Category: online

Oman air ticket booking experience online

Introduction

In this post I want to share with you my experience of booking tickets via Oman Air to go to Dubai. I’ll try and cover the options that I had and the final choices that led me to make this decision of choosing Oman air and the overall experience of having to deal with them while on the flight.

Booking tickets online

I’m a faithful customer of the Cleartrip app and I always use the app for booking flight tickets where ever I fly. The reason I like that app is because of the clear user interface and using minimal clicks to get my things done. However most of these apps are based on dynamic pricing and whether you are browsing using your phone or depending on the country you are doing it from etc.

The prices change based on where you are accessing the app from and how many times you have accessed it before on the same day. Somehow I felt all the prices for Dubai were peaking a lot using these apps due to the holiday season. Also most of these ticket charges did not offer me enough luggage capacity or seating choices. I had to pay over and above the stated amount for choosing my seating and or meals.

Oman Air was the only airline which offered me sufficient luggage capacity meal choices and sitting choices as well. So I directly went to Oman Air website and wanted to book the tickets to Dubai. The route was via Muscat and there was quite a lot of waiting time at Muscat. The sweet part of this whole booking experience was the cost. I could get to and fro tickets for 4 of us to Dubai for 65000 rupees. This included 30kg baggage per person (one of the highest) plus 7kg hand carry, meal and seat selection included as well. Hats off to Oman Air for offering so much during booking.

The problem with layover time

Sometimes due to the tickets being cheap or the rush during the hour of booking you can get tickets which have a lot of transit time at the intermediate airports. This is what happened to me while flying to Dubai and I had to wait in Muscat airport for nearly 6 hours before my next flight to Dubai.

Issues with modifications to tickets

The problem with the fare being offered on most of these routes is that these conditions are non negotiable. Like for example you cannot change the meals or change the seats.

Modifying the flights will cost you quite a lot and if you do decide to cancel the flight sometimes you will lose all the money. Depending on the package taken if you cancel the flight you may also get some money back but that is normally about 50% of the booking cost.

Approaching Oman Air office in Muscat

The situation that I had was that I had my next flight from Muscat to Dubai 6 hours after I landed.

As a last minute effort I tried to get a seat for the four of us on to other alternative flights 3 hours apart and earlier. The effort was to minimise waiting time at Muscat airport.

When I reached the Oman Air office and ask them whether I could change the booking even if it was at a cost they simply ask me to go to the same source from where I book the ticket and try to change it from there.

They did not have a clue on how to handle customer request and they didn’t even care about what I was actually trying to communicate or seek a clarification on. I went online to Oman Air website using Oman airport free WiFi since my roaming connection was not available and I noticed that it would not allow me to even load the ticket leave alone modify it or change it.

The reason for this is when you undertake a journey with Oman Air or for that matter any other airline they will mark against a ticket that this journey has been undertaken. My last journey from Bangalore to Muscat was not yet recorded since I just landed in Muscat. Due to this I was not able to load the ticket and make any other changes.

Contacting Oman Air office in Dubai

So upon reaching Dubai in my schedule flight late in the night the next day I decided to call up Oman Air office in Dubai and try to alter the return journey. The person on the other end who answered the call had no clue how to get this done for me and gave me an email id that I should send a mail to ask for a refund.

Reaching out to Oman Air on Twitter

I sent him an email and for nearly one whole day I did not get any response. So I took to my usual route of contacting Oman Air via Twitter and after another one day of wait and two days of turnaround time they responded to me saying that they will reply to my email regarding the refund.

After another day or two they replied to my email stating that I would lose two thirds of my money if I decided to modify or cancel the flight.

Testing other options such as upgrading to business class

When I entered my PNR number and requested for Oman Air has to upgrade my ticket to business class the whole ticket immediately popped up and started showing me fares for the upgrade.

All this while when I tried to enter the same PNR and try to retrieve my ticket it did not allow me to do so just because the current location was not updated. Only for the upgrade process everything seem to work which was a bit disappointing.

