www.air.irctc.co.in

Book Flight Tickets with IRCTC

Folks it is good news that now flight tickets can also be booked at irctc website. air.irctc.co.in website provides a very detailed and easy to search interface to book domestic, international and LTC flight tickets. The advantage of using IRCTC service is that tickets are comparatively cheaper than the market rate and most of the fares are refundable. The option to select direct flights and refundable fares gives an extra advantage to the passenger.

Guest User or IRCTC User

It is better to login before proceeding to book a flight ticket at the website air.irctc.co.in. There are two options. Existing irctc users can directly login in the left panel or in case of new users they can login as guest user. This is important because any transaction needs to be saved and communicated to you hence your email and phone number is required.

Why use irctc air?

Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (भारतीय रेल खानपान एवं पर्यटन निगम), is a subsidiary of the Indian Railways that handles the catering, tourism and online ticketing operations of the railways. 

• Being a government enterprise gives irctc more leverage and credibility. 
• There is more transparency in pricing and transactions.
• Refunds and cancellations are easier than other online portals.
• The users who are already registered for rail ticket bookings need not create another account or go to any other website.
• The website also offers ticketing services to those government employees who want to avail Leave Travel Concession(LTC). Since the concession is governed by certain rules and restrictions, it is better to use irctc than a private agency because in most of the cases private agencies are not allowed to book LTC tickets.
• Cab & Porter Service: The site also provides facility to book a taxi or porter online. Following stations provide this facility:

List of Stations Currently available for online Reservation of Concierge Services
SNO	City Name	Station Name	Station Code
1	AHMEDABAD	Ahmedabad	ADI
2	AHMEDABAD	Sabarmati Jn.	SBT
3	BHUBANESWAR	Bhubaneswar	BBS
4	CHANDIGARH	Chandigarh	CDG
5	ERNAKULAM	Ernakulam Jn	ERS
6	GUNTUR	Guntur	GNT
7	GUWAHATI	Guwahati	GHY
8	HOWRAH	Howrah	HWH
9	JAIPUR	Jaipur	JP
10	LUCKNOW	Lucknow	LKO
11	LUCKNOW	Lucknow Jn	LJN
12	MADURAI	Madurai	MDU
13	MUMBAI	Mumabi Central	BCT
14	MUMBAI	Mumbai CST	CSTM
15	MYSORE	Mysore	MYS
16	NEW DELHI	Anand Vihar Terminal	ANVT
17	NEW DELHI	Delhi	DLI
18	NEW DELHI	Delhi Cantt	DEC
19	NEW DELHI	Delhi Safdarjung	DSJ
20	NEW DELHI	Delhi Sarai Rohilla	DEE
21	NEW DELHI	Hazrat Nizamuddin	NZM
22	NEW DELHI	New Delhi	NDLS
23	PATNA	Patna	PNBE
24	SECUNDRABAD	Secundrabad	SC
25	TIRUPATI	Tirupati	TPTY
26	VIJAYAWADA	Vijayawada	BZA

Contact Details for Inquiry or Complain

Following details will be handy for the users if they want to inquire further for some details or need to contact regarding the bookings they have made or even if they want to register a complain with the authorities.

Phone: 1800-110-139

Email: flights@irctc.co.in

Upgrade Rail Ticket to Air Ticket at IRCTC

Convert waitlisted/RAC rail ticket to flight ticket

In a one of its kind move irctc has recently launched a scheme for those passengers who are in RAC or waiting list, to upgrade their tickets to flight tickets at a very competitive price. Through the scheme Indian railway has done the penultimate job of integrating rail, road and air travel for the passengers.

As per the report by Times of India IRCTC has already tied up with a low budget carrier GoAir and sold more than 100 tickets in the past month under this scheme.

The spokesperson for the PSU Sandip Dutta confirmed that another low budget airline SpiceJet has been roped in for the scheme and talk is on for other airlines to bring them under this scheme.

