Bali Flight Ticketing

Bali is an Indonesian province and island, roughly 1200 km from Jakarta, the country’s capital. Booking flight tickets is as important as getting the right visa for the tour and reserving hotels and sightseeing trips for your Bali holidays. It is one of the most simple yet crucial aspects of planning a Bali vacation, hence, you should complete this step carefully. If you are new to planning vacations, make sure to go through this page to find valuable details on flight booking for Bali.

When to Book Flight?

If you are planning on travelling to Bali from India for a vacation then you can book a flight for the journey. As it is an island in Indonesia, thousands of miles away from India, flights and cruises are the only options you can choose in order to reach the island. Flights are often the most popular and reasonable option out of the two. Generally, booking a flight ticket for the trip to Bali should be done in advance. For example, if your trip is planned for August, it is best to book your flight tickets in June or July, or even earlier.

Additionally, you should know that in order to get certain Bali visas, you may have to provide an onward ticket or a return flight ticket as a supporting document. The latter can be required for verification during immigration at the airport. This means that advance booking of onward as well as return flights for the trip to Bali is essential. However, make sure to book the flight only if your travel plan is confirmed. If there is a chance of it getting cancelled or rescheduled, consider reserving flight tickets that are refundable.

Did you know?

The main airport in Bali is the I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport (IATA: DPS), also called the Denpasar International Airport. It is named after a local Balinese hero, I Gusti Ngurah Rai and is located in Tuban, Badung Regency, roughly 13 kilometres from Downtown Denpasar. After landing at the airport, you can easily avail the facility of the Visa on Arrival (VoA) for a price and will need to pay a Bali Tourist Tax of IDR 150,000.

Finding the best deals

Travelling by air is fast, reliable and comfortable, however, it also comes with a high price tag. If you want to save money on flight bookings for your Bali trip, make sure to consider the following tips;

1. Be flexible with your trip dates

One of the most useful tips you can follow to get the best deals on Bali flight tickets is to be flexible with your travel dates. You see, the prices of flights don’t stay the same for all dates and there are certain discounts and deals you can get on specific days. So, it is advised to find cheap flight dates and plan your Bali trip accordingly and not the other way around.

2. Buy round-trip tickets

Note that buying a round-trip ticket for your Bali trip is often cheaper than buying separate one-way tickets for onward and return trips. For example, if you buy a one-way onward and one-way return ticket for the Bali trip at INR 16,000 each, the sub-total on air transfer will be INR 32,000. Whereas, if you buy a round-trip ticket for the onward and return journey, you may get a discount/deal, decreasing the total airfare by INR 1,000 to 2,000.

3. Make use of special discounts

When booking tickets online, you can avail of a variety of discounts and deals on the platform. This includes special discounts for armed forces, students, senior citizens, nurses, doctors, etc. When booking tickets on an online platform, you will get to choose this option if you are applicable and be able to get a discounted fare compared to the regular price. Note that applicable individuals who opt for this discount will have to provide appropriate documents for proof.

4. Make advance booking

A very simple yet effective method to get the best deals on flight booking for the Bali trip is to reserve tickets in advance. Inflation in airline prices is quite common and it depends on a number of factors, like availability, travel season, competition, price of fuel, etc. Hence, it is best to reserve flight tickets well in advance in order to tactically avoid inflated prices as time goes by. You can book refundable tickets if the trip is not fully confirmed and may get cancelled or delayed in the future.

5. Go for non-refundable tickets

However, if you are sure about your travel date and plan, it is best to book non-refundable flight tickets. You see, unlike refundable tickets, non-refundable ones are available at a much lower cost. But the only downside is that you won’t be able to get a cash refund of the full ticket fare in case of a trip cancellation. So, you should only go for this option if your travel plans are all final and there’s no possibility of a cancellation or delay in the future.