Lessons learnt from this booking experience

I will go ahead and share a few things that you need to know in order that you do not do the same mistakes that I did while planning a trip.

  • [ ] take a look at the transit times before finalising the tickets
  • [ ] understand whether your airline has an active customer support policy
  • [ ] talk to people who have been to the intermediate airport and ask them about the customer support facilities available there
  • [ ] if the direct flight is about 10000 to 20000 costlier you may decide to book that instead of the one that has a transit time
  • [ ] if you have kids Who need to board a flight beyond 12 P.M then it is better not to up for that kind of schedule because it will be very difficult to wake them up and make them board the flight since they often tend to get cranky.
  • [ ] do a trial run on Twitter by approaching the airline to see how the response would be.
  • [ ] understand the refund policies and cancellation policies for cancellation of tickets
  • [ ] charges apply even if you want to modify the ticket so you may need to be aware of what you would be losing in terms of cost.
  • [ ] it is not worth while trying to reach out to airport staff at the transit airport in case you are already about to sleep. This is likely to lead to lot of frustration and improper responses can only make things worse.

If you liked this post, please consider sharing this with your friends – they benefit from reading content you felt was useful to them, and I benefit from writing more such articles for your reading pleasure.

5 must see reasons for traveling on KSRTC Airavat

My cousin had come for a holiday from the USA to Bengaluru and what better opportunity I had but to plan a quick backpack trip for a day from Bangalore to Jog Falls near Talguppa and Sagara (total of 399km approx). As a usual planner my go to destination for bus ticket bookings was RedBus.

My brother took up the bus booking and I managed the hotel booking, just to split the responsibility. This is where he suggested that we travel by the tried and tested KSRTC Airavat buses. Since a long time KSRTC has been providing transport to many states around Karnataka with their reliable Volvo and Scania buses.

Let us look at the top reasons for you to choose KSRTC over other private players for your travel specifically around Karnataka.

Timeliness

KSRTC buses mostly start from Majestic bus station at different times of the day. Many buses generally start near to midnight at or around 10:30 pm or so when the traffic within the city is a bit low so as to help them negotiate the exit from Bangalore. We had booked a ticket to Sagara in Karnataka and the bus departed exactly at 10:30 pm sharp.

Arrival time is also on the mark and they generally arrive at destinations on or earlier to the said time most of the times barring those times when there is some serious blockage on the roads which is beyond their control.

Online booking and cancellation facility

Though until sometime the online booking experience was not that great, these days the whole process is flawless. You can book tickets on the government portal of KSRTC. You can also use the KSRTC PNR enquiry system to view your PNR status of the booked tickets. While returning from our trip, since we got a train ticket with IRCTC tatkal booking, we needed to cancel the bus ticket. We could do that using the KSRTC ticket cancellation online by just using our PNR number and transaction password printed on the ticket.

You can easily pick source and destination and it shows all the buses available, including a seat map with seats specifically reserved for ladies for safety purposes.

If you are frequent traveler you can create your own login at the KSRTC login online booking link. Here you can save your details and easily book tickets as and when you like without much fuss.

On the topic of refunds, you can check the KSRTC refund status at the same source you booked the ticket with (like your bank account, or credit card, etc)

Reliability

There has always been one feather in the cap for KSRTC buses. And that is the reliability of the transport system. They undertake thousands of trips a year to different destinations and the drivers are familiar with the route and drive safely and within prescribed speed limits. They are careful on the road and one can hardly feel any discomfort while on their buses. The Volvo and Scania buses are comfortable and have decent amount of seat recline and space.

Facilities in the bus

You can get one or more water bottles depending on your use, they have a seat recline system which is decent and almost horizontal. There is also a blanket for you in case you feel cold. The airconditioning system has vents that are easy to close and open and you can precisely set an air flow pattern that you desire. Just to let you know about the comfort, we were sitting on the last two seats of the bus and rarely felt any jerk for the whole journey.

