.com.

The post Indian American Sowmyanarayan Sampath from Verizon Enters race of Tech CEOs in Economic Progress of USA first appeared on Indian Eagle Blog | US-India Travel News | Diaspora Stories.

The post Indian American Sowmyanarayan Sampath from Verizon Enters race of Tech CEOs in Economic Progress of USA appeared first on Indian Eagle Blog | US-India Travel News | Diaspora Stories.

Chennai International Airport has recently started offering the meet and greet service to travelers flying in to and out of Chennai. The Meet and Greet facility at major Indian airports, is a passenger-friendly initiative either by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) or some private entity. This payable facility, in addition to basic airport assistance services, is of great help to the elderly, the specially-abled, pregnant women, and unaccompanied minors requiring assistance for hassle-free arrival or departure, expedited immigration, smooth transfer from the aircraft gate/arrivals area to the exit or the from the entry till boarding, etc.

You can avail the meet and greet service also at New Delhi IGI Airport, Mumbai CSMI Airport, Ahmedabad Airport (AMD), Hyderabad RGI Airport, Kolkata Netaji Subhash Chandra Airport, and Kochi International Airport. At Chennai MAA Airport, the meet and greet service counters can be found in the departure and arrival halls. Speed Wings which won the bid for Chennai Airport’s meet and greet service contract has put a team of more than 350 members to cater to the travelers opting for the service. The same agency provides the meet and greet service at Kochi Airport too.

At major Indian airports, the meet and greet service comes in different packages, cost wise and feature wise, for both domestic and international passengers. The Chennai Airport Meet & Greet service can be availed in three packages: Bronze, Silver and Platinum. ‘Meet at Aircraft Gate’ is the mainstay of all three packages. While ‘Expedited Immigration’ is unique to the Bronze package, ‘Porter Service’ for baggage assistance is integrated with the Silver package. The most expensive Platinum package comes with all meet & greet services, such as Meet at Aircraft Gate, Expedited Immigration, Porter, and Buggy Transfer.

Mumbai International Airport: Meet & Greet Service

The meet & greet facility at other Indian airports is known as Pranaam Service at Mumbai International Airport. Many senior citizens traveling unaccompanied on flights to Mumbai from USA and other countries opted for the Pranaam Service for hassle-free arrival at Mumbai Airport during the peak of air bubble travel amid the volatile regulations and restrictions induced by the pandemic. “Some of our customers requested booking of the Pranaam Service while purchasing international air tickets to Mumbai from us during the pandemic, but the service can be booked only on the website of Mumbai CSMI Airport,” said the chief ticketing officer of IndianEagle.com.

Mumbai Airport’s Pranaam Service is available in three packages: Elite, Platinum, and Group Platinum. Welcome by a dedicated Pranaam officer, mobility assistance for passengers with difficulty movement, assistance with hand baggage, retrieval of check-in bags from a baggage carousel, immigration guidance, and dedicated porter service are some of the salient features that Mumbai International Airport’s Mumbai Pranaam service packages have in common for arrivals and departures. The Pranaam Elite package costs a little more than the Pranaam Platinum package. While the former is priced at Rs 6859 per (adult) international traveller, the latter costs an international traveller Rs 5850. The packages cost children under 12 years of age lesser than adult travelers.

The Group Platinum package of the Pranaam meet & greet service can be booked for minimum five people traveling together. An additional amount can facilitate the inclusion of more 5 travelers in the group package. The same service is also available for departure and arrival of domestic travelers. The reservation details for Mumbai Airport’s Pranaam Service are below:

• reservations.pranaam@adani.com
• +91 8879992397/98/99 and +91 22 6685 1211

OFFICE ADDRESS
Pranaam Guest Service,
Mumbai International Airport Limited,
Level 4 Terminal 2,
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport

Delhi IGI Airport Assistance: Meet and Greet Service

The Indira Gandhi International Airport Assistance comprises meet and greet service that takes care of an international or domestic passenger’s airport travel needs before departure, after arrival and during transit. With the booking of meet and greet services, you can skip long check-in queues and avoid the hassles of immigration clearance at New Delhi International Airport. This paid service helps minimize the time that airport formalities require certain groups of international travelers to spend at the airport. IGI (DEL) Airport’s Meet and Greet service includes personal multilingual assistance to ease communication between regional language-speaking travelers and the airport staff.

The service can be booked online here.

