Travel guides for flying between the USA, Canada and India
What families ask us most, answered from the official rules. Checked October 2026.
Your USA–India flight was cancelled or badly delayed: what to do and what you are owed
If the airline cancels or significantly changes a flight to or from the United States and you decline the alternative it offers, US Department of Transportation rules entitle you to a refund of the ticket, even on a non-refundable fare. For international flights a significant change includes a departure or arrival moved by six hours or more. The refund has to be automatic and prompt: within seven business days for card payments and twenty calendar days for other methods, to the original form of payment. If you accept the rebooking instead, the refund is not owed. Flights leaving the European Union or the UK can also bring fixed compensation under European rules, and the Montreal Convention covers proven costs of long delays and delayed bags. Do not cancel the ticket yourself before the airline acts: that can turn the airline's cancellation into your own.
Read the guideBooking your parents' flights between India and the USA: a checklist for families
To book your parents' flights from India to the USA you need their names exactly as on their passports, a valid US visitor visa (B-2) for Indian passport holders, since the Visa Waiver Program does not include India, and travel dates that fit the stay granted on arrival. Book the flight from their home city and the international flight on one ticket, so their bags go through and a missed connection is the airline's responsibility. Ask for wheelchair assistance and meal preferences when booking: airlines flying to and from the US must provide assistance to passengers with disabilities free of charge. Buy visitor medical insurance before they travel, because US hospital bills are high and Indian health cover rarely applies there. You can arrange all of it from the USA by WhatsApp and approve the quote before anything is booked.
Read the guideBaggage on USA–India flights: allowances, what to pack and what to declare
Most economy tickets between the USA and India on full-service airlines include two checked bags of up to 23 kg (50 lb) each, plus a cabin bag and a small personal item, but the allowance depends on the airline and the fare, and some lower fares include less, so check the allowance on your ticket before you pack. Power banks and spare lithium batteries must travel in the cabin, never in checked bags. Liquids in the cabin follow the 100 ml (3.4 oz) rule, and duty-free liquids may have to go into a checked bag at a connection in the US. Declare all food to US Customs: meat and fresh fruit and vegetables are generally not allowed, while declared items that are refused are simply taken away. Declare cash over US$10,000 entering or leaving the US.
Read the guideWhen to book flights between the USA and India: Diwali, December and summer
Fares between the USA and India rise most around three peaks: the weeks before Diwali, which falls on 8 November in 2026; the US winter break from mid-December to early January; and summer, when Indian school holidays in May and June overlap US vacations and the August student intake. For those dates, ask for a fare as soon as your dates are fixed, often several months ahead, because the cheaper fare levels sell first and seldom come back. Outside the peaks, such as late January to March or September to mid-October, there is less pressure. Being flexible by a few days, flying mid-week, choosing a different US gateway or a one-stop route usually changes the price more than the day you book. No one can promise a fare will drop, so book when a fare works for you.
Read the guideThe 24-hour rule on USA–India tickets: what it covers, and when it does not
The US 24-hour rule, in federal regulation 14 CFR 259.5, requires airlines selling flights to, from or within the United States either to hold a reservation at the quoted fare for 24 hours without payment, or to let you cancel within 24 hours of booking without penalty, when you book at least seven days before departure. It covers US airlines and foreign airlines flying to and from the US, but it binds the airline, not travel agencies, so tickets bought through an agency are not automatically covered. When you book through an agency, including AeroVista Bookings, what you can cancel and at what cost depends on the fare rules and the agency's terms, which you should see in writing before you pay. A refund under the rule goes back to the original form of payment.
Read the guide
Ask an agent instead
WhatsApp or call +91 99609 54983. Open every day, 9:30 am – 8 pm IST; WhatsApp messages are answered in office hours.