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Travel To India
#1
I am planning to go to India in the near future. Tickets for the Indian leg of the journey have always been somewhat of a problem. as you know IA charges a high rate if you buy here (almost double). When buying in India, I need the tickets to be either sent back to me in the US or delivered to the counter at my port of entry (Hyderabad). is there such a thing as electronic ticketing in India. I dont want to bother family and friends at 12:00 midnight just to come and deliver the tickets to me or have to leave the airport just for a few hours
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#2
Kaushal: Try calling [url="http://www.MakeMyTrip.com"]MakeMyTrip.com[/url] - a Delhi based firm (has a office in NYC). They have a toll free number on their site which rings in Delhi 24x7 - extremely courteous staff. And they are flexible in terms of where you want the tickets delivered or the currency you want to pay in.



See if they issue eTickets - had used them once and found that they were pretty wired up in terms of getting email reminders with detailed iternary etc.
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#3
Kaushal, if you are looking at short travel time, you may want to use United Arab Emirates flight, Dubai to Hyderabad direct. Try orbitz.com.



Plus, the price is reasonable. But I won't vouch for the safety of flying around the middle east.
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#4
I already have ticket to Hyderabad ($1050 via Cathay Pacific and Singapore). I need a ticket from Hyderabad to Vizag. the indian price is 4500 Rs one way .(APEX fares are even lower but they are generally not available to NRIs). Here the same ticket sells for 300 $ return. So i am obligated to buy the ticket in India, if i want to save the $100, which is a real nuisance. IA ticket prices are generally above international prices for the same mileage.



Make my trip refused to sell me a India only ticket unless i bought the international ticket from them (which is generally a hundred $ higher)
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#5
A long shot K: try having someone in India buy you that Hyd-Viz ticket with a condition that it is a eTicket (if there is something like that) or have them drop ship it to you in US.
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#6
India has the world's most luxurious train
Url recycles, hence posting in full:
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->It is pitched as the most expensive train ever to run on the Indian railway tracks.

After the formal flagging off ceremony by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on January 16, The Deccan Odyssey (DO), dubbed as the "five star hotel on rails," will traverse a distance of 2200 kilometres covering the Konkan Coast, the Deccan plateau and Goa in early February.

The train will unveil the magic of the Deccan plateau and the golden beaches with swaying coconut palms along the Konkan coast for its passengers.

A joint venture of the Indian Railways and the Maharshtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC), it hopes to bring in the much needed capital to the bankrupt state exchequer.

"The train has all the comforts that you can get in a five star hotel, plus the additional value of seeing the virgin beauty of the coastal areas, traditional Maharashtrian culture and pristine beaches in Goa," says MTDC managing director Ashish Kumar Singh.

A single occupancy suite in the DO during peak season (October to March) will cost $480, while a triple occupancy cost $285.

The DO has a capacity of 80 passengers and will complete the journey in seven days.

The 21 blue coaches is furnished in Maharaja style with suites, gyms, two restaurants, conference rooms being part of the train.

The cost of this venture is around Rs 30 crore and the MTDC will be in charge of the service and hospitality and the Railways will be operating the train.

"The MTDC will be responsible for on board catering, sight seeing at different locations, provision of staff, interior furnishing, marketing and even booking packages," said Singh.

Already the entire train has been booked by an Italian group for its inaugural run which will be in February ? both the MTDC and the Indian Railways have yet to set the date.

"The 720 kilometer coast line of Maharashtra, dotted with beaches and supplemented by ancient temples, coastal forts that remind of naval power of the Maratha empire, folk arts and malvani cuisine are unique attraction that only this state can offer," said Sunil Jain CPRO , Central Railways. MTDC officials state that it will be run on similar line as the 'Palace on Wheels' that has by now become a sort of icon for Rajasthan tourism. ? only the Deccan Odyssey is perhaps even more luxurious than the Palace on Wheels.

The MTDC hopes to cash in on the virtually unexploited Konkan region. "Though Goa hasalways been a popular tourist sport for foreigners there are an equally good number of beaches within Maharashtra itself. For instance the Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg beaches are as unpolluted as beaches in Gao, but unfortunately there has been very little access to them," he says.

The MTDC's USP, however, will be the legendry Ajanta, Ellora and Elephanta caves. "The average foreigner today comes to India in search of an India of the past, one of the oldest civilisations on earth. Ajanta and Ellora will fire his imagination as it is something really ancient and yet breathtaking ," he says.

But will there be any takers for the steep tariffs? And will the train generate enough traffic to sustain the run for a longer period ?

"We know that the tariffs are a bit high. But we are providing what the foreign tourist wants desperately when they come to India ,that is namely privacy. We promise a journey into Maharashtra Unlimited," says Singh who was instrumental in coining another catch line — God's Own Country for Kerala — in the eighties.

For the cash- strapped state government , one hopes the Odyssey ends in, well, an odyssey and does not become a white elephant.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
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#7
<b>Kaushal :</b>

You have E-Mail

Cheers
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#8
If I lived in Hyderabad and was someway even acquainted to you Kaushal, I would consider it my privilege and be on my hand and feet AT ANYTIME to hand over the HYD-Vizag ticket to you at your convenience !
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#9
In situations like Kaushal garus, I generally ask my cousins in Bombay to buy me ticket from Bombay to Hyd .

I am travelling in Feb 2004 to Hyderbad, Varanasi, Gaya to perform my mothers wishes.

I was tols Virgin was supposed to have started a new service from London to Hyd direct and also London to Blore direct, this march.
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#10
Can somebody help me?

I need to fly from Hyderabad to Bodh Gaya (Bihar) is there a direct flight?

Or do I have to go to delhi, take a flight Varanasi and then drive down to Bodh Gaya?