Ahmedabad International Airport: Meet and Greet Service

Sardar Vallabhbhai International Airport offers Pranaam Meet and Greet Service inspired by India’s cultural ethos for guests. Designed to provide travelers a unique experience at Ahmedabad Airport, the service packs in a lot of warmth and care. Available in customized packages, the Pranaam Meet and Greet service is rendered by a dedicated guest relations officer with keen attention to travellers’ needs.

• reservations.pranaam@adani.com
• +91 8879992398/99

The post What are Meet & Greet Services for Family, Senior Citizens, Unaccompanied Children at Indian Airports first appeared on Indian Eagle Blog | US-India Travel News | Diaspora Stories.

The post What are Meet & Greet Services for Family, Senior Citizens, Unaccompanied Children at Indian Airports appeared first on Indian Eagle Blog | US-India Travel News | Diaspora Stories.

In March 2020, India – the second most populous country in the world – took several measures to combat the pandemic, like cancellation of scheduled/regular international flights, suspension of tourist visas, and nationwide lockdown. With foreign countries having vaccinated their populace and the COVID graph being flattened in India, the government has relaxed the pandemic-induced restrictions for international arrivals since February 14, 2022. All the previously issued tourist visas to India, in both paper and electronic formats, have been restored for eligible foreign citizens starting today, March 16.    

The tourist visa and regular international flights to India had been suspended for the past 24 months. When the second wave started receding, India resumed issuing e-visa in certain categories, except tourism. India’s e-tourist visa or electronic travel authorization (ETA) resumed to be issued to foreign nationals, including those of Indian origin, in November 2021. But the 5-year and 10-year long tourist visas issued before October 6, 2021 continued to remain suspended until this day. Since November 15, thousands of fresh tourist visas have been issued for only 30 days of stay in India on a single entry.

With immediate effect, the government of India has reinstated valid 5-year e-tourist visas for the nationals of 156 countries and valid 5-year regular tourist visas (paper) for all countries, given the resumption of scheduled international flights to India from March 27, 2022. This generous move is aimed at scaling up the number of foreign tourist arrivals so as to support the tourism economy of the country.

Starting March 16, 2022, the citizens of the eligible countries can also apply for fresh regular (paper) tourist visas to India with 5-year validity. The issuance of fresh visas is subject to certain restrictions that the government may impose from time to time.

There is good news also for those who hold a valid 10-year-long regular tourist visa to India, which had been suspended since the onset of the pandemic in March 2020. But the long duration regular tourist visas have been restored only for the citizens and nationals of two countries, the United States and Japan, as of now. Currently, the issuance of fresh tourist visas with 10-year validity is subject to country-specific restrictions. Only the US and Japan nationals are eligible for the fresh issuance of long duration tourist visas for the time being.

Not all foreign nationals/citizens of Indian origin are OCI or PIO card holders. The continued suspension of the previously issued valid tourist visas not only agitated them, but also led to the cancellation of their travel to India. Some of them had to obtain a regular X entry visa at an additional cost.

The tourist visa to India is granted to foreigners for four reasons: recreational and sightseeing, visiting family or friends, short business trip, and medical treatment for a short duration. Applications for India’s e-tourist visa must be submitted neither later than 4 days nor earlier than 34 days before the date of planned arrival. India’s tourist visa fee for foreigners varies from country to country. India’s e-tourist visa can be availed by citizens of as many as 169 countries. A tourist visa to India comes with validity up to 10 years. The electronic travel authorization allows a double-entry to India for 60 days, whereas a regular (paper) tourist visa to India allows more than 60 days of stay at a time.

The post India Restores All Tourist Visas, Paper and Electronic, with Immediate Effect after 2 Years of Suspension first appeared on Indian Eagle Blog | US-India Travel News | Diaspora Stories.

The post India Restores All Tourist Visas, Paper and Electronic, with Immediate Effect after 2 Years of Suspension appeared first on Indian Eagle Blog | US-India Travel News | Diaspora Stories.

After two years of the pandemic, India’s decision to resume regular international flights from March 27, 2022 provides much-needed impetus to the recovery of aviation economy. Air bubble flights, especially on nonstop routes between USA and India, cost almost double the fare for regular international travel. The preference for nonstop air bubble flights over one-stop flights shot up during the pandemic though it burnt holes into the pockets of travelers, as there was an apprehension about some unexpected regulations during transit in a third country or stricter post-arrival norms in India. The recommencement of scheduled passenger flights will gradually make things fall back in the pre-pandemic order.

