A lot is happening for good in the US-India travel corridor! On one hand, India automated and quickened immigration clearance with a trusted traveler program. On the other hand, the US is tightening the noose around airlines to issue quick refunds in case of cancelation and significant flight delays. In a major development, the US and India are reportedly deliberating over plans to do away with the rescreening of arriving passengers and their baggage for a slew of benefits, such as expedited baggage transfer, short connection times, and reduced security costs.

At the India-US Aviation Summit held in June 2024, the US Transportation Security Administration brought a one-stop security agreement to the table for India. David Pekoske, the TSA administrator, elaborated his proposal to India while calling for the need to raise aviation safety standards for both countries. No rescreening for arriving passengers with connecting domestic flights is the objective of the proposed one-stop security agreement between USA and India.

only for the representation purpose

What is the one-stop security concept?

This unique concept refers to the foolproof screening of passengers and their bags at departure airports or ports of travel origin, so that they have a seamless arrival experience without additional security checks in destination countries. If the post-arrival screening is eliminated from the current procedure, it will ease the holiday rush at entry airports, and streamline the exit of travelers, or expedite their transfer to connecting flights for onward domestic travel.

If the US-India one-stop security pact comes to fruition, it would be a major breakthrough not only in international aviation but also in the India-US strategic relations. Also, it will greatly benefit travelers in the event of arrival delays. If an international flight arrives late, even by only 30 minutes, some passengers panic over the fear of missing out on their domestic flights due to long security queues at major entry airports in the US and/or India.

Technical glitches, adverse weather, rerouting, mid-air turbulence, inflight medical emergencies, bird strikes, and various other unprecedented factors do often cause flight arrival delays. It is more frustrating for economy class flyers than passengers of business class flights or premium economy. Economy flyers are often subject to hassles of waiting in long queues for security check and immigration clearance, whereas business class travelers may get premium services such as priority deboarding and checked baggage claims.

Apparently, passengers of economy flights to India or USA, including unaccompanied senior citizens would benefit from the proposed elimination of post-arrival screening and baggage recheck-in given the above scenario of flight delays.

“The one-stop security proposal seems to be feasible for travelers booking nonstop flight itineraries without any international layover between USA and India. Whether travelers with one or two-stop flight itineraries would be eligible for the proposed removal of additional security checks on arrival, is still under wraps. Irrespective of itinerary types, the one-stop screening of international passengers would improve the overall travel experience,” said Sourav Agarwal, the Editor of Travel Beats.

“It requires the regular exchange of information and improvements to security processes to maintain the agreement between the countries,” said the US TSA administrator describing the one-stop security concept “really powerful” and highlighting possible benefits, such as reduced security infrastructure costs, fewer cases of missed connecting domestic flights, and aircraft-to-aircraft baggage transfer.

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Carnegie’s 2024 list of Great Immigrants of America from 16 countries includes four India-born US citizens: Nobel Laureate Abhijit Banerjee, Dr. Ashish Kumar Jha, social entrepreneur Premal Shah, and interfaith leader Eboo Patel. They will be inducted into the elite club of outstanding immigrants in the United States right after the America flag will be unfurled on the 4^th of July.

Dr. Ashish Kumar Jha

Dr. Ashish Kumar Jha hailing from the Indian state of Bihar, deserves the Pride of America Award as a great immigrants for his instrumental role in the US’ response to and preparedness for the COVID-19 pandemic. The Dean of the School of Public Health at Brown University, Dr. Jha is globally revered as a trusted guide and advisor to policymakers on major health crises. With an MD and a master’s degree in public health, he is a distinguished alumnus of Harvard University.

When the US was gasping for breath under the grips of COVID-19, President Biden roped in him as the White House’s Pandemic Response Coordinator. In that crucial role, he led the development of treatments and facilitated access to vaccines, in addition to scaling up testing and surveillance of the patients. A member of the National Academy of Medicine, Dr. Ashish Jha hails from Madhubani, home to Mithila style of painting in the Indian state of Bihar. His parents had moved to Morris County, New Jersey in 1984. 

