Bangalore is connected by air to the rest of India and the world. Flights to Bangalore and flights from Bangalore are the fastest means of commuting to and from other places.

Bangalore is known as the Garden city and Silicon valley of India. It is a technology hub that attracts high-tech professionals from all over the world. Bangalore Airport handles a large volume of traffic- around 500 flights take off from Bangalore each week; most of them are domestic flights. Bangalore to Mumbai and Bangalore to Delhi is the most frequent flights to and from Bangalore. Bangalore airport also caters to International flights- there are around 50 International flights each week to Bangalore.

The International flights to Bangalore are:
Dubai to Bangalore (via Dubai)
Chicago( U.S.A) to Bangalore
Frankfurt (Germany) to Bangalore
Singapore to Bangalore
Paris (France)to Bangalore
Kualalumpur (Malaysia)to Bangalore
London (United Kingdom) to Bangalore
Colombo (Sri Lanka) to Bangalore
Kathmandu (Nepal) to Bangalore

The domestic flights operating direct to Bangalore (BLR) are from the following places:
Ahmedabad-AMD to BLR
Belgaum-IXG to BLR
Chennai-MAA to BLR
Coimbatore-CJB to BLR
Delhi-DEL to BLR
Thiruvananthapuram-TRV to BLR
Guwahati-GAU to BLR
Goa-GOI to BLR
Hubli-HBX to BLR
Hyderabad-HYD to BLR
Kochi-COK to BLR
Kolkata-CCU to BLR
Madurai-IXM to BLR
Mangalore-IXE to BLR
Mumbai-BOM to BLR
Pune-PNQ to BLR

Bangalore is the hottest destination of the world's infotech industry; and newer flights are added every month to cater to the rising demand.
Fights from Bangalore provides great connectivity of the city to the other destinations in India and the world. Bangalore Airport is a domestic airport that also caters to International flights.

There are 29 nonstop flights per week departing from Bangalore airport. There are 494 flights departing per week for short haul destinations.

The Domestic Airlines serving Bangalore Airport are:

* Air Deccan (All major metros in India)
* Air Sahara (Chennai, Delhi,Guwahati,Hyderabad, Kochi, Mumbai, Pune)
* Go Air (Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Kochi)
* Indian Airlines (All major metros)
* IndiGo Airlines (Delhi,Pune)
* Jet Airways (All major metros in India)
* Kingfisher Airlines (All major metros)
* Paramount Airways (Chennai, Hyderabad, Madurai)
* SpiceJet (Ahmedabad, Chennai,Delhi,Kolkata, Mumbai,Pune)


The International Airlines serving Bangalore airport are:

* Air France (Paris)
* British Airways (London- Heathrow)
* Emirates (Dubai)
* Gulf Air (Bahrain, Muscat)
* Indian (Bahrain, Bangkok,Male,Muscat, Sharjah, Singapore)
* Lufthansa (Frankfurt)
* Malaysia Airlines (Kuala Lumpur)
* Singapore Airlines (Singapore)
* Sri Lankan Airlines (Colombo)
* Thai Airways International (Bangkok)
* Air India (Chicago, Dubai and Frankfurt)

Domestic flights are operated during the day; International flights arrive and depart after 10 PM.

The most popular flights departing from Bangalore are:
* Bangalore to Chennai- Jet Airways has seven daily flights from Bangalore to Chennai.
* Bangalore to Mumbai-Air Deccan operates 3 daily flights from Bangalore to Mumbai
* Bangalore to Delhi-Air Deccan operates 3 daily flights between the cities
* Bangalore to Mumbai-Kingfisher Airlines operate 5 daily flights from Bangalore to Mumbai
* Bangalore to Frankfurt-Lufthansa Airlines operate 1 daily flight between Bangalore and Frankfurt
* Bangalore to Singapore (1 daily flight-Singapore Airlines)
* Bangalore to Dubai -Emirates (2 daily flights)
* Bangalore to Bangkok -Thai Airways operates 2 daily flights to Bangkok.

The aviation sector boom in India is reaching its peak. Lot of new domestic and International airlines have sprung up recently in India. This boom has created a big market for Indian online travel portals. Currently there are 8 to 10 players in the market.

The travel portals providing cheap air ticketing in bangalore / India are Make my Trip, ClearTrip, Desiya, Travelguru, Yatra, Ezeego, ETours Online, Indiatimes travel, IXIGO.

HAL Bangalore International Airport (IATA: BLR, ICAO: VOBG), also known as HAL Airport or Hindustan Airport, is the domestic and international airport serving Bangalore, Karnataka, India. It is the fourth busiest airport in India. It handled an estimated 7.5 million passengers a year as of 2006 and an average of at least 300 flights (take-offs and landings) per day, earning an estimated Rs 1-1.5 billion in landing and aircraft parking fees from scheduled airlines. The airport is scheduled to be replaced by the new Bangalore International Airport on April 2, 2008.

