MakeMyTrip vs ixigo vs EaseMyTrip: Family Booking Fees Compared (2026)
By Saanvi Iyer (Saanvi Iyer writes offbeat destination guides for Indian travellers — places that work in monsoon, shoulder-season picks, and the cities Indian first-time international travellers underrate. Based in Bangalore, perpetually mid-itinerary.) · Published · 10 min read
Booking flights for four people sounds easy until the fees stack up. Here's how MakeMyTrip, ixigo, and EaseMyTrip compare on what actually matters for families — convenience fees per passenger, seat UX, infant flows, and whether the cashback is real.
TL;DR — Which OTA is cheapest for a family of four?
For most domestic round-trips in 2026, ixigo tends to have lower per-passenger convenience fees than MakeMyTrip, while EaseMyTrip regularly runs zero-convenience-fee promotions that can save a family of four anywhere from ₹500 to ₹2,000 on a single booking. MakeMyTrip wins on UX polish and the most mature infant-booking flow. None of them is cheapest every time — so it genuinely pays to check all three before confirming.
The actual gap that matters for families isn't just the headline fare; it's the convenience fee multiplied by every passenger, plus seat-selection charges if you need four seats together. Run those numbers and the cheapest-looking platform can flip.
Quick tip: Use FlightGPT to scan fares across sources first, then head to the cheapest OTA to book — you already know where the best price lives before you open a single app.
How convenience fees actually work per passenger
Every OTA charges a "convenience fee" — it's effectively a booking surcharge, and it applies per passenger per sector on most platforms. For a family of four on a round-trip (that's 4 passengers × 2 sectors = 8 fee instances), small differences compound fast.
As of mid-2026, MakeMyTrip's domestic convenience fees typically run in the ₹150–₹350 per passenger range depending on the payment method — UPI usually attracts the lower end, credit cards the higher. EaseMyTrip has historically kept fees lower, and their periodic "zero convenience fee" sales are real (they run them several times a year, not just once). ixigo sits roughly in between, though they've been aggressive on promo codes.
The catch with EaseMyTrip's promotions: they're often limited to specific payment instruments or card issuers. If your family's main card isn't on the list, you may not actually get the zero-fee benefit. Always check the fine print on the checkout page before you get excited.
Verify current fees on each platform's help/pricing pages — these numbers shift with every promotional cycle.
Seat selection UX: who makes it least painful for a family?
Getting four seats together — especially when you're booking close to departure — is where OTA UX differences actually show up. Here's the honest assessment:
MakeMyTrip has the most visual seat map of the three, and it loads reliably. You can see which seats are free, pick your four in one go, and the infant co-seat flow is clearly integrated. The downside: MMT's seat add-on charges can be steep on domestic routes, particularly for "preferred" seats near the front or emergency row.
ixigo's seat map is functional but occasionally glitchy on the app — I've had it reset my selection mid-flow on an IndiGo booking. Their web version is more stable. Seat prices here tend to be the airline's own rates passed through, so there's usually no OTA markup on top.
EaseMyTrip is the most straightforward — the seat map renders cleanly, and for budget carriers like IndiGo and Air India Express, they show accurate availability. Their "flexi seat" bundles (seat + meal + priority boarding) are worth checking if your family wants the whole package anyway.
Bottom line: if seat selection is a priority and you're flying IndiGo or Air India domestically, EaseMyTrip or the airline's own website tend to give the least friction.
Booking an infant: which platform doesn't make you want to throw your phone?
Infant bookings (children under 2 travelling on a parent's lap) are where all three OTAs have historically caused grief, though things have improved. Here's the current state:
MakeMyTrip handles infant booking in-flow — you add the infant during the passenger details step, and it calculates the infant fare (typically around 10% of adult base fare on domestic routes, though this varies by airline and route). The process is reasonably smooth, and the infant appears on the same PNR as the family.
ixigo also supports infant booking in-flow now, which is an improvement over older versions where you had to add the infant post-booking via customer support. That said, I'd still double-check the booking confirmation to ensure the infant is actually on the PNR — not just a "request" flag.
EaseMyTrip's infant flow is solid on domestic routes. For international bookings with infants, all three platforms sometimes push you to call customer support for final confirmation, which is frustrating but not their fault — many international airlines require direct PNR intervention for bassinets and infant meals.
If you're booking internationally with an infant and need a bassinet, call the airline directly after getting your PNR from whichever OTA you used. Don't assume the OTA's "bassinet requested" tick actually guarantees the seat.
Cashback and offers: the real deal vs the fine print
All three platforms run credit-card and wallet cashback deals year-round, and they do save money — but the family math matters here too.