Nobel Laureate Dr. Abhijit Banerjee

One of the notable names on Carnegie’s 2024 list of Great Immigrants is Dr. Abhijit Banerjee, a leading economist and Nobel laureate, who needs no further introduction. His studies and strategies to alleviate global poverty have earned America a special place on the global stage. Among the Great Immigrants of America in 2024, Dr. Banerjee sits on the board of Save the Children USA, other than serving as the Ford Foundation International Professor of Economics at MIT.

Premal Shah, a Champion of Change

Premal Shah, a social entrepreneur from California, will be felicitated as one of the Great Immigrants of America this July 4, 2024. Born in Ahmedabad and raised in Minnesota, Premal has made a difference to low-scale entrepreneurs in developing countries including India by crowdfunding loans for them through his global poverty alleviation nonprofit, Kiva. Evidently, he earned the moniker ‘a Champion of Change’ from the White House in Barack Obama’s presidential regime.

Driven by his interest in microfinance, Premal Shah took a sabbatical from his service as product manager at PayPal in 2004 and took a flight to India where he developed a prototype on how peer-to-peer microlending drives rural economics. An alumnus of Stanford University, he also received a grant from the London School of Economics to study the microfinance-based businesses of self-employed women around the world.

Indian American Premal Shah, a board member of Change.org, was adjudged as one of the Young Global Leaders by World Economic Forum in 2009.     

Interfaith Leader Eboo Patel    

Among the four Indian Americans selected as Great Immigrants of the US in 2024 is Eboo Patel from Illinois. Born in Mumbai, he is the founder and president of Interfaith America, a Chicago-based nonprofit that works with public and private entities to promote cooperation among religions around the world. An avid proponent of interfaith harmony, he considers religious diversity as an essential aspect of American democracy.

Like Kala Bagai, Eboo Patel, as a young immigrant in the US, was bullied for his brown skin, Indian heritage, and Islamic faith. His experience of racism shaped him as an interfaith activist and an author of five books, including his autobiography titled ‘Acts of Faith’. As a Rhodes scholar, he earned a PhD in the sociology of religion from Oxford University. He was a member of former President Obama’s Inaugural Advisory Council on Faith-based Partnerships.

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Who is Maya Neelakantan? “The rock goddess,” as one of the AGT judges hailed Maya, is a metal guitarist from Chennai, India. Trained in Carnatic music, she set the America’s Got Talent stage on fire with her unique rendition of “Last Resort” by Papa Roach on an electric guitar. She started coyly with an authentic Carnatic Nata Bhairavi Raga and graduated to strum the chords of “Last Resort” with headbanging. The judges unanimously sent her to the next round.

PC: Maya Neelakantan | America’s Got Talent

Not only her performance, but also her appearance impressed Indians in America and beyond. With a bindi adorning her forehead and a pair of dangling jhumkas accessorizing her Indian ethnic outfit, Maya Neelakantan gave the impression to the world that no matter what she performs or where she performs, she carries her Indian culture and heritage that she inherited by birth. The Indian Diaspora is proud of Maya because she did not ape American fashion to impress the judges.

“Maya Neelakantan’s performance at America’s Got Talent seems to remind the US of Carnatic exponent M S Subbulakshmi’s historic performance at the UN General Assembly in 1966. Such comparisons are just, though exaggerated. Like M S Subbulakshmi, 10-year-old Maya is from the land of Carnatic music and made the cut on her first visit to the United States. Since Subbulakshmi’s concert tour of the US, it has been nearly 60 years. Precisely, America sees Indian talent galore,” said Sourav Agarwal, the Editor of Travel Beats.

Like Indian American Tiara Abraham, Maya’s musical journey commenced at a very young age. She took a fancy to heavy metal music when she was barely 5. As a YouTuber, her name spread far and wide by the age of 9. Her command over electric guitars did not go unnoticed and unrewarded by Tool’s lead guitarist, Adam Thomas Jones. Spellbound by Maya Neelakantan’s version of Tool’s 16-minute epic 7Empest, Adam Jones sent his signature guitar to her in 2022.

“My dream is to combine all of my music interests to create something that is totally unheard of! I want to create a genre of my own combining the intricate Carnatic music and the extreme Thrash Metal.

This story is part of our continued effort to give a shoutout to achievements of Young Indians in America. Travel Beats is a leading diaspora portal and a subsidiary of Indian Eagle, a most trusted air-ticketing partner of Indians abroad. Sign up to our newsletter for latest community stories, US visa and immigration updates, and everything about US-India air travel.