Thanks in advance.
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#11
Spinster,

It seems that Indian Airlines is the only one flying to Gaya and only once a week from Kolkata. Jet and Air Sahara do not serve Gaya.

<b>INDIAN AIRLINES – SCHEDULES</b>

There should be a more frequent service to Gaya possibly by Alliance Air (part of IA) – for this you will have to check with Bhai Logs in Bharat as I cannot locate the Alliance Air Web Site.

By IA your best route would be Hyderabad-Mumbai-Patna then drive down or chuk-chuk to Gaya

Cheers
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#12
My wife is suppose to travel back to NY from India. She is accompanied by her mom who is half paralized due to a stroke. She cannot talk properly and is disabled. She has asthma, blood pressure and is diabetic.

My wife called Air-India and asked for a seat closer to the bathroom and for her to be able to sit next to her mom. Air India in India refused to make any considerations. On her way to India, she had to sit apart from her mom and through the entire journey her mom was crying and feeling uncomfortable.

On their brief stay at london, they could not disembark the plane because Air India did not have any wheel chairs, so they remained onboard.

I am sorry to say this but Air India is crap. I feel sorry for Indian citizens who are disabled. Are there any laws for such people in India? If this treatment could be given to US citizens, I wonder how Indian citizens cope with all this?

I am going to take action. I already spoke to Counsel general of India who has directed me to people in Air India who I should contact. Lets see how the red tape in India works. I will keep this forum updated.

I would appreciate all help you guys and gals could offer thanks. <!--emo&:unsure:--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/unsure.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='unsure.gif' /><!--endemo-->
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#13
Air India is crap but others are also in same league. For long flight, I avoid US and middle eastern airlines.

<b>You should report this incidence to Air India, IATA, BAA (Airport Authority of London)</b>.
Make sure you do CC note at the bottom.

8 Years back, my cousin's son started crying as soon as she boarded Altalia Airline from JFK, Flight attandent asked her to leave plane if she can't make her kid stop crying. She left plane. Refund took ages and baggage went to India.

United Airlines - I fell seriously sick (food posining) on the way from HongKong to San Francisco, Flight attandent refused to change my seat. When I reached San Francisco no assistance was provided by airlines but Airport staff near baggage claim area reacted fast and moved me to Hospital ASAP.
For International travel I never use United Airlines at any cost.
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#14
Ministry of Civil Aviation - Website

http://www.sarkaritel.com/ministries/civil_aviation/

Minister of State (Independent Charge)
E-Mail : rudypr@sansad.nic.in,
mos_rudy@hub.nic.in

(O) 24610350, 24632991
Fax: 24610354
® 23794786
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#15
<b>Gill :</b>

I am sorry at the Treatment your Wife and Mother-in-Law received at the hands of certain Staff Members of Air India.

The requests for Wheel Chairs and seats closer to the Toilets must be made well in advance preferably with the Agent at the time of Booking.

I have had personal experience and couldn’t complain of the service provided to the Elder Members of the Family either at London or Mumbai. The Elderly person was even accompanied into the Aircraft (of course in a wheel chair) by a Customer Services Agent.

While travelling with other members we were able to get our required seats (in cattle class) at the time of re-confirming the Flight – about three days earlier – and again have no complaints in this regard.

Your action now should be to write to the Senior Manager, Traffic Services Division, Air India Limited, Terminals Area, CSI Airport, Mumbai – 400 099.

Best of Luck

P.S. While Travelling in Cattle Class and with the number of cabin crew on board (19 in AI and 9-11 in UAL) the service provided is minimal.

Cheers
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#16
<b>Gill :</b>

Further to my above post please write :

Attention : Subroto Ghosal

Member Secretary - PFRC

Air India Limited at the above address

Cheers
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#17
Helpful Maps available.
http://www.eichermaps.com/city_maps.htm

http://www.eichermaps.com/travel_guides.htm
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#18
<!--c1-->CODE<!--ec1-->Kaushal: Try calling MakeMyTrip.com - a Delhi based firm (has a office in NYC). They have a toll free number on their site which rings in Delhi 24x7 - extremely courteous staff. And they are flexible in terms of where you want the tickets delivered or the currency you want to pay in.<!--c2--><!--ec2-->

NYC office is maintained by one guy by the name of Malik, when i went to pick my tickets.. he was not in office (one room in a office floor)..door was open..and Hadith was being played in high volume on his PC...so i just took the opportunity to snoop around on his computer......to say the least..there was lot of propaganda crap on his machine.. and i said to myself...i will never buy from these bast@rds ever again in my life.
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#19
A wonderful site for finding out travel agent info for India tixxs. The site is a little outdated but still has lot of good info.

http://cheiron.tzo.com/
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#20
<!--QuoteBegin-Nikhil+Feb 18 2004, 12:15 AM-->QUOTE(Nikhil @ Feb 18 2004, 12:15 AM)<!--QuoteEBegin--> <!--c1--><div class='codetop'>CODE<!--ec1-->Kaushal: Try calling MakeMyTrip.com - a Delhi based firm (has a office in NYC). They have a toll free number on their site which rings in Delhi 24x7 - extremely courteous staff. And they are flexible in terms of where you want the tickets delivered or the currency you want to pay in.<!--c2--><!--ec2-->

NYC office is maintained by one guy by the name of Malik, when i went to pick my tickets.. he was not in office (one room in a office floor)..door was open..and Hadith was being played in high volume on his PC...so i just took the opportunity to snoop around on his computer......to say the least..there was lot of propaganda crap on his machine.. and i said to myself...i will never buy from these bast@rds ever again in my life. <!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
You should have crashed the guys PC, that would have been more fun <!--emo&:thumbsup--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbup.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='thumbup.gif' /><!--endemo-->
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