Compared to the Scania the Volvo buses are slightly more comfortable since the Scania buses sometimes lets in the road bumps filter into the cabin, but having said this – there is nothing seriously wrong with either variety of transport

Cleanliness

The buses look modern and clean, and you do not get a feeling you are getting into a rickety old bus at any point in time. Buses are neat, seats look new and well kept and the water, blankets are all well arranged.

Cost of Travel

The cost of travel is pretty reasonable compared to private players. Depending on the class of travel – normal, airavat or diamond class – the cost for our trip from Bangalore to Sagar varied between Rs.340/- to Rs.580/- which is in my opinion very effective for that distance.

If you are a senior citizen KSRTC has a special discount for you as well, you can see the rules on this link(section IV & V).

So what are you waiting for? Decide your destination, hop on to a KSRTC Airavat and sleep like a baby !

Ensure to insure

(image for representational purpose only)

I bought myself a swanky two wheeler and was thrilled to take it out for a ride. It was a normal day for me and I was full of energy and positivity to make my day at office productive. I prayed that my ride was smooth like any other day.

I started driving out to the office and while I was on the road there was an auto which took a sudden u-turn without warning from my left lane to the extreme right lane on the side of oncoming traffic. There was hardly any moment for me to react and I wished and prayed that nothing drastic happened. My two wheeler crashed into the auto and both the vehicles were badly dented.

Upon mutual discussion I gathered that the auto driver did not have valid vehicle insurance which I could use to settle the claim. Since I had my own valid two wheeler insurance, I could log a claim and complaint and get the vehicle repaired soon.

These days driving a two wheeler around Bangalore is a nightmare. The traffic is a chaos and bigger vehicles do not spare a thought about smaller ones or give way to them. There is another extreme set of drivers who keep changing lanes without warning incoveniencing two wheelers. These people exhibit a complete lack of discipline and do not care about anyone else on the road.

Some of us don’t wear helmets, some of us carry more than two passengers, some of us hold kids in precarious positions and some of us get wet in the rain and continue driving at night without proper road lighting.

I have even seen buses constantly honk by driving very close to two wheelers from behind them scaring them out of their wits. Just one touch is enough to send the two wheeler driver flying onto the road. Also in general lots of people flout rules for their convenience such as talking on the mobile or using a shortcut one way road etc.

There are lots of us who offer prayers to the lord before we leave for work each day. We even get very concerned if bad omens occur such as cats crossing on the road or if we sneeze before leaving somewhere. Some people have lemon and chillis hanging in their vehicles to ward off bad incidents. Similarly we feel good if bird poops on our vehicles, or hear bells as these are considered as good omens.

Bharti Axa has put up an ad that reflects the reality of how we believe more in superstitions than take up a rather concrete resolution of having something as important as insurance which would matter more in emergency circumstances.

While these things can alter your state of mind, the reality is that you need to be very careful while driving in this crazy traffic that is getting worse day by day.

In the worst case that you did have an accident with your two wheeler god forbid, having a comprehensive bike insurance will save you a lot of hassles. Arguably getting an insurance for your vehicle can be pretty cumbersome as you need to go around town in search for the same wasting your time. But the good news is that most insurance companies now offer you online two wheeler insurance.

You can visit their websites, punch in a few personal details and information regarding your vehicle using which you can decide on your insurance amount almost then and there. For some rare cases the vehicle needs to be inspected in case the insurance may have expired. Having online bike insurance is a boon for people who are busy at their offices as its a pretty seamless application process. Also the more expensive the bike is, all the more important it is to have proper bike insurance.

There are different types of insurance available from basic to comprehensive and sometimes even pedestrian coverage. It is always prudential to have a good insurance cover for yourself and your vehicle rather than get into a police case mess during accidents. Not having insurance will attract additional penalties as well as you are flouting the rules while driving. It will also increase costs of repair for your vehicle.