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Those who travelled to India last winter do still recollect the dreadful congestion at New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Bengaluru airports, where insufficient staffing and inbound as well as outbound passenger influx threw the system out of gear. During peak hours of daily arrival and departure, the Indian metro airports were so overcrowded that it evoked comparisons to ‘Kumbh Mela’, Kolkata’s fish markets, and old Delhi’s hawkers markets across social media. The concern about the unaccompanied elderly parents being subjected to long hours of immigration clearance delay on arrival had thrown NRIs into a tizzy.

Finally, India launches Fast Track Immigration Trusted Traveler Program (FTI-TTP)

To avert a repeat of the grim airport congestion in India this summer, the government launched a tech-driven immigration clearance process for pre-verified Indian nationals and OCI cardholders. Similar to the Global Entry program in the USA, India’s Fast Track Immigration – Trusted Traveler Program enables low-risk travelers to bypass immigration queues and have a seamless travel experience.

Image by Freepik

Who can avail India’s newly launched trusted traveler program?

Initially, only low-risk Indian nationals and OCI cardholders can have expedited immigration clearance through the trusted traveler program, FTI-TTP in India. The program will be extended to foreign nationals and Indian-origin foreign citizens without OCI cards in the second phase. Unlike the United States’ Global Entry, India’s Fast Track Immigration – Trusted Traveler Program is available for both international departures and arrivals.

Interestingly, unlike other countries including USA, India will be offering the accelerated immigration facility for free of cost. Precisely, there is no fee for India’s trusted traveler program, FTI-TTP.

Which Indian airports to offer Fast Track Immigration?

India’s first-ever trusted traveler program, FTI-TTP, has been launched at Indira Gandhi International Airport. The faster immigration clearance facility will soon be rolled out at Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Kochi airports in the first phase. The second phase will see the program expanded to a total of 21 airports across the country.

How to apply for Fast Track Immigration Trusted Traveler Program?

The application process for FTI-TTP begins with online registration and proceeds to biometric submission. If you hold an Indian passport or an OCI card, you can apply through Indian government’s Fast Track Immigration website. Online registration is confirmed upon successful authentication of your identity through email verification and mobile OTP.

Your passport must be valid for 6 months and more while applying for seamless immigration clearance in India. You would receive a message to the registered email ID and mobile number for scheduling an appointment for biometrics submission. You can submit your biometrics at the nearest FRRO office in New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Amritsar, Cochin, Trivandrum, or Kozhikode.

As many as 31 airports in India have been designated as biometrics application centers for FTI-TTP. You can choose to enroll your biometrics at Goa, Varanasi, Pune, Nagpur, Madurai, Indore, Kannur, Jaipur, Port Blair, Chandigarh, Guwahati, Trichy, Bhubaneswar, Mangalore, Visakhapatnam, Coimbatore, Cochin, and Amritsar other than the top 10 Indian airports.

Documents for Fast Track Immigration Trusted Traveler Program

• Your passport size photograph in JPEG format (10 KB to 1 MB)
• Scanned copies of your passport’s front and last pages (within 1 MB)
• Your proof of address (10 KB to 1 MB)
• A scanned copy of your OCI card (if you are an OCI cardholder)

Key details for Fast Track Immigration (FTI-TTP) Applicants

• Your membership of FTI-TTP is valid for 5 years from the date of approval. The membership will be nulled if your passport expires within 5 years.
• If your passport linked to the Fast Track Immigration clearance program is expired, lost, stolen or damaged, you need to apply afresh and submit biometrics again.
• You must provide a valid mobile number and email ID for successful FTI-TTP registration.
• If there are any queries, you can write to india.ftittp-boi@mha.gov.in.

How Trusted Traveler Program works for faster immigration at Indian airports?

India’s Fast Track Immigration Trusted Traveler Program works through electronic gates at airport terminals. New Delhi IGI Airport has already got 8 e-gates in Terminal 3; four international departures and four for international arrivals. Travelers who will be adjudged eligible for pre-approved immigration clearance will go through the e-gates. Electronic gates will speed up passenger identity and document verification without human intervention, thereby automating the immigration clearance process and reducing the manual workload.

