Lalu may up ante against airlines, plans loyalty bonus

In a bid to compete with budget airlines, railway minister Lalu Prasad is likely to announce a frequent-traveller scheme for rail passengers. Those travelling by air-conditioned (AC) class will earn loyalty mileage for every ticket. For every 100 points, the passenger would be eligible for one free ticket. The scheme, likely to be announced in the Budget, would be operational from April 2008.
Details of the mileage point, procedure for its accumulation and terms and conditions for its redemption are being worked out, a Rail Bhawan source said. The loyalty points could be earned only for tickets booked from the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) website.
Explaining the scheme, a source said e-ticket would be issued by IRCTC against payment through credit card. Even if the person gets his reservation cancelled, he would get some points on his credit.
However, he would not get full refund and would have to pay the service charges. Points can be accumulated for a whole fiscal year and could be redeemed within the same year.
09/02/08 Rajat Guha/Economic Times

To Read the News in full at Source, Click the Headline

Categories: Indian Aviation- In General Feb 2008, Low Cost General Feb 2008