I've been to Colombia, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Peru, and all around India. But the situation in Pakistan is unstable and it makes no sense to go there, ever. And that's unfortunate because Lahore is a beautiful city.
What a coincidence, I just received an email from Turkish Airlines this morning. Back in early January, I sent them an email requesting a status match from my United 1K status to their loyalty program. They finally emailed me back this morning to inform me that I qualify for an Elite Card in their program. Not really sure if this includes any advantages over already having Star Alliance Gold status.
Redefined does have a point. All the times my friends, family, and I have gone to India (probably more than 100), I don't ever recall anyone flying into Pakistan and taking a cab to India. In fact, I personally don't know any Hindus (I know at least 500) who have ever stepped foot in Pakistan. Don't get mad at Redefined for speaking what most people are afraid to admit publicly!
That's because flights to India are generally much cheaper than flights to Pakistan (higher demand, obviously). All I'm saying is that if the $497 flight were still available (which it's not), and your final destination was Amritsar in India anyways, it would definitely make sense to fly to Lahore and cross the border into India. It would make for a more interesting travel experience too, IMO. The issue is, most Indian-Americans only go to India to visit family and/or to attend weddings (which another poster already mentioned). My advice-- go explore the country and the region. I understand the need to visit family there is a priority for second generation Indian-Americans, but just once, ditch the family and go explore. It's ironic, but I know several (white) Americans that have backpacked extensively through India, and they know far more about the country and its people than your average second generation Indian-American. As for visas for Indian-Americans-- if a Pakistani-American (me) can get a visa for India, then an Indian-American can definitely get a visa for Pakistan. From what I've heard, Pakistani visas for Indian-Americans aren't a problem to obtain (for myself, obtaining an Indian visa was quite a challenge, but I eventually got one).
It's a known fact that Indians are cheap people, but I doubt most of the Hindus I know would consider flying into Lahore to save even $1,000. Personally, I'd do it once or twice since I like visiting new places and touring, but that's not how the majority of Hindus from India think... just look at the numbers of Hindus who visit Pakistan.
Amritsar airport is slowly and steadily losing international flights due to the influence of Delhi airport. There was a glimmer of hope this week when it was announced that Jet Airways was partnering with Etihad to start flights from 23 cities to Abu Dhabi, but Indian Parliament will probably block that due to Air India's pleas (aka bribery).
The real question is what is uglier? White trash poor redneck American women or poor Pakistani women?