New routes to India from USA in 2022

The resumption of scheduled international air travel to and from India is a green signal for United Airlines and American Airlines to launch much-awaited nonstop flights to Bangalore from the US. United Airlines’ SFO to BLR route, and American Airlines’ Seattle to BLR service were repeatedly deferred over the low demand for travel, limited number of flights in the air bubble corridor, and other pandemic-induced restrictions. With international passenger flight operations returning to the pre-pandemic schedule from March 27, 2022, the new flights – SFO to BLR and Seattle to BLR – are likely to take off in May and October 2022 respectively.

Increased service frequency and seat availability 

Indian government’s go-ahead for 100% recommencement of regular international civil flights will remove the existing cap on weekly services to and from India for foreign airlines. Reportedly, Emirates flights to India are being restored to the pre-pandemic frequency in a graded manner. Emirates, one of the largest foreign carriers flying to India, operated 172 weekly flights connecting nine major Indian cities with the US via Dubai before the pandemic. Air Canada is also up with its spring schedule of 21 weekly return flights to Delhi from Canada.

In view of capacity restrictions to be eliminated from March 27, 2022, Lufthansa and Swiss International Airlines are looking to double their flights to Delhi and Mumbai in the weeks after March end. Bangalore and Chennai will also see the scaling up of weekly frequency by Lufthansa. Delta Airlines, Air France, KLM, and Virgin Atlantic have also operated international flights to India in limited capacity as per the air bubble agreement. These four partner airlines are looking to restore their pre-pandemic schedule for India.

India will also see resumption of flights by Turkish Airlines in the days following March 27, 2022. Turkish Airlines repeatedly cancelled its bookings for India in view of Indian government having extended the suspension of regular international travel, both inbound and outbound. Notably, Turkish Airlines, other than Qatar Airways and Emirates, connects Ahmedabad with 12 destinations in the US.

International airfares unlikely to drop anytime soon

“Higher frequency means lower fares. The restart of regular international air travel will provide stimulus to the competition among foreign airlines ramping up their service to India. The escalating competition on the international front will curb fares for not only economy travel but also business class air tickets to India in the months to come,” said the chief market analyst from Indian Eagle.

He added, “However, there are contradicting reports on this. Some reports state that international airfares will drop by 30-40% over the capacity and routes being restored to the pre-pandemic times. According to other reports, the resumption of scheduled international flights will have a very little impact on airfares in the aftermath of the geopolitical conflict that has already escalated the aviation turbine fuel (ATF) cost to an all-time high. Apparently, jet fuel accounts for nearly 40% of an airline’s operating expenses. If the ATF price hike sustains in view of the soaring crude oil prices, this will rule out any possibility for international flight tickets to get 40-30% cheaper in the near future.”

No airline-specific restriction for Indian travelers

Indian passport holders had been subjected to airline-specific restrictions on boarding in India for a considerable period of time during the pandemic. Bound to the bilateral air bubble agreement with India, British Airways, Air France, KLM, Lufthansa and Virgin Atlantic barred Indian passport holders from boarding flights in India, as they were destined to travel beyond Europe. Only US citizens and/or their spouses were able to travel to the US via Europe. Most of the European carriers, except British Airways, have recently loosened the restriction as reported by travelers holding an Indian passport.

However, the US-bound Indians travelled on BA flights from India, which were either ticketed or operated by the codeshare partner, American Airlines. We, at Indian Eagle, have addressed hundreds of queries regarding the travel eligibility for British Airways’ air bubble flights from India over more than 18 months of the pandemic, on our US-India travel news portal. The termination of air bubble travel agreements is expected to lift airline-specific restrictions, starting on March 27, 2022.

“The more routes, the more freedom of choice. With the reopening of routes through Europe for Indian nationals, we will be able to give our customers, especially students and B1/B2 visa holders, more competitive deals for travel between USA and India,” said the chief travel advisor of IndianEagle.com.

India restores all suspended tourist visas with immediate effect

With immediate effect from March 16, 2022, the government of India has restored all long-term valid tourist visas for the nationals and citizens of 156 countries, including the United States. The long-duration tourist visas, paper (regular) and electronic, had been suspended for entry to India since March 2020. Read the latest news about revalidation of tourist visas to India in detail.   

The post Explained: What Restart of Regular International Flights to and from India Means for US-India Travel first appeared on Indian Eagle Blog | US-India Travel News | Diaspora Stories.

The post Explained: What Restart of Regular International Flights to and from India Means for US-India Travel appeared first on Indian Eagle Blog | US-India Travel News | Diaspora Stories.