The airport is maintained by Hindustan Aeronautics which uses it to test and develop aircraft for the Indian Armed Forces. Manufacturing and overhauling of such aircraft has averaged nearly one per day (on a company-wide, All-India basis) over the 40 year life span of the firm. Thus this activity, per se, may not have posed an insuperable barrier to the rapid growth of civilian air traffic at HAL airport. However, rapid growth of traffic at Bangalore Airport has had some (so far relatively minor) impact on military training flight schedules at the Indian Air Force base of Yelahanka, a scant 17 km away. Bangalore airport gives priority to civilian flight movements.

Airlines and destinations

 

 Domestic

* Air India (Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Delhi, Goa, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune, Thiruvananthapuram)
* Go Air (Delhi, Kochi, Mumbai, Hyderabad)
* IndiGo Airlines (Delhi, Pune, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Kolkata)
* Jet Airways (Chennai, Coimbatore, Delhi, Goa, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Indore, Kochi, Kolkata, Mangalore, Mumbai, Pune, Thiruvananthapuram)
* Jet Lite (Chennai, Coimbatore, Delhi, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kochi, Mumbai, Pune)
* Kingfisher Airlines (Agartala, Agatti, Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Coimbatore, Delhi, Dibrugarh, Goa, Guwahati, Hubli, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Jammu, Kochi, Kolkata, Mangalore, Mumbai, Nagpur, Pune, Puttaparthi, Thiruvananthapuram, Tirupati, Tiruchirapalli, Varanasi)
* Paramount Airways (Chennai, Hyderabad, Madurai, Vishakapatnam)
* Simplifly Deccan (Ahmedabad, Belgaum, Bellary, Calicut, Chennai, Coimbatore, Delhi, Goa, Guwahati, Hampi, Hubli, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kochi, Kolkata, Madurai, Mangalore, Mumbai, Pune, Thiruvananthapuram, Tirupati, Vizag, Vijayawada)
* SpiceJet (Ahmedabad, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad)

 International

* Air Arabia (Sharjah)
* Air France (Paris-Charles de Gaulle)
* Air India (Dubai, Frankfurt, Male, Muscat, Sharjah, Singapore)
* British Airways (London-Heathrow)
* Emirates (Dubai)
* Gulf Air (Bahrain)
* Jet Airways (Brussels [from May 2008])
* Lufthansa (Frankfurt)
* Malaysia Airlines (Kuala Lumpur)
* Nok Air (Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi)
* Singapore Airlines (Singapore)
* SriLankan Airlines (Colombo)
* Thai Airways International (Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi)
 

Land side structure

There are separate check in sections for domestic and international departures, and separate sections for domestic and international arrivals. The airport has 2 aerobridges and preference on using the aerobridges is given to international flights.

HAL Airport is relatively close to the city centre (12 km). A taxi ride from the airport to the city centre, in peak hour traffic takes between 1/2 - 1 hour.

 Domestic

The domestic departures section is on the left side of the airport (East side), while the domestic & international arrivals is on the right side of the airport (West side).

 Departures

For domestic departures, check in is located at two ends of the terminal - Gate 1 - for Indian Airlines, Go Air and Kingfisher Airlines, while Gate 2 gives access to Jet Airways, Air Deccan, Spice Jet, Jagsons, Air Sahara and Paramount.

There is generally a huge queue for baggage screening (the queue forms outside the terminal for Go Air and Air Deccan); once through baggage screening you proceed to the check-in counters.

The domestic departures terminal has a book shop, a couple of phone booths, a snack shop, post office and limited seating area. The first floor restaurant is a popular place to sit down with a beer while awaiting a flight.

 Arrivals

There are 3 baggage belts which are shared by all the airlines that use this terminal.

The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) was set up in the year 1961 with 1792 buses and is wholly owned by the Government of Karnataka, India. The Government of India is also a shareholder in this corporation.

Till August 1997, KSRTC was holding a fleet of 10,400 buses, operating about 9500 schedules. In August 1997, KSRTC was divided and a new corporation by the name Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) was carved out of KSRTC. In November 1997, another new road transport corporation called North Western Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKSRTC) was formed to cater to the transportation needs of North Western parts of Karnataka.

Recently, the North Eastern Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NEKSRTC) was also formed with its corporate office in Gulbarga.

The company runs fleet of buses of all types like ordinary,semi-luxury and deluxe.Recently a new type of buses Volvo called Airawat has been introduced. The KSRTC not only covers entire state of Karnataka but also neighbouring states.

Buses in Bangalore are cheap and usually frequent, but traveling on them can be very difficult if you don't know the system well. Local city buses display only the route number in English, with the destination and route information is written in Kannada. This means you will have to know what route number you need before you get on, which you can find from the BMTC website or by asking locals. Unlike many Western countries, posted route maps of the bus system are rare, although maps are sold at the main bus terminal (Majestic Bus Stand).

