Air India has banned local agents from booking tickets in the Canada sector to penalise those profiting from rising demand, after two years of travel restrictions. A section of the travel industry believes that the tough stance taken by the airline, under the Tata ownership, reflects the value systems of the storied conglomerate built around equity, stakeholder responsibility and fairness.
It was found that many local travel agents were not following due practice in selling tickets, some agents were blocking tickets in order to sell them at exorbitant prices.
“These agents had created a huge mess. They were blocking the seats at a certain price and selling them at four times the price for which they had stopped them. Because of this mess created by them, they were has been stopped, causing loss to the airline,” said a top source in the carrier, requesting anonymity.
Travellers can book directly on the airline’s website for this region. An industry source said, “An inconsistency was found in the way tickets were booked by some agents and hence action was taken. Passengers can now book through the call center and on the airline’s website.”,
The restriction on travel agents will likewise affect the booking of Air India flights to Canada, particularly when the government has declared the resumption of customary worldwide flights.
