NEW DELHI: Carrying over 15 kg check-in baggage on domestic flights will now cost more. Private
airlines have started raising both pre-booking charges for excess baggage as well as the fees that needs to be paid at airports by those who have not pre-booked the same. Air India is now the only airline on which domestic economy flyers can take up to 25 kg of check-in baggage free of charge.
Low cost carriers (LCC)
IndiGo,
SpiceJet and
GoAir are now charging Rs 400 per kg for each kilo beyond the allowed 15 kg from domestic passengers at airports who have not pre-booked excess baggage.
IndiGo hiked pre-booked
excess baggage charges on its domestic flights by one-third or 33% from Friday. IndiGo’s charges for pre-booking 5, 10, 15 and 30 kg (beyond the free 15 kg) on its domestic routes will now be Rs 1,900; Rs 3,800; Rs 5,700 and Rs 11,400, respectively.
Last August, IndiGo had set its pre-booking charges for 5, 10, 15 and 30 kg (beyond the free 15 kg) at Rs 1,425; Rs 2,850; Rs 4,275 and Rs 8,550, respectively. And flyers who did not pre-book were required to pay Rs 300 per kg for each kilo beyond the allowed 15 kg. All these charges have now been hiked by 33%.
IndiGo and SpiceJet revised their excess bag charge from Friday (June 22), while GoAir hiked from Saturday.
SpiceJet pre-booking charges for 5, 10, 15, 20 and 30 kg for domestic flyers are Rs 1,600; Rs 3,200; Rs 4,800; Rs 6,400 and Rs 9,600, respectively. Its passengers who do not pre-book will need to pay Rs 400 per kg extra for each kilo of check-in baggage beyond 15 kg for domestic flights. GoAir excess
baggage charges are exactly similar to IndiGo’s.
Jet will from July 15 implement the piece concept where the allowed 15 kg will need to be taken in one bag by domestic economy flyers.
Till last August, airlines could charge only Rs 500 for the first five kg beyond the 15-kg limit for domestic flyers due to a DGCA order. Beyond 20 kg, they could charge any amount. Airlines challenged that DGCA order in courts and were allowed to set excess baggage charges beyond 15 kg itself.
This is the second hike by IndiGo in recent days. The airline had reintroduced fuel surcharge for domestic flights from May 30, due to rising aircraft fuel cost and depreciating Indian rupee. As this surcharge, it had decided to levy Rs 200 on routes less than 1000 km, and Rs 400 on routes longer than 1000 km distance.
Jet fuel prices have risen 40% from January 2017 till last month, putting severe strain on airline finances along with factors like a weakening rupee. Airlines say they are unable to recover the increase in cost due to the inability to hike fares thanks to stiff competition.
Now to avoid a Kingfisher-like fate, Indian airlines have started hiking fares. “Jet fuel for domestic flights is among the expensive in India. What option do we have but hike fares or shut down,” said an airline official.
