[carboy]

Stupid Question - but I am suddenly confused. I have domestic travel coming up. How do I get to the Bombay airport from Ghatkopar. Can I go through Saki Naka or do I have to go to the Western Express Highway to get to the airport?

[moralfibre]

Originally Posted by carboy

Stupid Question - but I am suddenly confused. I have domestic travel coming up. How do I get to the Bombay airport from Ghatkopar. Can I go through Saki Naka or do I have to go to the Western Express Highway to get to the airport?

Take the route via Vakola. Its relatively free of traffic as compared to Saki Naka. Since you have to travel to the domestic airport, this could be your best bet.

[nagvasireddy]

Hi,

Anyone traveling BLR-DEL-ORD by Air India on April 6th night (i.e. leaving from DEL in early hours of April 7th)?

[faustus77]

Hi everybody.
AFAIK there is no VAT on the total cost.
Can somebody please confirm?
I booked 2 tickets by Go Air. I was debited rs.18766.(17/2/2012)
After about 15 days when I saw the ticket I was surprised to see the total at the bottom of the ticket showing rs.17066.When I checked with the airline on 29/2 the CSE told me that they will refund the excess amount.Subsequently they have emailed a ticket showing 1700 charged as VAT and total amount 18766
My past experience has been that the amount at the bottom is the right amount and I should be debited.
Has anybody has such an experience?
Thanks and regards
PS.The ticket was directly booked with Go Air paying by my bank's debit card.

[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by faustus77

AFAIK there is no VAT on the total cost.
Can somebody please confirm?
I booked 2 tickets by Go Air. I was debited rs.18766.(17/2/2012)
After about 15 days when I saw the ticket I was surprised to see the total at the bottom of the ticket showing rs.17066.When I checked with the airline on 29/2 the CSE told me that they will refund the excess amount.Subsequently they have emailed a ticket showing 1700 charged as VAT and total amount 18766
My past experience has been that the amount at the bottom is the right amount and I should be debited.
Has anybody has such an experience?
Thanks and regards
PS.The ticket was directly booked with Go Air paying by my bank's debit card.

What is printed on the ticket is always what you pay.Unless you have booked through a travel agent?even in that case,the amount would only be lower than what is printed on the ticket(the travel agent discount wouldnt show up on the ticket and the full fare is what usually gets printed on the ticket) and never more than what is printed on the ticket.

If its an e-ticket,then the ticket should have the exact amount of what you paid.Also if your first ticket showed you a X amount,then there is no question of them changing the figure and emailing you a different ticket with different amount.Afterall airlines do not permit any change in the ticket(even for a misspelt name)without a charge,so the same is applicable in the reverse as well?Looks like one of the usual coverup stunts of airlines.

[binand]

Originally Posted by faustus77

Hi everybody.
I booked 2 tickets by Go Air. I was debited rs.18766.(17/2/2012)
After about 15 days when I saw the ticket I was surprised to see the total at the bottom of the ticket showing rs.17066.When I checked with the airline on 29/2 the CSE told me that they will refund the excess amount.Subsequently they have emailed a ticket showing 1700 charged as VAT and total amount 18766

That ticket also serves as your invoice, if I recall correctly. So, if they charged your card more than what they invoiced you, there is a clear violation of their contract with the acquiring bank (the bank that processes credit card transactions for them). This is also sufficient reason for you to raise a chargeback request. As long as you can prove that at the time of charging, you were presented with an invoice for the lower amount, your case should prevail.

This sounds similar to a technique perfected by some airlines and online travel sites. They show you fares of a lower class when you search, but when the time comes for booking they book you in a higher class. It ought to be outright banned and heavy penalties imposed on the erring airline.

Edit: "class" here means booking class, not travel class.

[faustus77]

Binand/Ranjitp
Thanks your reply.
I called up Go Air and they quoted something around rs 6000 each ( 2 tickets were available) around 2.30 in the after noon for a 17.20 flight.Within 10 minutes called them again and they said there were no tickets available in the economy class and you have to book business class,not even one.So I booked 2 business class and my wife went to the airport collected the printout/e-ticket at the goair counter and went to Delhi.On her return,purely by a coincidence she gave me the print out and I was surprised to see the amount of 17066.When I called their call center on 29/2 and was told that I would be refunded rs.1700 and I should send an email.I did that and after some follow up I got an email from which showed 1700 charged as VAT on 17066.
There is no VAT on the whole ticket(though some VAT is levied amongs other charges and is mentioned and is included in 17066.)
Since I used my debit card to pay does it come under the internet banking laws or some such laws that are in place for electronic payments?
What recourse do I have?Please advise.
Thanks once again and regards

[binand]

Originally Posted by faustus77

Since I used my debit card to pay does it come under the internet banking laws or some such laws that are in place for electronic payments?
What recourse do I have?Please advise.

