Dubai, Feb 28 (UNI) Indians in the UAE are realising that booking airline tickets online is proving to be a costly affair with numerous unauthorised agents taking them for a ride, according to news reports.

After an audit by its investigation and recovery department, budget carrier Air-India Express (AIE) came across a number of dubious credit deals forcing it to publicly alert customers to beware of the mushrooming number of dubious agents.

An official notice from AIE said the airline came across several fraudulent credit card deals by unauthorised agents, and several passengers had reported they received notices from the airlines to pay for their tickets as the airline did not receive the payment.

The modus operandi is for the travel agent to book the ticket, handover the print out to the customer and later call the bank to cancel the payment with the agent pocketing the money, Emirates Today reported.

Another way for the travel agent is to copy the e-ticket on a saved web page and take a print out after altering the name and date of journey of a booked passenger with the PNR.

The customer, mostly labourers, is handed the ticket which he realises as fake when checking in at the airport.

It is not just a problem with AIE, but other airlines that sell tickets through the internet using credit cards, travel agents say.

UNI