The Maharaja now brings respite to train passengers and just in time for the holiday season too. Air India and IRCTC have entered into a pact that will be in place “within a week”, the carrier’s chief Ashwani Lohani told PTI.
‘Waitlisted’ Rajdhani passengers get Air India as an option
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Any passenger who has an unconfirmed Rajdhani ticket can now fly Air India with fares similar to first class AC.
How are fares calculated?
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Passengers of AC first class of Rajdhani Express need not pay any additional amount if they chose Air India. However, AC II and III Tier passengers need to shell out the price difference.
And how does it work?
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The system will work like this: passengers on the waiting list will receive a message from the IRCTC giving them an option to travel by Air India to their destination. “If the passenger agrees, he can buy the ticket through the IRCTC website for a flight within the next 24 hours,” said an official.
But it’s only limited to Rajdhani for now
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This new scheme is open to Rajdhani trains only to begin with. Yes, not even Duronto. Also as put by Lohani, “The option would be provided depending on the availability of seats. If an aircraft has ten vacant seats we would offer them on a first-come-first-serve basis”.
It’s a good move and a win-win situation for both
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Nonetheless it is a win win situation for both Indian Railways and Air India. “An airline seat is a perishable commodity. An empty seat is lost forever once the aircraft takes off. So, this makes business sense,” said aviation expert Rajji Rai.
Author: Susmita Roy
