Akasa Air started as a domestic airline, and most people still think of it that way. Its destination list now includes Abu Dhabi, Doha, Jeddah, Riyadh, Kuwait, Phuket and Hanoi, so Akasa flights increasingly turn up in visa applications and at international check-in desks. The questions we get are practical ones. Can I hold an Akasa seat while my visa is processed? How do I look the booking up? Will the airline let me board for Phuket without a return flight? This guide answers those from Akasa's own pages and the official rules of the countries it flies to, with every source listed at the end.
Akasa Air at a glance: the facts that matter for paperwork
| Question | What the official source says |
|---|---|
| How do you retrieve a booking? | Manage Booking takes the PNR or booking reference plus either the email ID or last name.[1] |
| Can you hold a fare? | Yes, with Lock Your Fare. International: up to 7 days, offered up to 15 days before departure, ₹600 per passenger per sector. Domestic: up to 15 days, ₹400.[2] |
| Is the lock fee refunded? | No, whether or not you go on to confirm the booking. Unpaid locks are cancelled automatically.[2] |
| Can a name be changed after booking? | Akasa says confirmed reservations are non-transferable, so a name change means cancelling and rebooking.[4] |
| International destinations listed | Abu Dhabi, Doha, Hanoi, Jeddah, Kuwait, Phuket and Riyadh, alongside its Indian cities.[3] |
| Our price | ₹699 a head in India (single or return); $9 elsewhere. |
Can you hold an Akasa Air fare while you wait for a visa?
You can, for a short time, through Akasa's Lock Your Fare add-on. It is sold on akasaair.com and the app, and you choose it on the summary page before payment.[2] The rules differ by route type.
On international flights the lock lasts up to 7 days and is only available up to 15 days before departure. Akasa gives worked examples: book 17 days before travel and you get 2 days; book 22 days before and you get the full 7. The fee is ₹600 per passenger per sector.[2] On domestic flights it lasts up to 15 days, can be bought up to 7 days before departure, and costs ₹400 per passenger per sector.
Three conditions are worth reading twice. The held booking cannot be modified until it is confirmed. If you don't pay within the lock period, the booking is cancelled automatically. And the fee is non-refundable whether you confirm or not.[2]
Here's what that means in practice. A family of three locking a Mumbai–Abu Dhabi round trip pays ₹600 × 3 passengers × 2 sectors, which is ₹3,600, for at most a week of hold. That is a fair price if you are sure of the trip and want today's fare. It is a poor fit if you only need something to show at a visa appointment, because the lock is designed to end in a purchase.
Our reservation is built for the paperwork stage. You receive a live-PNR hold naming everyone in the party, by email within roughly 10 minutes, at ₹699 a person. It doesn't fix a fare and isn't a ticket. Its life is capped at 2 weeks, with the carrier choosing the precise length, so order it a day or two before anyone needs to see it.
Where does Akasa Air fly outside India?
Akasa's destinations page lists seven international points: Abu Dhabi in the UAE, Doha in Qatar, Jeddah and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Phuket in Thailand, and Hanoi in Vietnam.[3] Which Indian cities connect to each one changes with the schedule, so search the route on akasaair.com for current days and times.
Akasa also codeshares with Etihad Airways. Its Manage Booking page sends codeshare passengers to Etihad's site to retrieve or change those bookings.[1] If your reservation shows an Etihad flight number, look it up on etihad.com instead.
The airline sells a visa service too, provided by a company called Udaan India. Akasa's page says it is "merely promoting" that service and disclaims responsibility for it.[5] That is your choice to make; we only mention it so you know the airline is not the one deciding your visa.
Should a domestic Akasa flight appear in a visa file?
Only when it is part of how you will actually travel. Plenty of applicants live in a city with no international service and fly to Mumbai, Delhi or Bengaluru first. If you plan to do that on Akasa and then board a long-haul flight on another airline, a multi-city reservation that shows both legs tells the officer the full story.
Take a simple example. Say you live in Varanasi and are applying for a Schengen visa. Your real plan is Akasa to Mumbai, then a European carrier to Frankfurt, and back the same way. Most consulates only care about the international arrival and departure, so the Mumbai–Frankfurt flights are the part that counts. Adding the Varanasi leg is optional, and it adds a pair of legs to the price, since we charge multi-city trips per pair of legs.
