Domestic flight passengers with no check-in baggage to get fare discount

27/02/2021

NEW DELHI, FEB 26: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) Friday issued a circular allowing airlines to give concessions in ticket prices to domestic passengers without any check-in baggage.
Currently, a passenger can carry up to 7 kgs of cabin baggage and 15 kgs of check-in baggage. Anything extra is chargeable. The DGCA said that “as part of airline baggage policy, scheduled airlines will be allowed to offer free baggage allowance as well as “zero baggage/no check-in baggage fares”.
“As part of airline baggage policy, scheduled airlines will be allowed to offer free baggage allowance as well as “zero baggage/no check in baggage fares”. This will be subject to the condition that the passenger booking ticket under such fare scheme is made aware of the charges that shall be applicable if the passenger turns up with the baggage for check-in at the airline counter. These applicable charges shall be reasonable; prominently displayed to the passenger at the time of booking of ticket and also to be printed on the ticket,” the circular read.
“On the basis of various feedback received, it is felt that many times these services provided by the airlines may not be required by the passengers while travelling. Considering the fact that unbundling of services and charges thereto has the potential to make basic fare more affordable and provide consumer an option of paying for the services which he/she wishes to avail, it has been decided by the government to allow these services to be unbundled and charged separately on opt-in basis,” the DGCA added.
On February 11, the Ministry of Civil Aviation increased the minimum and maximum airfares across all bands, in a move that, on the one hand, would provide big relief to financially distressed airlines but, on the other, would make air travel costlier for passengers at least till March 31. The lower and upper limits on airfares have been increased by 10-30 per cent, as per a notification issued on Thursday.
The fresh lower and upper limit fares are: Rs 2,800-Rs 9,800; Rs 3,300-Rs 11,700; Rs 3,900-Rs 13,000; Rs 5,000-Rs 16,900; Rs 6,100-Rs 20,400; Rs 7,200-Rs 24,200, respectively. Under the old fare rules, the lower and upper limits for these bands were: Rs 2,500-Rs 7,500; Rs 3,000-Rs 9,000; Rs 3,500-Rs 10,000; Rs 4,500-Rs 13,000; Rs 5,500-Rs 15,700 and Rs 6,500-Rs 18,600, respectively.

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