City buses will be crowded during rush hours but one can travel with little difficulty during day time. Bus service is less frequent after 9:30 - 10:00 pm and becomes rare after 10:30 pm.

It is always better to buy a daily pass if you plan to travel the whole day on the bus. The daily pass costs Rs 30 and it comes handy if you need to travel on several buses in a single day. Daily passes are issued by the on-duty bus conductor or at the bus stand, mostly till 1 pm in the afternoon. Using this pass you can travel in any bus (other than A/C Volvo) for the entire day, any number of times. It is a very economical option for travel in Bangalore.

There are three major bus stands:

    * Majestic Bus Stand also known as the Kempegowda bus stand near Gandhi Nagar is close to the railway station and is quite neatly organized and is easily navigable. There is an inquiry office near platform number 1 on ‘Majestic’ where you can ask the bus number and platform for your desired destination. You can find a large map on display, which you can use to find the bus number you need to take if you know the area you are going to. You can of course always ask the conductor or other passengers. Route maps are also sold on the platforms.
    * City Market is around 2 km (1.2 mi) to 3 km (1.8 mi) away from Majestic and could daunt newcomers, since it is very disorganized. It is a large dirt parking lot under an overhead highway, and there isn't much order to where buses park.
    * Shivajinagar is in the north. This is also neatly organized and there is an enquiry window to find about buses.

From all of these three bus stands, buses are available for all major regions of city.

Other important bus stands are

    * BTS, Important junction of major routes near Lalbag
    * Jayanagar, South
    * Banashankari, South West
    * BTM, South East
    * Vijaynagar, West
    * Malleswaram, North West
    * Yeshwantpur, Far North West
    * Domlur, East
    * Rajajinagar, North

Buses with black display boards run within the city. Red board buses covers long distance and go to adjoining suburbs. There is a ‘Pushpak’ service with better seating; these buses are tan rather than the usual blue. Recently A/C Volvo buses have also been introduced for select routes.

Get into Bangalore

  By plane

Bangalore Airport (BLR) is a domestic airport that caters to certain international flights too. There is a new international airport proposed on the anvil.

 International Flights

Bangalore has direct flights to many major European and Asian destinations. Notable international flights are from Frankfurt on Lufthansa, from Singapore on Singapore Airlines, from Kuala Lumpur (KL) on Malaysian Airlines, from London on British Airways, from Dubai on Emirates, from Paris on Air France and from Bangkok on Thai Airways and on Nok Air a discount airline.

Due to aircraft timing and airport capacity constraints, many international flights arrive and depart in the dead of night. For example, British Airways, Lufthansa, JetStar Asia, Emirates and Air France all schedule their flights to arrive and depart between 1am and 4am. Fortunately, the airport knows and expects this, so it is in full operation 24 hours a day. You won't have any more trouble changing money or finding a taxi at 4am than you would at 4pm.

A new international airport is under construction at Devanahalli, 30 km (19 mi) north of downtown Bangalore. The airport's first flight will take off in April 2008. It will cater to 11 million passengers in Phase 1. Its final capacity is estimated to be 40 million passengers.

 Domestic Flights

Indian Airlines, now renamed as Indian, connects Bangalore with all parts of the country. Jet Airways has bought over Air Sahara and now renamed as JetLite are other two major domestic airlines that fly into Bangalore from other major cities. [http://www.paramountairways.com/ Paramount Airways is a startup business-class only airline, with service to Chennai and other southern cities. Air Deccan is a popular no frills airlines that operates to most cities and large towns. Other no-frill airlines that operate from Bangalore include Go Air and SpiceJet. Kingfisher Airlines is a Bangalore based airline which boasts about, and confirms to mid air- luxury travel, offering regular flights between Bangalore, Delhi, Goa, Mumbai,Belgaum,Chennai,Hyderabad,Pune,Hubli-Dharwad,Coimbatore.

 On Arrival

Once off the plane, you'll need to go through immigration (if you are on an international flight) and then collect your bags. You'll then pass through customs and into the small arrival hall. If you need to get money, there is an ATM on the left just before you go outside the terminal. There are also a few money change booths that will accept all manner of foreign currency.

The best way to get into town is to take a prepaid taxi. There are two choices, a government run service with lower prices or a private operator with better service. At the government-run counter (look for the K.S.T.D.C. booth), you mention the locality you want to reach and pay a fixed amount. You get a receipt with the registration number of the taxi that will pick you up printed on it. Locate the taxi (the driver will probably be waiting for you just outside) and you're set.