When does the domestic leg help? When the dates are tight. If you land in Mumbai from Varanasi at 6 pm and the Frankfurt flight leaves at 2 am, showing both makes it obvious you've thought about the connection. When it doesn't help: a domestic flight weeks before the trip, or a hop that has nothing to do with the journey. Keep the file about the trip being assessed. Our Schengen guide covers what each consulate expects to see.
What does each Akasa destination ask for at the visa or check-in stage?
The table below collects the official wording we found for Akasa's international destinations. Read it with one distinction in mind: some rules apply when you apply for a visa, others when you check in or land.
| Destination | Official wording on onward or return travel | Does a held reservation fit? |
|---|---|---|
| Thailand (Phuket) | Indian passport holders get a 30-day visa exemption from 15 September 2026.[6] Exempt visitors must show onward travel "scheduled within 30 days" of arrival.[7] | It shows a planned departure, but the airline or immigration officer decides what they accept. |
| UAE (Abu Dhabi) | GDRFA Dubai's tourist visa terms ask for "a ticket to leave UAE" or to continue the journey.[8] | The wording says ticket. A held reservation may not satisfy it; ask your sponsor. |
| Qatar (Doha) | Visit Qatar says Indians can enter visa-free with a passport valid three months and a confirmed hotel booking.[9] | Hotel is the stated must-have; airlines may still ask how you leave. |
| Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Vietnam | Each runs its own online visa system with its own document list. | See our Saudi, Kuwait and Vietnam guides. |
Phuket is the case we are asked about most. Since the exemption ties your stay to 30 days and expects onward travel within that time, a one-way Akasa booking with nothing after it can draw questions at the check-in desk in India. Carry evidence of how you leave Thailand. Our Thailand guide covers the exemption and the longer-stay visa, and check-in versus immigration explains who checks what.
For the Gulf, the rule depends on who issues your visa. If a UAE sponsor or hotel is applying for you, ask exactly what flight document they need. When the wording says ticket, the safest answer is a ticket. Our UAE visa guide and Qatar guide go further.
Planning an Akasa Air trip abroad?
Live-PNR hold for the whole party, emailed in about 10 minutes. ₹699 each.
How do you check an Akasa Air reservation on akasaair.com?
Akasa's retrieval page is called Manage Booking and has two fields.[1]
- Open akasaair.com/manage-booking, or tap My Booking in the app.
- Type the PNR from your reservation into the first box, copied exactly from the PDF.
- Add your last name or email ID. The surname is the simpler option for a reservation from us, since the booking email may not be yours.
- Press Submit and compare the names, dates, flight numbers and airports with your visa form.
- Screenshot the result with today's date showing, and keep it with your file.
If the page can't find the booking, check the surname first: a missing space or reversed name is the usual cause. If the flight number on your PDF is an Etihad one, use Etihad's site. Still stuck? Send us the PNR on WhatsApp rather than ordering again. Other carriers' lookups are covered in how to verify a reservation before submission.
How strict is Akasa Air about names?
Strict. According to Akasa's FAQ, a confirmed booking can't pass to another person or take a new name. You would cancel, pay the charges and book afresh.[4] For your real ticket later, that means one wrong letter can cost money. For a reservation, it simply means getting the names right first time.
- Follow the passport exactly. Given names in the first-name field, surname in the last-name field, no nicknames.
- Single-name passports. Tell us how the passport shows it, and match that on the visa form.
- Passport for every international trip. Akasa lists a passport as mandatory identification for all international travel.[4]
- Every traveller on the booking. Children and infants included.
Our name format guide has worked examples.
Akasa Lock Your Fare or a reservation from us?
They solve different problems. This comparison uses one adult on a Mumbai–Phuket round trip.
| Option | Cost | How long it holds | Main limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Held reservation from us | ₹699 per passenger | Carrier-set period, 2 weeks at most | Doesn't fix a fare; it isn't a ticket. |
| Lock Your Fare, international | ₹600 × 2 sectors = ₹1,200[2] | Up to 7 days; less if booked close to 15 days out | Not available inside 15 days of departure; fee kept. |
| Paid Akasa fare | Full fare | Until travel | Name changes not allowed; cancellation charges apply.[4] |
Our view, plainly put: if the trip is certain and the fare is right, the lock is a reasonable buy. If you are still waiting on a visa or an employer's leave approval, a reservation costs less and keeps you free to fly any airline afterwards.