See: if they have invoiced you one amount and charged you a higher amount, they are in violation of their Merchant Agreement with the acquiring bank and are also answerable in the consumer court. It might be best to send a detailed letter (registered post, of course) both to them and to your card-issuing bank (as well as talk to the bank officials) to decide the best course forward.

The fact they gave you a revised invoice AFTER charging you is of no consequence. Invoices are to be presented before payment is demanded.

[faustus77]

Binand
Thanks your reply.
Will email them today with a copy to the secretary of the consumer guidance society of India.
Regards

[Samurai]

A doubt about web-checkin. Jet airways keeps sending me emails asking to do web checkin.

Please click here to Web Check-in and say good-bye to airport queues.

So I tried it once, and got a boarding pass printed. Then I tried to go directly to the security, and was kicked back to the check-in queue to endorse (sic) it.

So, what on earth do they mean by say good-bye to airport queue? I couldn't skip any queues.

[binand]

Originally Posted by Samurai

So, what on earth do they mean by say good-bye to airport queue? I couldn't skip any queues.

I haven't flown any airline other than Indigo for ages, so this is rather specific to one airline...

1. The queue (if any) for validating web-checkin printouts is usually shorter than counter-checkin queues. In full-service airlines, I think you can even use the premium class checkin queues for this purpose (if there are no dedicated counters).
2. Then there are "roaming" staff members who endorse web checkin printouts on demand.
3. The airline ticketing office (with landside access for passengers) can also do it.
4. If you use the checkin kiosks to take the printout of your boarding card (BOM and BLR, and perhaps other airports) then you don't even need that stamp; you can just walk to security.

Lastly, in Europe at least, the web-checkin boarding pass printouts have a barcode that is validated by the security guard using a portable device - hopefully this technology will reach India soon.

Bottom line, web checkin allows the airline to pass on part of the burden of a process to the passenger (saving cost for them); they have an incentive to make sure the passenger is better off by doing so (if only the banks also learnt this lesson and made netbanking obviously superior - HDFC Bank, are you listening??)

[Marlon]

Originally Posted by Samurai

A doubt about web-checkin. Jet airways keeps sending me emails asking to do web checkin.

Please click here to Web Check-in and say good-bye to airport queues.

So I tried it once, and got a boarding pass printed. Then I tried to go directly to the security, and was kicked back to the check-in queue to endorse (sic) it.

So, what on earth do they mean by say good-bye to airport queue? I couldn't skip any queues.

I always do Web Check-in. The following are few of their benefits.

1. You can opt for a seat of your preference well in advance.
2. If you are not carrying check-in baggage then you can report to airport 20 mins in advance. But Print-Out is necessary.
3. You can 250 bonus JP miles.
4. Depends on the airport the procedure varies, like in Chennai Airport Stamping (Endorsement) is not required. While in Mumbai airport you can just go a special counter and get it stamped.

Strongly suggest to do a web-check-in always.

Originally Posted by binand

Lastly, in Europe at least, the web-checkin boarding pass printouts have a barcode that is validated by the security guard using a portable device - hopefully this technology will reach India soon.

Barcode is a available in Jet airways boarding card. it is validated in the gate and also in the lounge.

[binand]

Originally Posted by Marlon

Barcode is a available in Jet airways boarding card. it is validated in the gate and also in the lounge.

Barcode is available in all airlines' boarding cards. They are validated by the airline staff at the gate (to make those annoying announcements, "this is the last and final call for Mr. Rahul Yadav and Mr. Akhilesh Gandhi, passengers travelling by..."). My point was that the people who matter, the CISF staff, do not validate them - they require the airline's endorsement by way of a rubber stamp.

[Marlon]

Originally Posted by binand

Barcode is available in all airlines' boarding cards. They are validated by the airline staff at the gate (to make those annoying announcements, "this is the last and final call for Mr. Rahul Yadav and Mr. Akhilesh Gandhi, passengers travelling by..."). My point was that the people who matter, the CISF staff, do not validate them - they require the airline's endorsement by way of a rubber stamp.

Last one month the endorsement by rubber stamp is not required in chennai airport. This is for jet airways, not sure about other airlines.I understand this may not be best process in terms of security but very convenient one.

[binand]

Originally Posted by Marlon

Last one month the endorsement by rubber stamp is not required in chennai airport. This is for jet airways, not sure about other airlines.I understand this may not be best process in terms of security but very convenient one.

I could have validated this, if I had a printer at home :-) I just flew in from Chennai to Mumbai (Spicejet - ouch!) this morning after web-checking in, but collected my boarding card the traditional way.