For the budget constrained, I would strongly suggest a prepaid auto rather than a taxi as it will be many times cheaper. The Prepaid auto counter is a little hard to locate. You will have to walk a little to reach there although it is within the airport boundaries. The person at the counter will just write down your name against the vehicle no. of the auto and you will pay strictly by meter. If you don't go at the prepaid counter, you will have to hard bargain with the auto driver for the fare and you can easily be taken for a ride !

Another option is to arrange with your hotel in Bangalore to have a driver pick you up at the airport. Some hotels, especially those in the higher price ranges, provide this service for free if you are staying with them. If it's your first time traveling to Bangalore, this is by far the easiest way to get from the airport to your hotel. The driver will be found outside the airport with a card bearing your name, the only difficulty being that about 100 other drivers will also be waiting outside the airport, all vying for your attention. Luckily there is a short fenced walkway that separates the drivers from those leaving the airport, giving you some time and space to find, and if necessary negotiate, your ride into Bangalore. Once you leave the walkway, some drivers may become fairly aggressive, and might try to take your bag without your permission. The best thing do to is to keep track of, and in control of, your belongings. Even the most aggressive taxi driver or tout will leave you alone if you stand firm and make it clear that you do not want their help. Upon arriving at your destination a tip of 20-40 Indian Rupees is plenty.

 By train

The Bangalore City railway station is situated in the centre of the city, around the Majestic Bus stand. All trains, both local and long-distance, arrive and depart from here. A new terminal at the Yeswantpur railway station (not very far away from the main railway station) is growing and there are a few outbound trains that regularly arrive and depart from it.

Bangalore also has a railway station in the Cantonment Area, called the Cantonment Railway Station - this is centrally located and in a better part of town. Not all trains stop here, though. However, there is a proposal to develop this into a new hub, in order to ease congestion out of the ever bustling Bangalore station.

Bookings can be done at either the railway station or at a few of Indian Railways booking counters at major residential areas. Booking can also be done online from the Indian Railways site (www.irctc.co.in). Trains do fill up, but most trains have a special reserved quota for foreigners, which can work to your advantage. You have to book at a special desk in the train station, and show both a foreign passport and some proof (such as an ATM reciept) that your money came from a foreign account. For a good reference on the various classes of Indian rail travel, and how to book tickets, see the India Page on Seat61.com. Note that if you are booking at Bangalore Central and are traveling to Mysore, there is a different line for travelers to Mysore and travelers to all other destinations. This is to cater for the large amount of travelers between Bangalore and Mysore. If traveling to Mysore on a Sunday afternoon, arrive early as there is usually a long line for buying tickets!

As with all Indian railway travel, bring some patience for delays. Trains can sometimes be several hours late. A video departure board in the station will tell you what platform your train is on and what time it leaves.

Train travel is usually fairly cheap. For example, a ticket to Chennai, about 360 km (5 hrs) away, costs anywhere from Rs 125 for the lowest class to Rs 1105 for the highest class.

 By bus

If you have difficulty in arranging a plane or railway ticket to your next destination, or you prefer a little more adventure, you can go by bus. There are both government and private busses that run services to major nearby cities like Mumbai, Goa, Chennai, Mangalore, Coimbatore, Madurai etc. Buses can be a normal luxury bus, a Volvo A/C bus or a sleeper bus for night travel. Some bus operators like Raj National Express/KPN Travels/Customer Needz/RedBus offer online bookings.

All intercity buses arrive and depart from Bangalore bus stand, which is located opposite the city railway station. Officially named after the founder of Bangalore, 'Kempegowda Bus Station' is more commonly known as 'the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus stand' or 'the Majestic Bus Station'. It handles buses that connect Bangalore to all major cities and states in south India. The main bus stand of 'the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) ,' which maintains bus services within the city, is located next to the Kempegowda Bus Station. BMTC has now introduced Air conditioned Volvo buses in order to maintain the status of the IT city.

Unlike other metros, the display boards in the bus show the destination in Kannada. Only the bus number is in English. If you don't speak Kannada, you will likely need to get some help to get on the right bus.

 By car

Driving in India can be very stressful. Use of the horn is mandatory in all situations. Lane splitting is the rule, not the exception. And games of chicken, combined with razor thin passing margins are common. One ride in a taxi will most likely convince you that driving yourself is not worth the risk, so if you do want to arrive by car you'll probably want to hire both a car and a driver. Cost varies, but most car/driver combinations cost Rs 1400 to Rs 1700/day. Depending on where you are coming from, you may be able to negotiate a lower fare if the trip isn't far, and it may be a higher fare if you are traveling far and your driver has to travel back on his own time. Be aware that South India, including Bangalore, can get very hot and humid, even in the winter. Although it costs more, consider requesting an air conditioned car if you aren't used to the heat. An "Air Con" car will also help filter out the air pollution, which is considerable, especially on congested roadways. If you want something even more special, such as a fancy car or SUV, be prepared to pay extra.