Air India has scrapped online bookings for special concessionary fares offered to armed forces after widespread abuse.
Air India says the 50% discount offered on fares was being used by members of the public using fake documents as proof.
"We have stopped the online concession scheme for the armed forces. Before the online service was introduced, defence personnel used to avail the facility only at the airline’s booking centres," said Air India spokesperson Dhananjay Kumar.
There were countless instances of customers not working in the military submitting forged documents while booking tickets online, according to airline sources.
The discounts are available only for defence personnel and their family members.
"Whenever officials found someone travelling with fake documents, the passenger was asked to de-board. In most cases, such passengers created ruckus at the airport so the airline stopped online booking service to ensure that only eligible passengers are able to avail the scheme," an official said.
Genuine armed forces personnel and their families must now book in person at Air India’s airport or city ticketing offices.