Cool tip:

Airfare doesn’t remain the same at all times and can change depending on many factors. Hence, you can use the fare alert notifications available on many online ticketing platforms to get notified whenever the fare drops so you can get a better deal. Also, for booking Bali flight tickets, you can use websites like MakeMyTrip, Skyscanner India, Kayak, etc.

6. Utilise rewards

If you travel frequently and have signed up for an airline loyalty program, you can make use of your stacked-up rewards, giving you benefits like cheaper airfare, free upgrades, on-flight meals, etc. In addition, many credit cards in India offer rewards that may include things like lounge access, flight or seat upgrades, discounted and even free flights.

7. Compare online

While you can book Bali flight tickets from a travel agent locally, getting it done online by yourself can help save a ton of money on airfare. It excludes additional costs that a travel agent may charge and gives you access to all available flights on different websites. Note that, the cost of flight tickets may not be the same across all websites, so make sure to research and compare until you find the best deal for the buck.

8. Avoid direct flights

Direct flights from major Indian cities to Bali are available. Direct flights are convenient as they help cut down the travel time by a significant amount, however, they also come at a high price tag. If you are not willing to spend almost double, and sometimes even more, on direct flights, you can go for connecting flights. For example, a direct flight from New Delhi to Bali can cost around INR 29,000 to 30,000, whereas a 1-stop flight on the same day can cost around INR 15,000. The only downside of connecting flights is that the journey time is increased and it may include one or multiple stops.

9. Choose airline carefully

Make sure what type of flight experience you are looking for on your trip to Bali before booking tickets. Generally, booking flights with cheaper airlines is recommended if you want to save money and are ready to compromise a bit on amenities. Avoid luxury airlines as flying with such airlines can put a massive dent in your travel budget. Also, stick to economy or premium economy seats for the best value for money deals on airfare.

10. Travel during non-peak season

The travel season in Bali plays a major role in determining the airfare. The price of flight tickets during peak tourism seasons is quite high due to high demand and low availability. However, during off and shoulder season for Bali tourism, you can get attractive deals and discounts on flight tickets as well as hotels, restaurant reservations, local tours, etc., letting you travel for cheap.

Booking Process

The process of booking flight tickets for your Bali trip is fairly simple and almost anyone can get it done without much of a hassle. Although the exact steps vary depending on the platform/website, the general steps involved in booking a flight to Bali online are as follows;

1. Visit the official website of a flight booking platform/operator of your choice,

2. Select the type of flight, i.e., One Way, Round Trip or Multi-City,

3. Select the departure city and the destination,

4. Choose the desired date of travel, total number of passengers and type of seat,

5. If you are applicable for a special fare/discount, make sure to choose it,

6. Press enter to search for available flights and browse the list,

7. You can further filter the results on the basis of total stoppages, type of ticket, airline, etc.,

8. Once you find a flight of your choice that fits your travel criteria, click on it,

9. Provide additional details that the website asks for and move on towards online payment.

Did you know?

You can find all kinds of flights to Bali Airport from major Indian cities, including non-stop or direct flights and connecting flights. Popular international airlines that operate regular flights between India and Bali, Indonesia, include names like Air India, AirAsia, Emirates, IndiGo, Indonesia AirAsia, Jetstar Asia, Etihad Airways, Hong Kong Airlines, Vistara, etc. For your travel reference, a direct flight from New Delhi, India, to Denpasar Bali, Indonesia, can take around 7 hours and cost roughly INR 29,000 per adult.

Payment & Confirmation

Once you provide all the necessary details the website requires for the Bali flight ticket booking, you will be able to proceed to the online payment window. Now, the accepted payment methods depend on the platform you have picked for booking flight tickets. In general, the accepted online payment methods can be;

1. UPI:

If you want fast and easy transactions, you can make use of UPI payment options to pay for the flight ticket. Note that, many websites and online ticketing platforms offer discounts on UPI payments.