The scheme is very attractive for the passengers as well the airlines. They will get the advantage of irctc's massive numbers as for as passenger handling is concerned.

The scheme for now has certain limitations. The scheme will apply to tickets which have been booked three days before the date of journey, and the flight ticket will be available on the date of train journey or one day after that.

How to Avail the Scheme?

The official website irctc.co.in will be sending emails to those wait-listed passengers who would have opted for the flight up-gradation in case of not getting a confirmed rail ticket. There is no restriction as to which travelling class passenger can avail this scheme. Passengers booking train tickets right from Sleeper to AC can apply for this facility.

Price

There is still a lot of difference in the fare of train and flight tickets, however the low budget carriers have narrowed this gap considerably. The plan is to make airline tickets under this scheme 30-40 per cent cheaper than the normal market rate. The airlines are ready to do so because they will place their unsold tickets with irctc for the purpose. In such a scenario its a win-win situation for passengers as well as airlines. Passengers now have one more option to avoid aborting their trip and airlines will benefit form the 100% occupancy of the seats.

It is to be noted that on an average the seat factor for airlines in India is 70 to 75 per cent. The seats which are empty can now be filled under this scheme.

So folks get ready for your first flight journey in the price of a train ticket, and yes check that your destination does have an airport!

Indian Railways - Facilities for International Tourists

If you are planning a trip to India here is some good news. India is one of the safest and value for money destinations in the world. Around 7 million foreign tourists visit the country every year. The booming domestic airlines are connecting every major city in India, but if you want to experience the very culture and ethos Indian railways is the best medium to travel.
Some of the most luxurious trains that allow you to relive past and experience the future are plying the tracks every day.Can you imagine that in 100 dollars you can travel to any destination boarding any non-ac coach for 21 days.

Foreign Tourist Arrival in India - Growth Rate

The Indian Railways has  dedicated bureaus in all parts of India for foreign tourists.These are to help the foreign/NRI traveler in travel planning, ticket reservation and booking or any other related query. Following is the list of cities having dedicated office for foreign travelers:

• New Delhi (International Tourist Bureau)
• Varansi (International Tourist Bureau) 
• Kolkata
• Chennai
• Bangaluru
• Ahmedabad
• Secunderabad
• Jaipur
• Jodhpur
• Agra
• Mumbai

Tourists who want to get reserved railway tickets can visit the bureaus. One should carry a valid passport. The transaction is done in US Dollars, Pound Sterling, Euros and Indian Rupee.

Foreign/NRI travellers who don't have a definite plan but want to visit India as they wish can avail the facility of INDRAIL PASS(Indian Railways Pass for Foreign/NRI Travellers). The pass enables the holder to travel over entire Indian Railways without any restriction of route or train within the specifies time. The pass doesn't guaranty reserved accommodation, however a tourist can obtain reservations against INDRAIL PASS from the reservation offices of India Railways all across India. A SEPARATE FOREIGN TOURIST QUOTA IS PROVISIONED IN TRAVEL CLASSES AND IN ALMOST ALL TRAINS FOR THE FACILITY OF INTERNATIONAL TOURISTS. So the general rush and crowd doesn't affect the availability of tickets for them.

For further queries one can always contact at the following address or call/fax at the numbers given below.

Address

International Tourist Bureau,
First Floor, Station Building,
New Delhi Railway Station, New Delhi- 110055
----------------------------------------
Phone :  91-11-42625156,
Fax: 91-11-23343050

THE INDRAIL PASS  is available for short duration as well as long duration.

• Half Day (12 Hours)
• One Day (24 Hours)
• Two Days (48 Hours) and
• Four Days
• Seven Days
• Fifteen Days
• 21 Days
• 30 Days
• 60 Days
• 90 Days

for the facility of visitors who arrive  in India via International flights. These passes are sold by Indian Railways via General Sales Agents abroad at Oman, Malaysia, UK, Germany, UAE, Nepal and at Kuwait, Bahrain and Columbo through Indian Airlines overseas outlets.

