New Delhi, April 28 (IANS) National carrier Air India Thursday said it will stop accepting ticket bookings for the next five days to curb shortages in flights caused by the pilots' strike since Tuesday midnight.

 
 "We will stop taking bookings from tomorrow (Friday) till May 4. This order has been passed on to us from today," an Air India official told IANS.
 
 According to the official, the decision to curb reservations would help the airline to  sustain the current reservations and tide over flight cancellations.
 
 "Our flights are operational, but due to the cancellation, the company feels that it is better to start reservations again after the backlog is done with," the official said.
 
 The official pointed out that there was a slight drop in bookings, as passenger were concerned about the on going strike.
 
 Fliers who had already booked their tickets on the flag carrier got no respite Thursday, as 20 percent of Air India's 320 daily flights were cancelled.
 
 "I can understand the management's dilemma. But why should I be informed just the last moment that my flight is cancelled. I could have made some alternative arrangements," Sandeep Goyal, a passenger bound for Mumbai, said here.
 
 "Now the private carriers are taking advantage of the situation. A ticket that should cost around Rs.6,600 at the last moment, is now being sold for Rs.8,800. I had booked days in advance. Even with full refund, my loss is much more," Goyal told IANS.
 
 Meanwhile, the railway ministry has come to the passenger's rescue saying it would run special trains to clear the rush of passengers following the strike.
 
 Northern Railway has planned two pairs of special trains -- New Delhi to Kolkata and New Delhi to Mumbai -- April 28 while a pair has been planned from Mumbai to Hyderabad by Central Railway  April 29.