Senior Citizen Flight Discount in India 2026: Air India vs IndiGo Compared
By Ishaani Reddy (Ishaani Reddy writes about the consumer-protection side of travel — DGCA passenger rights, OTA refund policies, hidden fees, dynamic-currency-conversion traps and the seven kinds of booking mistakes that quietly drain Indian travel budgets.) · Published · 9 min read
If you're booking a flight for a parent or grandparent, here's the short answer: Air India's senior citizen discount is much more generous than IndiGo's for domestic travel. Understanding how to actually claim it — and what the discount really applies to — saves you from nasty surprises.
TL;DR — Which Airline Offers More for Seniors?
Air India offers around 25% off base fare on domestic routes and around 10% on international routes for passengers aged 60 and above. IndiGo's senior discount is closer to 6% off base fare on domestic routes — useful, but not dramatic. Both discounts apply to the base fare only, not to fuel surcharges, airport development fees, or GST, so the effective real-world saving on a total ticket price is smaller than the headline percentage suggests. Book directly on the airline's website and select 'Senior Citizen' as the passenger type; don't assume an OTA will apply it automatically.
Air India's Senior Citizen Fare — What You Actually Get
Air India's domestic senior concession is one of the better deals left in Indian aviation. At around 25% off the base fare for passengers aged 60 and above, it can translate to a meaningful saving on longer domestic sectors — Mumbai to Kolkata, Delhi to Chennai, Bengaluru to Amritsar. On shorter hops the base fare is proportionally smaller so the absolute rupee saving shrinks, but on a full-service Air India ticket where the base fare component is higher, 25% off base can still put a few hundred to a couple of thousand rupees back in your pocket.
The international senior concession at around 10% off is more modest — you're probably better off watching Air India's sale fares and booking during a promotional window for international travel, but the senior fare gives a guaranteed floor discount, which matters if you're booking months in advance and can't wait for a flash sale.
Age threshold is 60 years. Carry your passport or Aadhaar card to the airport — Air India check-in staff will verify the date of birth. A voter ID or PAN card works too as long as the date of birth is printed clearly on it.
IndiGo's Senior Discount — Modest but Worth Taking
IndiGo's senior citizen concession sits at roughly 6% off base fare for passengers aged 60 and above on domestic routes. That's honest — IndiGo's fares are often already lean, and they're not going to offer 25% off base when their business model runs on thin margins. Still, 6% off base is better than nothing, especially when combined with the fact that you're booking on a carrier with extensive domestic coverage.
The mechanics are the same: select 'Senior Citizen' under passenger type when booking on IndiGo.com. The concession won't appear on most third-party OTA searches reliably — the passenger type selector either doesn't exist or defaults to Adult without passing the concession through. I've seen multiple cases where a family booked parents on MakeMyTrip, didn't notice the discount wasn't applied, and only realised when comparing with a direct-booking price.
IndiGo does not currently offer a meaningful extra-baggage benefit for senior citizens the way it does for students, so what you see is what you get: the percentage fare reduction and standard allowances.
How to Select the Senior Citizen Concession When Booking
This is where people most commonly go wrong. The passenger type has to be set before you search, not after. Here's the flow for each airline:
Air India (airindia.com): On the booking search form, there's a passengers selector. Look for a dropdown or field that lets you change passenger type from Adult to Senior Citizen (60+). Once selected, the search results will load fares that include the concession. When you click through to the fare details, you should see the concession explicitly called out. Screenshot or save the fare breakdown — you'll want it if there's any question at the airport.
IndiGo (indigo.com): The flow is similar — passenger type selection at search. The label may say 'Senior Citizen' or 'Concession'. Once you've selected it, IndiGo's system loads the appropriate fare class for your search dates. The booking confirmation should note the fare type.
If you're booking through a travel agent, specifically tell them 'senior citizen concession fare' — any agent with a GDS terminal or airline API access can pull this fare class. Just saying 'cheapest fare' may not prompt them to check the concession bucket.
The 'Base Fare Only' Catch — What It Means in Practice
The discount applies to the base fare component only — that's the carrier's revenue portion of your ticket. It does not apply to the Passenger Service Fee, the Airport Development Fee, the Fuel Surcharge (YQ), or the 5% GST on domestic tickets.
