Flights

As you know you are responsible for arranging your own flights.

The airport you are flying into is Chennai (MAA)

Rising Star recommends you use Gita Travels.  Gita is a good option if you aren't confident in your "searching" abilities on the internet.  
She can be reached at 248-689-5202 or info@Gitatravels.com  Let her know you are with Rising Star Outreach in the subject line of your email.  
She will find your flights then email them for your approval.  I don't think she can apply "Reward Points" or "Travel miles" you'll have to go directly to that organization to apply those.

If you are comfortable searching for your own flights 

I recommend going to Kayak.com.You can compare tickets with other airlines and shop in your price range. 

I used Kayak.com to get an idea for prices and flight schedules, but didn't book through them.  

You’ll want to be careful not to assume the cheapest roundtrip tickets are the best.  

Sometimes that means you will have 9-12 hour layovers somewhere between home and  India. (UGH!)

You want to look for flights that will get you to India in about 21 hours or less.  1 if you live in the East, 2 if you're in Western US. layovers are expected but not for more than 3 hours.

I found a flight agenda I liked, without long layovers, then searched for the best price for a few days.  I ended up finding the exact flights for a cheaper price by booking through American Express.  

My first trip to India was paid for with American Express Reward Points! (Talk about surprise!)

Check to see how many reward points you have if you carry an American Express.

I was told $1000/round trip was a price to aim for.  There are good flights in this price range and less.

I found round trip flights for $658. (From New York to Chennai)

Please comment if you have advise or tips on this topic

Still have Questions? Email me