Proprietary Data · Updated 2026-05-07

HappyFares India Flight Fare Index — May 2026

Based on 28,55,650 real fare observations across 2409 routes · Journalist-citation-ready

₹965
Cheapest domestic fare observed
2,409
Routes tracked in this index
28,55,650
Total fare observations

Index Highlights — May 2026

Key data points from the HappyFares domestic fare database · Data as of 2026-05-07

₹965
Cheapest domestic fare observed this period
4–6 weeks
Optimal advance booking window for lowest fares
Tue / Wed
Most affordable departure days on metro routes

10 Cheapest Routes Right Now Live data

Sorted by lowest fare observed · Covers major metro origin airports (DEL, BOM, BLR, MAA, CCU, HYD)

Origin Destination Cheapest Fare Typical Fare (p50)
Live data unavailable — check back shortly.

Fares are lowest observed in the HappyFares database. Actual prices at time of booking may differ. Updated nightly.

Search live fares on HappyFares →

Routes with Highest Median Fares

High-demand or low-competition routes where typical fares are elevated — useful for planning alternatives

Origin Destination Typical Fare (p50)
Live data unavailable — check back shortly.

p50 (median) fare: half of all observed fares were at or below this price. Updated nightly.

Best Value Routes — All India

Routes with lowest observed fares and sufficient data volume (10+ fare samples) for statistical reliability

Origin Destination Lowest Fare Typical Fare Sample Size
Bangkok Phuket ₹965 ₹15,054 2050
Kuala Lumpur Penang ₹1,277 ₹10,964 1025
Penang Kuala Lumpur ₹1,355 ₹9,729 923
Rome MLA ₹1,438 ₹33,988 711
MLA Rome ₹1,476 ₹30,369 784
Barcelona IBZ ₹1,605 ₹35,635 786
Krabi Bangkok ₹1,757 ₹9,445 1322
Kuala Lumpur Singapore ₹1,795 ₹39,481 3297
Penang Singapore ₹1,825 ₹22,558 905
Langkawi Kuala Lumpur ₹1,829 ₹8,813 963

Only routes with 10+ fare observations included for statistical reliability. Updated nightly.

Booking Intelligence

Patterns derived from the HappyFares fare database — consistently observed across domestic routes

Book 4–6 weeks in advance

Our fare database shows domestic tickets are cheapest 28–42 days before departure. Within 7 days prices spike an average of 38%.

Fly Tuesday or Wednesday

Mid-week departures consistently undercut Friday–Sunday fares by 12–20% on metro routes. Saturday evenings are peak-priced.

Choose early-morning slots

5–8 AM departures carry a 15–25% fare discount versus the 9 AM–12 PM peak window. Red-eye after 10 PM is also cost-effective.

Travel in shoulder months

February, June, and September offer the lowest average fares nationally. December, April, and long-weekend weeks are most expensive.

Compare all airlines every search

The cheapest airline on a given route rotates daily. On the DEL–BOM corridor IndiGo, Akasa, and Air India trade the lowest-price slot every 48 hours.

Set a price alert

HappyFares notifies you the moment the fare on your route drops below your target. Most users who set alerts save ₹600–1,800 per ticket.

About This Index

The HappyFares India Flight Fare Index is a monthly data publication based on the HappyFares proprietary fare observation database. It is intended to serve as a transparent, citable reference for travel journalists, consumer researchers, fintech analysts, and anyone seeking reliable domestic airfare benchmarks for India.

Data collection methodology

HappyFares collects fare data through real-time polling of airline pricing APIs across multiple routes, departure dates, booking lead times, and cabin classes. Each fare observation is timestamped and associated with the origin–destination pair, allowing longitudinal tracking of price movements.

Statistical definitions

min_observed: The lowest fare recorded for a route across all observed departure dates and booking windows in the current period.

p50 (median): The 50th-percentile fare — half of all fare observations for the route were at or below this amount. A more robust indicator of "typical" pricing than the average.

Update cadence

Route baseline statistics are recomputed nightly from the accumulated fare observation table. The index page reflects the most recent nightly run. Fares are live-polled multiple times per day across the most-searched domestic routes.

Coverage and scope

The index covers domestic Indian routes. The May 2026 edition tracks 2,409 distinct origin–destination pairs, with priority coverage on routes originating from Delhi (DEL), Mumbai (BOM), Bangalore (BLR), Chennai (MAA), Kolkata (CCU), and Hyderabad (HYD).

For journalists and researchers:

You are welcome to cite specific figures from this index with attribution to "HappyFares India Flight Fare Index, May 2026" and a link to https://www.happyfares.in/fare-intelligence. For data requests, press briefings, or embargoed advance access, write to press@happyfares.in.

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions from journalists, researchers, and travel planners

What is the HappyFares India Flight Fare Index?
The HappyFares India Flight Fare Index is a monthly data report that tracks real booking fares across major domestic Indian routes. It is sourced from the HappyFares proprietary fare database, which collects fare observations from live airline pricing systems. The index reports the minimum fare observed, the median (p50) fare, and the sample volume per route — making it a citation-ready, transparent source of Indian domestic flight pricing data.
Which are the cheapest domestic flight routes in India right now?
The cheapest domestic routes vary by season and demand. Short-haul routes under 600 km — such as Delhi–Chandigarh, Mumbai–Pune, Kolkata–Patna, or Bangalore–Hyderabad — often carry the lowest absolute fares. The HappyFares Fare Index updates monthly with the ten cheapest routes by minimum observed fare. See the table above for the current ranking.
How is the fare data collected and how often is it updated?
HappyFares collects fare data directly from airline pricing systems via real-time API polling. Fares are observed across multiple departure dates, booking windows, and cabin classes for each route. The route baseline statistics (minimum, median, sample count) are recomputed nightly from the accumulated observations. The index page reflects the most recent nightly baseline run.
Can journalists and researchers cite this fare index?
Yes. The HappyFares India Flight Fare Index is published as a citable, public reference. Journalists and researchers are welcome to cite specific figures with attribution to "HappyFares India Flight Fare Index" and a link to https://www.happyfares.in/fare-intelligence. For specific data requests or embargoed advance access to monthly figures, contact press@happyfares.in.

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