Air India Launches Easy Connect

Booking Advice For Connected Trips

When using Easy Connect, the safest approach is to book the domestic and international sectors together under one Air India booking reference. This matters because a single through-ticket usually gives the airline visibility over your whole journey and may allow baggage to be tagged to the final destination. It also improves your chances of being rebooked if a delay on the first Air India sector causes a missed onward connection.

Before paying, check the connection time carefully and avoid choosing the tightest possible transfer. Even when an airline sells a legal connection, first-time users of a new route structure may benefit from extra time to handle terminal transfers, security screening, immigration, or baggage questions. If your trip involves Dubai or another international destination, confirm whether you need to complete any additional checks before boarding the onward sector.

At The Airport

At your first airport, ask the check-in agent to confirm three things: your final destination, your onward boarding pass, and where your checked baggage is tagged. If your bags are only tagged to the connecting Indian hub, you may need to collect and re-check them before boarding the international flight. Keep photos of baggage tags and boarding passes, as these can help airline staff trace luggage or verify the intended connection if something goes wrong.

Travellers should also monitor Air India’s flight status page on the day of travel, especially while the Easy Connect model is new. A short delay on a domestic feeder route can become more serious if the onward international flight operates only once daily or has limited seat availability on later services. If you see a delay developing, contact Air India staff early rather than waiting until you arrive at the connecting airport.

Your Rights If Connections Go Wrong

Passenger rights depend on the route, the reason for the delay, and how the ticket was booked. In India, travellers should check DGCA passenger rights information for rules covering delays, cancellations, denied boarding, and refunds. If your itinerary includes the UK or Europe, additional protections may apply depending on the operating carrier and departure airport, so keep receipts for meals, hotels, and transport if disruption forces extra spending.

The most important practical distinction is whether the journey was booked as one connected itinerary or as separate tickets. On a single ticket, Air India will generally be better placed to rebook you if its own feeder flight causes a missed connection. On separate tickets, the onward flight may treat you as a no-show, which can lead to new ticket costs and possible disruption to the rest of the trip.

Bottom Line For Travellers

Air India’s Easy Connect launch on 2026-06-27 is a significant step for travellers who want simpler international access from Indian cities beyond the main metro airports. The first Varanasi service shows how the airline plans to feed passengers into international routes such as Dubai through a more structured hub-and-spoke network. For now, travellers should use the new option carefully: book one ticket, allow generous transfer time, verify baggage handling, and keep an eye on flight status until the model is fully established.