Travelers under the Trusted Traveler Program will be required to scan their passports and other documents. On successful scanning, a camera attached to the scanner at e-gates will click a picture of the traveler’s face. The picture will be matched against a database of blacklisted travelers to check within seconds if the traveler is prohibited from flying abroad or banned from entering the country. Travelers will also submit a biometric scan of their fingerprints to the automated immigration clearance system.

On successful clearance, the e-gates will open for them to board their flights for departure or proceed to the baggage claim area. If a traveler is flagged as a ‘person of interest’ (a crime suspect), he/she will be denied clearance through the e-gate. The flagged traveler will have to undergo manual immigration checks.

Travel Beats is a leading portal for international travel news by Indian Eagle, the most trusted air-ticketing partner of Indian Diaspora in America. IndianEagle.com’s best airfare deals are available round the year for travel between USA and India with Emirates, Qatar Airways, Air India, Etihad, Turkish Airlines, Air France-KLM, Lufthansa, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, United Airlines, British Airways, and Singapore Airlines.

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Are you traveling to the US for a wedding or after attending a wedding in India? Make sure to pack in a genuine Sabyasachi lehenga/saree or original ethnic wears of ‘Manyavar’ brand. Counterfeit items of these or any international brands in your bags are at high risks of being confiscated upon your arrival in America. In FY 22 alone, the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers seized more than 25 million fake items of various brands from foreign travelers including Indians entering the USA.

The US government is stepping up the law enforcement to combat the import of brand counterfeits right at ports of entry in the country. With markets for counterfeit luxury products growing by leaps and bounds, the US CBP is not merely seizing but destroying fake goods of international brands, such as Gucci, Puma, Nike, and Adidas, as reported by many Indian travelers. Mostly, students and visitors from India have faced confiscation of many items from their bags on charges of being deemed fake to their dismay.

Of late, a middle-class Indian father from Hyderabad, whose son is studying in Philadelphia, travelled to the US. To his utter surprise, he was held and interrogated about the brand authenticity of clothes and accessories that he had purchased in India for his son. The CBP officers checked his bags, and confiscated the shirts, trousers, and shoes that he was carrying for his son. When he insisted on having those items back, he was threatened with a hefty penalty. Finally, he incurred a loss of Rs 28,000 (the value of the seized items) to evade the penalty.

What is the US policy for international travelers arriving with fake brand items?

The CBP allows foreign nationals traveling to the US and Americans returning from abroad to carry not more than one counterfeit item of each apparel and accessory for personal use. Precisely, packing in more than one shirt, one handbag, one wristwatch, one pair of shoes, and one set of earbuds with fake brand tags for a US trip is a criminal offense. Therefore, it is strictly prohibited, according to the CBP regulations for carrying fake brand goods into the United States.

As of 2022 reports, the global market for counterfeit luxury and fashion merchandise is estimated at $4.2 trillion. In the 2023 Review of Notorious Markets for Counterfeiting and Piracy, the United States listed 33 physical markets including Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru. India is home to thriving markets, such as Heera Panna in Mumbai, Tank Road in New Delhi, and Sardar Patrappa Road in Bengaluru, where counterfeit brand goods, from apparel to footwear to cosmetics, sell like hot cakes ignoring potential health and safety risks.

The heightened surveillance of the arriving passengers for fake branded products at all major US airports has resulted from the rampant violation of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR). An influx of counterfeit goods into the country poses threats to the US economy, public safety, national security, and environmental sustainability.

“Carrying counterfeit brand items beyond the aforementioned permissible limit is considered an unscrupulous act of smuggling and supporting forced labor in manufacturing counterfeits of branded goods – which travelers from India, China and other countries are advised to be aware of, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Even if you got a discount on flight tickets to USA, your noncompliance with the rules for carrying fake brand clothes and accessories would cost you dearly,” said Sourav Agarwal, the Editor of Travel Beats.

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After a significant US visa fee hike came into effect for foreign workers and investors starting this April, the Biden government is looking to tax American employers for work visa extensions to their employees from India and other countries. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has brought a new proposal to levy the 9/11 Response and Biometric Entry-Exit Fee also on L-1 and H1B visa extensions through employers in the US.