LIST OF GENERAL SALES AGENTS

S. No. Name Phone/Fax/e-mail 1 M/s National Travel and Tourism, P.O. Box 962, PC 113 Muttrah, Muscat, Sultanate-of-Oman Phone No. 009685666046 Fax No. 00968566125 email nttmbd@gmail.com 2 M/s city East West Travels, 23 Jalan Yapah Shak 50300, Kualalumpur, Malaysia Phone No. 0060326910903 Fax No. 0060326919829 email cewtrvl@hotmail.com 3 M/s S.D. Enterprises Ltd, 103, Wembley Park Drive, Wembley HA 98 HG, Midllx. (England) U.K. Phone No. 001819033411 Fax No. 00442089030392 email info@indianrail.co.uk 4 M/s Asra Orient, Kaisertrasse 50, D-60329, Frankfurt/ AM, Main Germany Phone No. 069253098 Fax No. 004969232045 email asra-orient@t-online.de 5 M/s.Sharjah National Travels & Tourist Agency Pvt. Ltd. P.O. Box. 17 Sharjah U.A.E Phone No. 0097165517468 Fax No. 0097165683535 email andavu@sntta.ae 6 Orient Paradise Tours & Travels Pvt. Ltd. GSA of Indian Railway in Nepal Chalkhal,Dillibazar Kathmandu, Nepal Phone No. 00977-1-4428462 Fax No. 00977-1-4437990 Email: railwaysticket@kldugargroup.com dugarnp@mos.com.np 7 (i) Indian Airlines Ltd. No. 4,Briston Complex, Bton Street, Columbo. Phone No. 00941323136 Fax No. 00941445534 (ii) Indian Airlines Ltd. M/s Dadabhai Travels , P.O Bo.387, Bahrain. Phone No. 00973223181 Fax No. 00973210191 email dadabhai@batelco.com.bh (iii) Indian Airlines. AL. Hilaliah Bldg. Alsoor street . P.O.Box.594. Safat 13006. State of Kuwait. Phone No. 009652456700 Fax No. 009652434700.

Train Ticket Cancellation and Refund Rules IRCTC

Revised Refund Rules w.e.f. 01.07.2013 

1. Rules of railway ticket cancellation and refund which are in effect now were framed in 1998. Since then a lot of changes have taken place. Now we have a new ticketing and reservation system which is central and online. The new inquiry system ITES-139 is in place and operational all over India, and Indian Railways is offering many services through sms as well. All this forces the revision of 1998 railways ticketing rules.
2. Following are the major changes in refund rules FOR 
   
   

   UNUSED UNRESERVED TICKETS:

• Tickets on which no reservation of berth or seat has been made, can be cancelled with full refund minus the processing charges.
• Unreserved train tickets can be cancelled within three hours of issue of ticket(NOT THE "WITHIN THREE HOURS OF ACTUAL TRAIN DEPARTURE")
• In case of tickets issued in advance the ticket is presented upto 2400 hours of the day preceding the day of journey

UNUSED RESERVATION(RESERVED) TICKET

• If the ticket is presented MORE THAN FORTY EIGHT HOURS IN ADVANCE of the scheduled departure of the train, a minimum of per passenger charge will be deducted as under:

Class	Cancellation Charge
Air-Conditioned First Class/Executive Class	Rs. 120
Air-Conditioned-II Tier/First Class	Rs. 100
Air-Conditioned III-Tier/ 3 Economy/Air-Conditioned Chair Car	Rs. 90
Sleeper Class	Rs. 60
Second Class	Rs. 30

• If the ticket is presented between forty eight hours and six hours of the actual departure of the train, cancellation charge will 25% of the ticket or minimum cancellation charge(given above) whichever is more.
• If you want to cancel your ticket within six hours and upto two hours after the actual departure of the train, the cancellation charge will be 50% of the fare or minimum cancellation charges whichever is more.
• After two hours of the actual departure of the train NO REFUND WILL BE GIVEN.
• Partly confirmed party/family ticket wherein few members have confirmed seats/berths whereas few have waiting tickets, those who are confirmed will also get full refund provided they cancell the ticket within six hours bfore the scheduled departure and upto two hours after the actual departure of the train.

