Jagson Airlines
 

Hi
Does anyone know if Jagson Airlines (or anyone else) is operating a flight from Delhi to Pantnagar? We will be flying from Mumbai and hoped to get a connecting flight for access to the Corbett National Park.

This page on travel to Nainital says:

Air Link

Pantnagar 70 Kms from Nainital is the nearest air port. Jagson Airlines operates flights in between Pantnagar & Delhi. These flights are available daily except on Sunday. Flight duration is approximately 1 Hr. & 15 Mins. For booking & exect flight schedule one may contact at -
Delhi 011-23712246
Nainital 05942-235656
Pantnagar 05944-247547

Flight Schedule-

From........To........... Departure
Delhi .......Pantnagar 07:00 A.M.
Pantnagar Delhi ........08:30 A.M.

This is absolutely not verified at Jagson Airline's website. I would call.

Was someone able to confirm if they fly to PNT? I might need to do this as well. If not, then I will call their Delhi office.

Best bet is to call their Dehli office. Flights change often in India...

Jagson Scam
 

I was booked to travel on Jagson Airlines between Dharamsala and Delhi in December ’06. I arrived at the airport only to be told the flight was cancelled due to “technical issues”. As I later found out, they often cancel flights when not enough passengers are booked to cover costs.

For unfortunate travellers like myself, left stranded at the airport, the Jagson officers operate a profitable scam by booking passengers on other airlines at nearby airports. They arrange with their friend/travel agent to book the tickets and bring them to you, making sure the ticket cost is not quoted on the receipt. They also make arrangements for reaching the connecting flight, but in a way that does not allow for a stop at an internet cafe or phone to verify the ticket price. Naturally, the quoted price is rather inflated. If time is an issue, and with same-day airline bookings it usually is, most travellers have little choice but to walk into the trap.

By the time I arrived in Delhi, it would have been quicker to have taken the 14-hour bus.

Getting a refund is also a nightmare - conveniently, the airline's email address as quoted on their website doesn't work! It took me about 10 phone calls and a couple of faxes before they finally gave in and refunded my money.

If you must book one of these flights, good luck to you! (but personally, I prefer my odds at the casino).

Soon a law by Government of India is on anvil that airlines can not cancel flights due to "technical problems" .if they cancel then the airlines would have to pay some commpensation to every confirmed passenger.

Also as per present court ruling is that if the flight is delayed, the passengers are to be provided with free snacks/lunch/dinner.

Whenever any company takes money from you or issues some documents, it has to specify the amount colected from you including all taxes.They cannot issue any ticket with out amount mentioned.Even if it is a free ticket, taxes are to be collected form the passenger and should be shown in the ticket that collected amount.Otherwise it is a serious viloation of law.

Suggestyou to take a copy of such document and filea complaints with concerened authorities.

Is Jagson still the only airline that flies to Dharamsala? I'm planning a trip there myself, but they seem to be the only option, and all flights are routed via Kullu (Manali) at that.

Dharamsala - Delhi
 

Another option is the Air Deccan flight from Pathankot (3hrs by bus or 1.5hrs by taxi from Dharamsala). If you book online, the flights are ridiculously cheap. Taking that into account, the airline doesn't have the greatest reputation. A sense of humour certainly goes a long way when dealing with the safety and service standards! When I caught it, the flight was delayed by a couple of hours owing to problems at the Delhi end (this can be expected). But I was so relieved the thing actually turned up I didn't care. In general though, internal air travel in India is best avoided at the moment - although the north lacks train lines, there are plenty of bus services that can be booked on the day.

So which of Air Deccan and Jagson is in your opinion the lesser of two evils? I'd very much prefer to avoid long bus rides; long train rides I'm OK with it, but neither Dharamsala nor Manali seems to be be very well located for this.

Air Deccan is the "lesser of two evils".