Incepted in December 2015, the 9/11 Response and Biometric Entry-Exit Fee is collected for initial H1B and L1 visa petitions by “certain employers” hiring qualified foreign workers. This fee helps pump up the fund for America’s national security programs. It also funds the existing systems that monitor non-immigrants’ entry to and exit from the United States. Currently, certain employers pay $4000 to $4500 for visa petitions if over 50% of their employee strength is on H1B and/or L-1.

The new DHS rule seeks to substitute “all petitioners” for the existing phrase “certain petitioners”, so that all US employers including those petitioning for L-1 and H1B visa renewal pay the 9/11 Response and Biometric Fee. The proposal seeks to mandate the same amount of fees for renewing the visa of L-1 and H1B employees for an extended period of stay and employment in the US.

The DHS proposal, if supported and implemented, would incur higher expenses to the US businesses relying on foreign professionals with H1B or L-1 visas. It would, no doubt, double the financial burden for the US employers having a significant number of H1B and/or L-1 employees from India and other countries, prompting a re-evaluation of their hiring practices and their decision to extend the tenure of employment for foreign employees.

DHS justified its proposal to extend the 9/11 Response and Biometric Fee to L-1 and H1B visa renewals, reasoning that the current fund is short of the biometric entry-exit system’s uninterrupted operation. The additional fund is required to upgrade the national security programs, improve the monitoring of visa fraud, enhance the immigration procedure, and set up a biometric entry-exit data system.

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Network expansion in a particular geography or across the world is a key growth driver for airlines in the post-pandemic landscape of competition. Recently, Japan Airlines teamed with IndiGo to provide seamless domestic connection to 14 cities in India from two gateway airports: New Delhi IGI and Kempegowda Bengaluru. June 2024 saw Lufthansa operate inaugural flights to Minneapolis in the Midwest and Raleigh in North Carolina, following the launch of flights to Hyderabad early this year. Etihad connected Boston to India in March 2024.

Turkish Airlines is on an expansion spree. After having touched down at Detroit and Denver within a period of 6 months, Turkish Airlines is eyeing six new destinations in the United States. These are Philadelphia, Charlotte, Orlando, Minneapolis, Phoenix, and Raleigh/Las Vegas. “Our number of destinations will go up to 20 in the US,” said the airline’s chairman Ahmet Bolat sanguinely in a recent interview. Currently, Turkish Airlines’ list of US destinations includes New York, Newark, Washington DC, Boston and Atlanta in the East coast; Chicago and Detroit in the Midwest; Dallas and Houston in the south coast; San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Seattle in the west coast.

Charlotte, Philadelphia, Orlando, Minneapolis and Phoenix are less competitive markets in international aviation. Turkish Airlines would be the first Middle East carrier to operate to Charlotte Douglas International Airport. Lufthansa is the only European airline to serve Charlotte after British Airways terminated its service to the city in North Carolina. Currently, there are hardly any one-stop flights between Charlotte and India. American Airlines and United Airlines operate two-stop itineraries from Charlotte to India in codeshare with their respective partners – Qatar Airways and Emirates.

Philadelphia has more or less the same market share as Charlotte. It ceased to be a destination for Qatar Airways, Air Canada, and Air France. Again, Turkish Airlines would be the only Middle East carrier to have Philadelphia in its US-India network via Istanbul. However, Lufthansa and British Airways operating one-stop flights between Philadelphia and India, may give competition to Turkish Airways. Besides, American Airlines and Qatar Airways code-sharing on Philadelphia to India flights via Doha will be another competition to the flag carrier of Türkiye.

“The only advantage that Turkish Airlines could have, is over Lufthansa’s one-check-in baggage policy for cheap economy flights to India and USA. But Turkish Airlines would lose out premium economy business to Lufthansa and British Airways, which are among the best airlines offering premium economy travel to India and USA,” said Sourav Agarwal, the Editor of Travel Beats, the one-stop travel news and community portal.

