The Hindu Business Line : Now, book Indian Airlines ticket online

All you have to do now is just `click the mouse', from the cool confines of your home or your workplace in office to book a ticket on any of the domestic flights of IA.

Making this possible is a form of e-ticketing (electronic ticket) or `Netravel', as the new facility is called, which has gone `live' with IA from August 15, though a formal launch is expected to be made shortly, according to official sources in the Airlines.

Netravel is an in-house developed e-ticketing process of IA. What the passenger has to do is log on to www.Indian-airlines.com and book, buy and print a ticket online for his desired flight. Payment has to be made through the payment gateway using credit card and the passenger can get a print out in the form of a `Ticket Image'.

The entire transaction data of booking, ticketing and payment would be stored in the IA Web server for one year. e-ticketing will allow the passenger to travel without a physical ticket. His identity is established with a Government issued photo-ID at the time of entry at the airport and check-in.

While this entire exercise of e-ticketing offers convenience of booking and saves time for the passenger, the IA benefits in terms of cutting costs. The savings come in the form of elimination of paper tickets and efforts of processing the CVDs, IA officials told Business Line.

Visiting reservations offices, standing in queues, shelling out money or credit cards for transactions at the counter could soon be passé, for those opting to use the Web-based facility launched by the country's national carrier. You can also put behind the worries of going to agents, rushing to the airport to collect tickets or the fear of losing them as well.

The purchase of ticket under Netravel facility is possible 60 days in advance and till two hours before the scheduled departure time of the flight. It would be available on all domestic flights of IA/Alliance Air for one way and return journey. Even for the domestic leg of international flights its accessible.

A maximum of two passengers can be booked on one PNR (Passenger Name Record). If more than two, separate PNRs have to be created. Currently children and infant fare cannot be sold under Netravel. Postponement of journey is not permissible under any circumstances. A set of conditions for using the facility has been laid down by IA.

e-ticketing is a routinely used feature in several developed countries and Airlines in Europe and the US. The system generates MIS (Management Information Systems) and accounting reports, which facilitate online reconciliation as well.

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