The short answer is no, you can't travel with tickets that are in a waiting list. Unfortunately, this is how the system works. If the tickets in the waiting list are not confirmed before your departure, the airline may not allow you to board the plane.

As of the latest 2026 regulations for Indian Railways, you cannot travel in reserved coaches (Sleeper or AC) if your ticket remains on the "Waitlist" (WL) after the final chart is prepared. Previously, passengers with "counter" (physical) waitlisted tickets were sometimes allowed to board, but current rules are much stricter to prevent overcrowding. If you have an e-ticket that stays on the waitlist, it is automatically cancelled by the system, and your money is refunded; you have no legal right to board. If you have a physical counter ticket that is still waitlisted, you are only permitted to travel in the General (Unreserved) coaches. If caught in a Sleeper or AC coach with a waitlisted ticket in 2026, the Ticket Examiner (TTE) will deboard you at the next station and impose a heavy fine—often the full fare plus a penalty of up to ₹440. For airlines, the "waitlist" (often called "standby" in 2026) works differently: you are not allowed past security or onto the plane unless a seat becomes available and you are issued a confirmed boarding pass at the gate. In both cases, "traveling in waitlist" is no longer a viable option for reserved travel; you must have a "Confirmed" or "RAC" (Reservation Against Cancellation) status to take your seat.