Given that every day of our life is precious for us and our families it is important not to let down the people dependent on us. We do not know what surprises are in store for us on the road, but it would be a good feeling to know that we are secured if we have comprehensive motorcycle insurance. Being insured is always a safe feeling and this is one of the reason for you to ensure to insure yourself !

How to open a bank account like a pro in 90 seconds and sip a free coffee after that?- A DUMMIES GUIDE

Install DBS app on your phone, and open it

Enjoy the new tagline for banking – live more, bank less

Stare at awe at the self glorifying message by DBS bank Singapore

Learn about the new virtual debit card for shopping online

Sell your phone number and email id

Punch that keypad 6 times with your own superhero code sent to you

Choose your a username that glorifies you and put that all important top secret password not once but twice

Instant karma – your device is registered with the bank, and …..

your e-wallet is created – freedom from fucking OTPs forever

Open a digisavings account

Punch your till-now-you-thought-was-useless Aadhar number ….

and your PAN number .

A little about what you do ….

and how do you get your money …..

and whether you want ground floor service or premium first floor lounge service

respectful questions on people who gave birth to you and who your money should go to in case you kick the bucket after pressing sign up button.

and in case they want to reach your wife whether you are dead or alive ….

Get set to dress up and leave your house to Cafe Coffee Day

Walk in like a pro and across coffee sipping gossip mongers to do your biometrics

Enable the future on your phone – touch ID, goodbye to passwords

Complete your verification, request a physical debit card and while it is despatched to arrive at your address, sip that free coffee like a pro.

oh and just in case you thought you need to go to the bank to activate that card, nope your phone will do that too.

LIVE MORE – BANK LESS : GET A LIFE – all in 90 seconds !

Faasos food ordering experience and review

24032682820_3ca9a01b17_o
I had the option of ordering food from Faasos sometime back. I had just left office and was halfway to my home, when I realized that I was getting hungry and impatient to have some good food. I had about thirty minutes left to cross my limits of staying hungry and needed some food before that. Sure I could have just stopped my car and eaten something before coming home, but with Bangalore traffic, the thought of never reaching home had to keep me going on the road.
I quickly took out my iPhone, where I had the Faasos app loaded, and since I was at a traffic signal where traffic had come to a dead stop, I was jobless and so started browsing the food menu on their app. They have a limited number of items, but well packaged and one can easily find the food type they need via the categories section. For some food types like rice items, they have three different sizes of boxes depending on whether you are ordering for yourself, or family. I quickly picked the item I need, entered my address, chose Cash on Delivery option to avoid going through payment gateways and was greeted with an “in-progress” screen which told me how soon my food could reach me.

In this particular case, the timing was just right. Thirty minutes. So me reaching home and the food reaching home was just at the same time as per calculations. Now in case you are wondering how I was so accurate about me reaching home in this traffic, I have done this for a whole year now and can gauge roughly how long I need to get home. 23701450223_0b84b8b821_o
Once I reached home, the app showed me that there was three minutes left for my food to get delivered, but there was no sign of the delivery guy. I was wondering whether they will even turn up on time, and when the timer stopped at zero, surely there he was with my food right in front of my home. I have no idea how these guys maintain time, but this alone is just enough for me to order through them again. They are highly predictable, and they always have an outlet nearby which makes them reach on time unlike the olden days pizza deliveries which was entirely dependent on traffic conditions!
The food itself was a bit spicy to my liking, but enough to fill you up for the night. The bills were not crazy either and no extra tips either. For the single item I booked, the bill was Rs.150/-. Very reasonable if you ask me to satisfy your hunger pangs. Would I order again from them, surely yes! Would I recommend Faasos to others, surely yes. Go ahead try them once, and I am sure you would have the same opinion as me.

Happy Eating !

Hotel booking in India – the online angle

India has progressed a long way in harnessing the internet for all purchase related processes, be it a flight ticket, or home appliance or of late even hotel bookings. Hotel bookings were mostly restricted to filling up the required details online, and waiting endlessly for someone to either call you or mail you regarding your booking. This could be an agent or well, the hotel management itself in some cases where the hotel was well known.