Turkish Airlines’ US network expansion plans include having a total of 20 or more destinations in America. Phoenix, Arizona may fuel the airline’s US network growth. Since Turkish Airlines has most of American Airlines’ hubs in its network, Phoenix Sky Harbor Int. Airport may get Turkish flights to and from Istanbul with one-stop connection to India in the future. If it happens, TK would be the first Middle East airline to compete with Air France and British Airways in Phoenix, Arizona. Like Charlotte and Philadelphia, Phoenix has two-stop flights to India, which are mostly operated by United Airlines and American Airlines with help of their codeshare partners.

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While hopes are pinned on Air India waiting to induct advanced aircraft from Airbus and Boeing for the most anticipated launch of new direct routes between USA and India, some government officials from India have initiated a talk with Delta Airlines for its comeback to the US-India travel corridor. Recently, the state government of Telangana invited Delta Airlines to make Hyderabad its destination for technological investments and nonstop flights from Atlanta, USA.

PC: Sridhar Babu Duddilla (Twitter)

Sridhar Babu, Telangana’s Minister for IT, Communications, Industries, and Commerce, held a meeting with the senior leadership of Delta Airlines, with a proposal for Atlanta to Hyderabad direct flights. Delta’s VP & CTO Narayanan Krishnakumar, along with the airline’s account executive for global sales, Alexandra Rodriguez, attended the meeting with the delegation from Telangana. The meeting took place at the Indian Consulate in Atlanta, Georgia.

At present, no airline is flying directly from Atlanta to India, or from Hyderabad to USA. Air India’s nonstop service from Chicago ORD to Hyderabad continues to be deferred, and it shows no sign of a possible comeback. Ideally, the Atlanta to Hyderabad market is highly commercial for Delta Airlines (in fact, most airlines) to cash in on the demand for direct flights.

Airlines operating flights to Hyderabad from Atlanta  

Currently, Lufthansa, British Airways, Turkish Airlines, and Qatar Airways are the major airlines flying to Hyderabad from Atlanta. Both cities are a good source of passenger traffic for each other given these airlines’ current frequency of one-stop flights on this route. Lufthansa alone operates 5 weekly service to Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, HYD. Check out Indian Eagle’s best deals for Atlanta to India flight itineraries.

United Airlines and Air India operate this route on a code-sharing basis. Their joint itineraries have two layovers: Chicago ORD in USA and Delhi in India. Also, United Airlines connects Atlanta to Emirates flights from Chicago to HYD via Dubai as they are codeshare partners. But two-stop itineraries have certain disadvantages for family travelers and senior citizens traveling alone.

Will Delta Airlines start direct flights from USA to Hyderabad?

Telangana government’s proposal to Delta for nonstop Atlanta-Hyderabad service has an uncertain future as long as the Russian airspace is restricted to the US carriers. The airspace restriction that remains in place due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict did not let Delta Airlines resume its New York to Mumbai service after a period of suspension during the pandemic. The same is the reason for continued suspension of United Airlines flights to New Delhi from Chicago and San Francisco.

“Undeniably, Indian immigrants of Georgia, USA deserve nonstop flights from Atlanta to India. Their multiple petitions to Air India and the government of India did not make the cut in the past few years. Today, Atlanta and its neighboring areas including Forsyth county are home to a rapidly growing Indian community. Especially, the Telugu-speaking populace of Metro Atlanta has doubled in the past decade. Hope, Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines would take Telangana government’s proposal into consideration,” said the chief air-ticketing officer of Indian Eagle.

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Let’s not forget the popular anecdote about Kalpana Chawla. It was her father who took her to a flying club and requested a pilot to give her a ride. It was the beginning of her journey to having become a legendary astronaut. On an occasion of reminiscence of his humble roots, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said, “My father spent the equivalent of a year’s salary on my plane ticket to USA so I could attend Stanford. It was my first time ever on a plane….”

Hence, fathers (largely parents) deserve better. NRI millennials are reciprocating the care that their parents tendered while raising them, out of a growing consciousness of what could ensure their parents’ comfort during long-haul travel between India and USA. An NRI in New York had once shared his joy, on social media, of booking business class flights from India to USA for his elderly parents, highlighting their comfort of flying business class.

In a bid to let you celebrate Father’s Day on 16 June, Indian Eagle – the most trusted travel-booking partner of Indian Diaspora – offers a discount of $20 on the best flight deals to India and USA. You can grab the discount on booking international travel for your fathers/parents, or your travel with them. This airfare discount can also help you save on booking flight tickets for your solo travel or travel with family.

