Dropped from waiting list? Rly now offers you discounted air tickets

Dropped from waiting list? Rly now offers you discounted air tickets
IRCTC partners SpiceJet, GoAir in new scheme that gives passengers, who do not get confirmed rail tickets, the opportunity to avail of last minute flight tickets at competitive fares.

No confirmed rail ticket despite figuring on the waiting list? There’s hope for you - instead of boarding the train, you can now fly to your destination, and that too at discounted fares.

The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) launched a new scheme last week that allows passengers who have been dropped from a waiting list to avail of a last minute flight ticket at a “competitive” fare.

To begin with, IRCTC has partnered with SpiceJet and GoAir. Under the scheme, both airlines will offer discounted seats to passengers whose rail tickets have not been confirmed. A SpiceJet spokesperson told Mumbai Mirror, “If there is space available on flights, then the same will be available to IRCTC for the benefit of dropped waitlisted passengers.”

AGo Air spokesperson, at the time of going to press, said the concerned authorities could not be reached for comment.

“The scheme has been formally launched,” IRCTC manager (public relations) Sandip Datta told Mumbai Mirror from New Delhi. “To avail of the scheme, you first need to have a wait-listed train ticket that has been booked three days prior to the date of journey and which has not been confirmed during the time of chart preparation. Only people with such tickets are eligible," Datta explained.

“The passenger will get an e-mail from IRCTC showing his eligibility. He can then log on to a special site called air.irctc.co.in, choose his name from the train ticket list, and click ‘Flight search’. He can then choose the suitable flight from the list,” Datta said.

“It is important to note that the system will work only if flights are available to the said destination, or another in the same sector,” Datta said.

“A passenger may also use the ‘Next day’ button to check on flights for the following day. After selecting the flight he wants, he must click the ‘Book’ button, make the payment, and print his air ticket.”

Datta confirmed that passengers will get a huge discount in flight tickets. "Yes, there will be discounted fares of about 30 to 40 per cent. If a ticket costs between Rs 5000 to Rs 6,000, the passenger will get it for around Rs 3,000," he said.

Explaining how it works, he said that passengers will have to make full payment for the flight ticket, and that the refund for the train booking will not be deducted from the flight ticket. The train ticket amount will be refunded as usual, he said.

Datta, however, had a word of caution for passengers. "Be aware that these flight tickets are last minute bookings (with stricter cancellation terms) and it is important to reach the airport on time," he said.

Speaking about the scheme, Suresh John, founder and CEO roomstonite, a last-minute hotel booking mobile app, said, “Typically, an airline seat or hotel room is a perishable commodity, and if not filled up ends in a potential loss. In an airline this is lost forever after take-off. So, anything at a good price is good for the customer. This is the new normal.”