Here's why that matters: on a domestic ticket priced at, say, ₹5,000 all-in, the base fare might be ₹2,000–₹2,500 and the rest is taxes and fees. A 25% Air India concession on ₹2,200 base = ₹550 off. A 6% IndiGo concession on ₹1,800 base = ₹108 off. These are illustrative ranges, not real prices — use FlightGPT to check live fares — but they give you a feel for the real-world magnitude of each discount.
The takeaway: the Air India senior concession is genuinely worth seeking out for domestic travel. The IndiGo one is a small bonus, not a reason to choose a less convenient flight.
What ID to Carry to the Airport
Both airlines will ask for age proof at check-in if you've booked on a senior concession fare. The acceptable documents are generally:
- Passport (most reliable — date of birth is clear, and it doubles as photo ID)
- Aadhaar card (accepted at most domestic counters without issue)
- Voter ID card (provided date of birth is printed, which it is on most modern versions)
- PAN card (has date of birth but no address — usually fine for domestic travel)
Do not rely on a photocopy unless it's notarised. Airport counters — especially IndiGo's, which run at high throughput — move fast, and anything that causes a second look can slow you down at peak hours. Print a clear copy or have the original document. The person at the counter isn't going to wait while you scroll through a folder of blurry phone photos.
Akasa, Air India Express, SpiceJet — What About Other Carriers?
As of mid-2026, Akasa Air doesn't have a formal senior citizen concession scheme. It competes on low base fares rather than structured concession categories. Air India Express (Air India's low-cost arm, which absorbed much of the old Air Asia India routes) may have different concession rules from Air India mainline — check the Air India Express site separately because the fare structures differ. SpiceJet has had a senior concession in the past but given their operational inconsistencies lately, verify directly on their site before planning around it.
If your parent or grandparent is flying a short regional route where only Akasa or IndiGo serves it, the 6% IndiGo discount is the best available. For routes where Air India competes, it's usually worth the slightly higher base fare to get the larger concession — the all-in price can end up comparable.
Check routes and compare prices on FlightGPT first, then go to the airline site to book with the concession applied. Also see our guide on adding baggage to IndiGo after booking if you end up choosing IndiGo and need to manage luggage allowance separately.
Frequently asked questions
What is the age limit for Air India's senior citizen discount?
Air India's senior citizen concession applies to passengers aged 60 years and above. You'll need to carry government-issued ID (passport, Aadhaar, voter ID) with a clear date of birth to the airport. The discount is around 25% off the base fare on domestic routes — verify the current terms on airindia.com before booking as airline concession policies can change.
Can I book a senior citizen fare on MakeMyTrip or IRCTC Air?
Some OTAs do surface senior citizen concession fares — IRCTC Air, for example, has a passenger type selector that works fairly reliably for Air India's concession. MakeMyTrip's implementation is inconsistent and sometimes defaults to a standard Adult fare without applying the concession. Always compare the OTA fare with what you see on the airline's own website, and verify the booking confirmation explicitly mentions the senior citizen fare type.
Does the senior discount apply to the entire ticket price?
No — it applies only to the base fare component of the ticket. Taxes, airport fees, fuel surcharge, and GST are excluded. On a typical domestic ticket, the base fare might be 35–50% of the all-in price, so the effective overall saving is a fraction of the headline discount. Air India's 25% off base is still the largest structured concession available from a major Indian carrier.
My mother is 62 and my father is 58 — can both claim the senior fare?
Only your mother qualifies under Air India's 60+ rule. Your father would be booked as a regular adult passenger. When booking, add them as separate passengers with different types — Senior Citizen for your mother, Adult for your father. If you're booking through an OTA that doesn't support mixed passenger types cleanly in one search, book your mother separately on the airline's direct site.
Is there a special senior citizen baggage allowance beyond the fare discount?
Air India's standard checked baggage allowance applies with the senior fare — there's no additional baggage bonus on top of the discount for domestic senior fares as of mid-2026. Verify on airindia.com since this can change. IndiGo's 6% senior concession doesn't come with extra baggage either, unlike the student concession which does include an extra 10 kg.
Can a senior citizen claim the discount on an international Air India flight?
Yes — Air India's senior concession of around 10% applies to international routes as well for passengers aged 60+. The discount is applied to the base fare. For popular international routes like Delhi–London or Mumbai–New York, even 10% off base can add up to a few thousand rupees. Book directly on airindia.com, select Senior Citizen as passenger type, and carry your passport as age proof.