Additionally, Indian Eagle’s Father’s Day discount offer can be availed for booking last-minute flight tickets to India and USA this summer. The offer is valid from 16 June through 16 July 2024. FATHERSDAYTB20 is the code for you to grab the airfare discount only at IndianEagle.com. Log on to the portal; enter your travel dates, origin, destination and number of travelers; hit ‘Search Flights’ button; select an itinerary; provide the traveler’s details; review the itinerary; go to the payment page; apply the coupon code for a $20 discount.

Indian Eagle’s flight discount offer, this Father’s Day 2024, is subject to the below clauses and IE’ terms & conditions:

• The offer is valid for a new booking from 16 June through 16 July 2024.
• The offer is not valid for cashback itineraries and ‘BLOCK to BOOK’ scenarios.
• The offer is not valid for ‘Eagle Deal’ itineraries and cannot be clubbed with any other discount offer/reward points for the same booking.
• The offer is invalid for other services including but not limited to travel insurance, seat selection, booking cancellation and itinerary modification.
• The offer is not applicable to booking travel for unaccompanied minors (12 to 16 years age group).
• The offer is valid for only international bookings, irrespective of travel classes, fare types, trip types.
• The offer is strictly valid for one booking at a time.
• A booking should contain at least one male adult traveler to be eligible for the offer.

For any query regarding the airfare discount offer at Indian Eagle, please contact the customer helpline at 1-800-615-3969.

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With Air India and Emirates having entered this segment and heightening the competition, Premium Economy is the future of travel between USA and India. Indian Eagle, the most trusted air-ticketing partner of Indians in America, is here to guide you through top 7 airlines offering the best premium economy class seats to India and USA.

PC: IndianEagle.com

Emirates’ Premium Economy Class 

Emirates, one of the best airlines for USA to India travel, is the only Middle East carrier with premium economy offering. Emirates Airlines’ Premium Economy on double-decker A380 flights to Mumbai, Bengaluru, New York, San Francisco, Houston, and Los Angeles has won Skytrax World Airline Awards for the best-in-class seats, amenities and services. Our comparative guide on Premium Economy: Emirates vs Air India will enlighten you more.

Emirates’ Premium Economy cabins have 19.5-inch wide seats with 40 inches of legroom and 8 inches of recline – which is the best in this category. The golden beige hued interior oozes sophistication. You can rest your back against a fluffy pillow and adjust the headrest in six different ways to elevate your comfort level for some good sleep during a long-haul flight.

Premium Economy travel with Emirates flight tickets is worth an upgrade from standard economy also for superior inflight entertainment on 13.5-inch HD screens, and certain privileges like priority check-in and expedited boarding.

Japan Airlines Premium Economy

“JAL SKY Premium Economy seats are second to none in functionality and privacy. Among the airlines with best premium economy travel cabins, Japan Airlines takes the lead by offering 42-inch legroom and 16-inch personal screens – the best in class. The best of JAL SKY Premium is available on the airline’s brand-new A350-1000 that is deployed for flights to Dallas and New York,” said the chief ticketing officer of Indian Eagle Travel.

Japan Airlines’ A350-1000 aircraft has Premium Economy seats with significant upgrades from that on other aircraft in the fleet. You get to relax on electric seats with effortless recline and motorized leg rests that rise up to 90 degrees. Your privacy is taken better care of with larger dividers between seats as in the business class. The same fold-out divider between seats is available in the JAL Premium Economy cabin on B787-9 that the airline uses to operate flights to New Delhi.

The perks of booking Japan Airlines Premium Economy tickets to India or USA include access to JAL lounges at Tokyo Narita, Tokyo Haneda, and Osaka Kansai airports in Japan. ENCALM Prive Lounge at Indira Gandhi Airport, and 080 Lounge at Kempegowda BLR Airport are also accessible to premium economy passengers of JAL flights to/from Bengaluru and New Delhi. Special check-in counter access and priority baggage service are cherries on the cake for those flying premium economy with JAL.