There were many anomalies in this kind of scheme. One for instance is that I sent an email via the form on the internet only to receive no reply after – well about – 5 years now!! Another instance is that I got a response from the hotel after about a month, which was of no use practically for me since I had exhausted the travel date for my trip. Atleast this was bearable to some extent but there was one more case where I began receiving spam for the query I sent which made it a bit intolerable.

From those days, hotel booking has steadily progressed to be associated with branded websites who advertise services like hotel bookings, airline bookings, taxi bookings, etc on all media both print and television and even on the net on partner sites. There are a few sites that I would like to highlight for their services (of which I have already used some of them and found it extremely satisfactory)

 

www.Ezeego1.com

 

Ezeego1 is a website that is fairly simple to use (but I don’t think it is web 2.0 enabled as yet – which means more of page refreses than normally required) and gives me all the data I need to see neatly arranged on one single page. I can see the hotels, the photos of hotels, prices with and without taxes and even sort by popularity or price, etc. The site even provides me with a price slider which I can slide to knock off hotels out of my budget range.

This is a unique thing which I liked a lot. Try it out yourself! The photos of each hotel pop up in another window but what I did not like is that in the current age of digital cameras of 7MP and more, I still get to see photos which are dumb and thumbnail sized not giving me the true picture of what I can expect when I land at the hotel. Shame on such photography! The rest is rather straightforward – add hotel to cart, confirm cart, pay and off you go on your holiday equipped with an online confirmation!

Ezeego also has a chat option along with toll free telephone and email customer care.

 

www.travelguru.com

 

Travelguru is somewhat similar to Ezeego, but with some changes. First they are web 2.0 enabled which means I don’t divert away from the hotel booking search results page even if I want to say see some photos of a particular hotel or its rates or features. Everything refreshes then and there only in that part of the page. I am impressed! It’s just awesome to use web 2.0 technology! Travelguru also allows me to pay at the hotel which is an internet first that I have personally noted.

Travelguru has toll free telephone and email customer care.

www.cleartrip.com

Cleartrip is yet another hotel booking service of a different kind. Firstly all results are displayed much like in other sites, with prices of rooms with and without taxes neatly explained. What I also liked about this listing is that next to the hotel name, is a thumbnail photograph of the hotel, with relevant icons showing its available facilities (such as swimming pool, gym, etc). Upon clicking the thumbnail, there is an in browser page pop, using web 2.0 again, which shows some real good quality photos which presents more or less an actual picture of the hotel that is to be booked by you. With these photos, I am more or less confident of what I can expect at the actual hotel. You wont be probably disappointed.

The rest is the same, add to cart, present your details and make a payment. Cleartrip has among other things a toll free phone and email customer care.

 

www.hotelscombined.com

 

HotelsCombined is a multipartner hotel booking network which caters both national and international too. Their objective is simple; they search for a hotel in your city using their multipartner tie up to find the best deals for you. Since this is based on querying multiple hotel booking partners, you may most likely be diverted to the relevant website while you book a hotel offered by them. In that case you must remember to contact only the partner site in case of issues/queries and not Hotelscombined itself. I don’t really know if I would prefer something like this, since it sounds a bit complex for me to reach many other people.

The photos of the hotels themselves are picked from partner sites, so you may not expect the best photos that show you what you get at the hotel really. Sometimes I ve even found that the photos are just thumbnails only. The room cost does not include taxes and the taxes are shown as either at actuals, or zero or sometimes as ‘unknown’!! The partner website though has all room price details, etc with their own contact numbers to ensure you can do the booking of your choice easily from anywhere even outside of India.

It’s to be noted that Hotelscombined does not offer a direct toll free number to contact them for reasons beyond my understanding. While the local sites would go well with domestic customers, HotelsCombined would do a good job if you are looking at a hotel in another country/city from your current location and would provide more than enough details on such listings.

Technorati : , , , , , , , , , , ,