2. ATM/Debit/Credit Card:

Almost all popular credit, debit and ATM cards are accepted for payments on flight ticket booking platforms. This includes the likes of Amex, Visa, MasterCard, RuPay, etc.

3. Net banking:

Net banking via all major banks for payment is accepted on flight booking websites. This includes popular banks like State Bank of India, Axis Bank, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, etc.

4. EMI:

You should know that there are flight booking websites online where you can book Bali flight tickets at no cost EMI.

5. Gift cards and e-wallets:

Some websites also accept e-wallets and gift cards as valid modes of payment. This can include Amazon Pay, Airtel Payments Bank, a website-specific gift card, MobiKwik, etc.

Once the payment successfully goes through, a confirmation will be sent to the registered email address or phone number, along with a soft copy of the flight ticket.

Post Booking Tips

Now that you have gone through and successfully booked your Bali flight tickets, here are some post-booking tips you can follow for a smooth travel experience;

1. Verify details:

Though there’s little to no chance of error after booking carefully, it is still advised to go through and verify the flight ticket details once more. If you spot any errors, you need to immediately resolve them to ensure a smooth flying experience.

2. Confirm hotel bookings:

Once your flight booking is done, confirm your hotel bookings. It is a wise step to confirm hotel bookings only after your flight tickets are confirmed.

3. Seek airport transfers:

One of the most essential aspects one has to take care of post-flight ticket booking is planning airport transfers. It is particularly necessary if you are flying to the destination for the first time or landing during nighttime when the availability of transfers is low. In this case, booking transfers from the airport to the hotel in advance can come in handy and save you money and time in the process.

4. Consider travel insurance:

Whenever you are flying, there remains a chance of facing travel and baggage-related hassles like flight delay or cancellation, loss of passport, missed flight connection, flight hijack, loss or delay of checked-in baggage, etc. Such scenarios are not only difficult to tackle mentally but can also cause financial strain in order to resolve them. Hence, investing in international travel insurance is recommended, which offers financial coverage against various unanticipated medical, journey and baggage-related coverage.

5. Pack wisely:

Another wise thing to do after flight booking is to pack for the trip. The more time and consideration you take to pack, the more organised and neat your packing will be for the Bali trip. Make sure your baggage is within the weight limit to avoid paying a fee for excess baggage.

6. Keep your documents in order:

When going on an international trip to Bali by flight, make sure to keep all the necessary documents in place as you will need to present them when getting a Visa on Arrival and during immigration. This may include things like passports, photographs, bank statements, proof of accommodation, planned trip itinerary, etc.

Did you know?

While you can carry money along with you on the trip and get it exchanged in Bali, you should know that there is a limitation on how much cash you can bring to Indonesia. As of now, you are not allowed to bring cash in Indonesia that exceeds the value of 100,000,000 Indonesian Rupiah. If you bring any amount that exceeds this limit, you will have to fill out a declaration and pay a tax on the total amount. So, be careful of this rule when entering Bali on your vacation.

Take-Home Lesson

Though travelling by air is a bit costly, it is the most popular and reasonable mode of transport Indians can use to travel to and from Bali. The process of booking a flight ticket is very simple and can be done online or offline. Just make sure to use the known methods, as mentioned above on this page, to get the best deals on airfare for the Bali trip.

FAQs

1) When is the cheapest month to fly to Bali?

While it depends on various factors, some consider September to be the cheapest month to fly to Bali from India.

2) What is the main airport in Bali?

The main airport of Bali in Indonesia is Ngurah Rai International Airport, also called Denpasar Airport or Bali Airport.

3) How to reach Downtown Denpasar from the airport?

The Bali airport is roughly 13 kilometres from Downtown Denpasar, which is equivalent to a 30-minute car ride. There are tons of ground transfers available outside of the airport that can help you reach the city centre, including cabs, buses, rental cars, etc.

4) Can I book Bali flight tickets online?

Yes. Indians planning on visiting Bali on vacation can book flight tickets for it both online and offline.