When should you book the reservation?
Close to the moment someone will look at it. Say your UAE visa paperwork goes to your sponsor on a Monday. Order the reservation on the Saturday or Sunday before, check it on akasaair.com, and send it that day. Facing a check-in desk rather than a consulate? Order it 24 to 48 hours before departure.
The flight dates should match your real plan. For Phuket under the exemption, that means a departure inside 30 days of arrival.[7]
What goes wrong with Akasa itineraries?
- Visa-free stays longer than allowed. A Phuket return 35 days after arrival doesn't match a 30-day exemption.
- Mixing up the lock and the trip. A Lock Your Fare booking left unpaid disappears automatically.
- Looking in the wrong place. Codeshare bookings sit on Etihad's site, not Akasa's.
- Calling a reservation a ticket. On forms and in emails to sponsors, describe it as a reservation.
- Editing a PDF. Never alter one. Ask for a corrected reservation instead.
How to get an Akasa-route reservation from us
Enter your route, dates and each traveller's passport name on the booking form. If you want Akasa specifically, write it in the notes. We can't promise any single airline on every route, so message us first if the carrier matters.
Pricing is per traveller and the same for single or return; with several stops, every two legs count as one fare. Pay by UPI, card or netbanking through Razorpay, then follow progress on order tracking. See dummy ticket price for the full list, flight reservation for visa for how holds work, onward ticket for border checks and hotel booking for visa if you need a stay too.
Please note: airlines and immigration officers make their own decisions. A reservation is evidence of a plan, and we can't promise any visa, boarding or entry outcome.
Akasa Air reservation questions
Is an Akasa Air dummy ticket a real booking?
Real in one sense: Akasa's system holds it under a PNR showing your names and flights. It hasn't been paid for, though, so you can't board with it. It belongs wherever a sponsor or checklist wants an itinerary; pay for the actual fare when everything is settled.
What do I need to find my Akasa booking?
Two items: the PNR, plus the surname or booking email. Akasa's Manage Booking page has a field for each. With a reservation from us, the last name is usually easier. Type it as it appears on the reservation, without extra spaces.
Can I lock an Akasa fare for a week before my visa comes?
Sometimes. International locks last up to 7 days but are only sold up to 15 days before departure, and a booking made close to that cut-off gets fewer days. The ₹600 per passenger per sector fee is kept whether or not you buy. Most visa decisions take longer than a week.
Will Akasa let me board for Phuket on a one-way booking?
That is the airline's call at check-in. Thailand's exemption expects onward travel within 30 days of arrival, so check-in staff may ask how you plan to leave. Carry proof of a departure inside that window. A reservation shows a plan; the airline decides whether it is enough.
Does an Abu Dhabi visa need a paid return ticket?
GDRFA Dubai's tourist visa terms mention a ticket to continue the journey or leave the UAE. Different sponsors and channels may ask for different things, so check with whoever is applying for you. If they insist on a ticket, a held reservation may not be accepted, and buying a refundable fare is the safer route.
Can I change the name on my Akasa booking later?
Not on a confirmed booking. Akasa treats tickets as non-transferable, so a name change means cancelling and rebooking, with cancellation charges. That is one more reason to get every spelling right before you pay for your real ticket.
Sources
All sources last checked: October 2026.
- Akasa Air, Manage Booking.
- Akasa Air, Lock Your Fare.
- Akasa Air, Destinations.
- Akasa Air, Flight bookings FAQ.
- Akasa Air, Visa Services.
- Royal Thai Embassy, New Delhi, The revision of Thailand's visa exemption and VoA schemes.
- Royal Thai Embassy, London, Visa Exemption and Visa on Arrival Schemes.
- GDRFA Dubai, Issuance of a single-entry tourist visa.
- Visit Qatar, Visas.
Related: Thailand · Vietnam · Saudi Arabia · Kenya Airways reservations · onward ticket.