Singapore Airlines’ Premium Economy Class

Singapore Airlines is the one that can compete with Emirates Premium Economy on long-haul routes. It has all the makings of best premium economy class seats to India and USA, such as ample room to stretch out, adjustable personal reading light, in-seat USB ports, noise-cancelling headphones, etc. The seats with soft leather upholstery are cozy enough to make you feel at home in the sky. Singapore Airlines’ premium economy seats come with a dedicated stowage area where you can store your laptop, headphones, water bottle and other personal items.

The USP of Singapore Airlines Premium Economy cabins is restaurant-like inflight dining service at the cruising altitude. Starting from April 2024, the airline has been serving meals from its enhanced menu designed by award-winning chefs from different countries, including India. You can pre-order a main course of your choice from Singapore Airlines’ Book the Cook menu, at least 24 hours prior to your flight (with minimum 15 hours of travel time). The airlines pampers the tastebuds of premium economy travelers to/from India with chicken biryani, garlic roasted prawns, apple crumble cheesecake and likes from its new menu of over 200 dishes.

Hours of absolute entertainment over a vast content library consisting of 1800 movies, TV programs, music, and games on 13.3-inch HD touchscreen monitors complement the experience of flying Premium Economy on Singapore Airlines flights to India and USA.

Lufthansa’s Premium Economy Class 

More room, more comfort, more attention, and more free baggage define Lufthansa Airlines’ Premium Economy cabins. Each seat has a cocktail table at the armrest, adjustable footrest, and 11-12 inch inflight entertainment screen. In Lufthansa Premium Economy, the seats offer 8 inches of recline, 38 inches of pitch, and width of 18-19 inches for optimum comfort. The seat lets you recline without encroaching the space of the passenger behind you. The headrest, leg rest and armrest can be adjusted as per your convenience.

Lufthansa’s new Allegris travel cabins with pod-like Premium Economy seats have set a benchmark for other premium economy airlines. The Allegris Premium Economy cabins being rolled out on Airbus A350s and B787 Dreamliners have 15.6-in 4K entertainment monitors with discreet screen. You can relax in a comfy position and tune in to nonstop streaming of content or read/work under a personal reading light during long-haul travel on Lufthansa flights.

“Bengaluru and San Francisco are the first to see the brand-new Allegris cabins with premium economy seats, among the destinations of Lufthansa flights to India and USA this year. You can check-in two bags for free when traveling Lufthansa Premium Economy; a great advantage over Lufthansa’s economy flights with one piece of checked baggage,” said the chief customer experience officer of IndianEagle.com.

Air India’s Premium Economy on Nonstop Flights 

In a very short time following its launch in June 2023 for nonstop US-India flights, Air India’s Premium Economy has earned rave reviews. All thanks to Air India CEO Campbell Wilson’s vision and Tata Group’s takeover of the airline! Everyone from regular travelers to celebs like Chef Vikas Khanna praised Air India’s service on Boeing 777-200LRs (leased from Delta Airlines) which have 48 leather-upholstered Premium Economy seats with big IFE screens, better seat pitch and greater seat recline.

The blue-hued premium economy cabins are available on Air India flights from New York to Mumbai, and San Francisco to Bengaluru, as well as Mumbai.

With its brand new A350-900s taking to the skies, Air India is all set to up its Premium Economy game by late 2024. This long-range, widebody aircraft has 24 Premium Economy seats other than 28 full-flat luxury beds in Business Class. Read our in-depth coverage for more details of Air India’s A350s and take a walk through the aircraft in our short video. Once it hits long-haul international routes, it will be among the best premium economy airline cabins for travel between USA and India.

Cathay Pacific’s Premium Economy 

Of the best premium economy airlines, Cathay Pacific stands out for offering such perks as dedicated check-in lines and priority boarding, other than super comfy seats with 40 inches of legroom on board. The airline has started rolling out newly designed premium economy seats with 20 inches of width – the best in the industry – on its fleet of B777-300ERs. The leather-padded seats come with full-length leg rests, USB ports, spacious tray tables, and 15-inch wide monitor screens with Bluetooth audio pairing.

The larger tray table makes dining and working a lot more comfortable in Premium Economy on Cathay Pacific flights to India, USA and other destinations. In 2023, Skytrax Awards (the Oscars in aviation) ranked Cathay Pacific as one of the top 10 airlines with best premium economy class seats.

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