UNUSED WAITLISTED/RAC TICKETS

• Waitlisted/RAC tickets will get full refund(minus clerkage) if presented for cancellation upto three hours after the actual departure of the train.
• The tickets can be cancelled from any PRS counters or the current counters designated for the purpose.
• NO REFUND will be given of after three hours of the actual departure of the train on RAC ticket or Waitlisted ticket.
• If the journey originating station doesn't have the counters open for cancellation as it is night or the station is in hilly and remote area(as notified by railways), the same can be cancelled next day withing two hours of the opening of reservation office.

CANCELLATION OF E-TICKETS(booked online)

• E-Tickets booking and cancellation is online only, the refund of the cancelled ticket will be credited in the same account from which payment was made for online booking.
• In case of confirmed or RAC ticket the same rules will apply as the ticket purchased from a railway reservation window.
• In case of waitlisted ticket that does not get confirmed after chart preparation, such tickets will be cancelled and full refund will be credited in the payee account.
• In case of partially confirmed ticket wherein RAC passengers are not travelling, a certificate has to be obtained from the ticket checking staff, and refund should be applied through TDR indicating the details.

The online TDR shall be filed upto seventy two hours of actual arrival of the train at passenger.s destination and the original certificate issued by the ticket checking staff is to be sent through post to Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation. The fare shall be refunded by Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation to the customer.s account after due verification.

•  If you file for a refund for an RAC or confirmed ticket after the chart has been prepared, you have to file a TRD.
• NO REFUND if you are cancelling your ticket after two hours of actual departure of the train for confirmed tickets.
• NO REFUND of RAC tickets if you cancel after three hours of actual departure of the train.

REFUND OF TATKAL TICKETS

• There is no refund for confirmed tatkal tickets even if you cancel it immediately after booking.
• If your tatkal ticket is not confirmed it can be cancelled and the rule for refund will same as unused waiting or RAC ticket.
• In case of party tatkal ticket or family tatkal ticket if all the tickets are not confirmed, and the entire party/family decides not to travel, the confirmed tickets under tatkal scheme will get full refund(minus clerkage) provided that the cancellation is done six hours before the scheduled departure of the train of upto two hours of the actual departure of the train.

IRCTC Ticket Booking - Tips and Tricks

Of late many stories and articles have been published in the media about the misuse of tatkal scheme by touts and travel agents. This to my knowledge is very much true.
Yet I have successfully managed to book tatkal tickets from irctc website, and I do it regularly for my personal use. Here is how I do it:

• I always use Mozilla Firefox as my internet web browser for booking tickets online. mozilla somehow communicates better, persists with the irctc.co.in server and gives very few timeout errors. 
• Please do not forget to install a very useful script from greasemonkey. the scrip is called 'auto refesh'.
• Login to your account (now https://www.irctc.co.in/eticketing/loginHome.jsf) web account atleast 30 minutes before the tatkal booking opens. By the way takal booking open at 10:00AM so you should login preferably at 9:30AM.
• When the first page opens do not type anything and keep your page refreshing at the regular intervals( within 3 minutes) if you have not installed auto refresh script.
• You will notice that as the booking open time approaches your page takes longer to load after each refresh. Please ensure your last refresh at 10:00 AM is around 9:58 or 9:59AM.
  
  
• When you notice that time in the bar as shown above is 10:00AM or more, process your booking accordingly. The faster the better, as you are competing with thousands others it is better to have a faster internet connection, good speed PC/Laptop and quick fingers to type faster.
• You will also need an ID detail of the traveller to fill in so keep the details handy before you jump in.

All the best.