We are planning to travel from Islamabad to Gilgit in a few days. Decided it is better to fly than to take the 18 hour bus up the KKH. It seemed neither comfortable nor safe to travel in the dark and in the monsoon season, especially since 16 August where 25 Shia Muslims were killed on one of these buses - obviously this should not affect foreigners but still one would not want to be there if something were to happen.
We got the ticket issued in Delhi, told we are on a waiting list, PIA said they are not authorized to tell us how many people are on the waiting list and what our chance of getting on the flight is on that day.
This is a special flight subject to the weather and PIA's whims, which I imagine is now even more oversubscribed since the events of
16th August. We are going to be told 24 hours before departure whether we are on the flight or not.
Does anyone know, is everyone with a ticket for this route in the same situation i.e. on a waiting list, or are some people already confirmed for the flight and the only way we can board that day is if they do not turn up or cancel? Are many flights getting cancelled this time of year?
We don't want to wait around Islamabad for more than two days. If we can't fly, is it easy to just turn up at the Pir Wadhai bus stand in Rawalpindi in the morning and get on a NATCO bus or is it advisable to reserve seats the day before?
Many thanks,
camels
Edited by: 22camels