MakeMyTrip's HDFC Bank offer (often 10–12% instant discount up to a cap per transaction) can be genuinely useful for family bookings where the total is high enough to hit the cap. The per-transaction cap is the key number — for a ₹25,000 family booking, a ₹2,000 cap is 8% effective savings, not 12%. Verify the current offer on MMT's offers page before booking.
EaseMyTrip runs bank tie-ups with SBI, ICICI, and Axis regularly. Their promotions tend to be "cashback credited in X days" rather than instant — which is fine, but make sure you're tracking it. Their zero-convenience-fee promotions often stack with bank offers, which is when EaseMyTrip becomes genuinely the cheapest option.
ixigo leans heavier on promo codes and their own ixigo money (wallet credit). The promo codes work, but there's a supply issue — popular codes run out of uses during peak booking windows. If you're booking for a summer holiday and trying to use an ixigo code on a weekend in March, good luck getting it to apply.
My family workflow: check FlightGPT for fares → identify the cheapest platform → look up current bank offers on that platform → book. Takes ten extra minutes but easily saves ₹1,500–3,000 on a family booking.
International family bookings: where the fee gap widens
For international routes, the convenience fee differences narrow somewhat because base fares and airline fees dominate. But the OTA's customer support quality becomes more important — this is where MMT's bigger operation has an edge. Their 24/7 support for international bookings is more accessible than EaseMyTrip's, and that matters when a connection gets cancelled in Dubai at 2am.
For India–Dubai or India–Singapore family bookings, it's also worth checking whether the airline's own website gives you a better price — Air India and Emirates both run direct-book promotions that OTAs can't match. If the airline site is cheaper, book direct. You lose the OTA's cashback but gain direct communication with the carrier, which matters enormously when something goes wrong with a family booking involving children.
You can compare routes like India's top flight routes on FlightGPT to get a sense of fare ranges before committing to any OTA.
The verdict: which OTA should your family use?
There's no single winner — it genuinely depends on your situation:
- Best UX for complex family bookings (infant + seats): MakeMyTrip
- Lowest fees when you catch the right promo: EaseMyTrip
- Best for last-minute domestic bookings with a promo code: ixigo
- Best for international bookings where support matters: MakeMyTrip or book direct with the airline
The smartest play: bookmark all three, keep their apps installed, and check before every booking. The fee difference on a family of four booking two domestic round-trips a year can easily cross ₹5,000 — that's a decent hotel upgrade right there.
Frequently asked questions
Do OTA convenience fees apply to infants on domestic routes?
It varies by platform. MakeMyTrip and EaseMyTrip typically charge a reduced convenience fee for infant passengers (since the infant fare itself is lower — around 10% of adult base fare). ixigo's infant fee treatment varies — check the fare breakdown on the checkout screen before confirming. Verify on whichever platform you're booking.
Is EaseMyTrip's zero convenience fee offer available for all payment methods?
Usually not — their zero-fee promotions are often tied to specific bank cards or UPI handles. SBI, ICICI, and HDFC tie-ups are common. Always check the 'Offers' section on EaseMyTrip's checkout page before selecting your payment method, as the applicable offer changes every few weeks.
Which OTA is best for booking four seats together on IndiGo?
IndiGo's own website or app gives the most accurate seat inventory for IndiGo flights. Among OTAs, EaseMyTrip and MakeMyTrip both pull live IndiGo seat maps. If you're particular about specific rows (exit row, front few rows), booking directly on IndiGo's site avoids any map sync delays that OTAs occasionally suffer.
Can I combine MakeMyTrip cashback with a credit card discount?
Often yes — MMT's bank offers (like the HDFC discount) are usually on top of any MMT wallet cashback or coupon. But stacking three or more discounts is rare. Read the T&Cs on the offers page carefully, and check whether the bank offer has a per-transaction cap, which is where the savings ceiling usually sits for family bookings.
If I book on an OTA and the flight gets cancelled, what are my rights?
Under DGCA rules, if an Indian domestic flight is cancelled by the airline, you're entitled to a full refund or alternative flight. The OTA is the intermediary — the refund flows from the airline through the OTA back to you, typically within 7–10 working days for the airline portion and up to 5 extra days for OTA processing. International cancellations are governed by the airline's CoC and IATA rules. Always file the cancellation claim through the OTA's app first, then follow up with the airline directly if the refund is delayed beyond 2 weeks.
Does ixigo charge extra for seat selection on Air India?
ixigo passes through the airline's own seat fees rather than adding a separate OTA markup for seats on most routes. On Air India, seat selection fees depend on the fare class and seat type — window and aisle seats in the front cabin typically cost more. Check ixigo's seat map screen for the exact per-seat charge on your specific flight before selecting.