Now, pay more for checking-in 2nd bag to Europe & UK on Air India

NEW DELHI: Passengers will now have to pay may more to check-in a second bag on Air India flights to and from Europe and the UK. AI has from October 17 introduced fare families where the lowest economy fare allows one check-in of 23 kg to these two places. Those who wish to check in two bags will need to opt for the higher economy fares, the difference starting at about Rs 4,000 (one-way). Most big Western airlines like Lufthansa allow one check-in bag to economy flyers and extra charges have to be paid for the second bag. British Airways starts with a handbag-only economy fare and then has higher economy fare levels that allow two bags of upto 23 kg each.

Earlier this year, AI had done the same with domestic where the base category of economy fare now allows baggage allowance of upto 15 kg — down from earlier 25 kg but in line with all other Indian carriers. In its pre-divestment days (before 2022), state-owned AI used to offer higher baggage allowance to woo passengers and make up for its dilapidated cabin product and poor punctuality.

Now with the Tatas investing billions of dollars in improving AI and hopefully the result will show in coming years across the fleet, the baggage allowance is getting in sync with big global airlines. While passengers understand that, they wonder if AI should have dome that once its wide body product had improved (something expected to happen over next two years) along with its punctuality. AI still allows two bags of upto 23 kg each in economy on North American routes. How long that stays remains to be seen.

“Air India has restructured its fare families on Europe and UK routes to better align the same with market trends and offerings. AI now offer travellers a more affordable ‘value’ fare option that provides one piece of checked baggage weighing 23kg with limited travel flexibility. Travellers who seek more baggage allowance and higher travel flexibility can opt for the ‘classic’ and ‘flex’ fares that continue to offer two pieces of checked baggage weighing 23kg each in economy. ‘Value’ fares are available only for economy class bookings,” AI had said in a statement recently while announcing new fare families across cabins. AI has 264 weekly flights to and from Europe and the UK.

A Delhi-based CA who is booking a ticket for his son in Europe to come home this Christmas said: “The fare difference between the one and two check-in bags fare is Rs 8,000. A leading Gulf carrier is cheaper by Rs 20,000 and is offering 35 kg baggage allowance. But taking that will mean increased travel time of five hours due to the connection at its hub.”

As AI improves — overall in terms of cabin product and on time performance — and IndiGo spreads its wings on longer-range planes, foreign airlines with hubs in places like the Gulf, further West Asia, Europe and south/southeast Asia that have historically carried a lion’s share of traffic between India and rest of them world will have to offer lower fares to wean away passengers from the nonstop convenience that these two desi carriers will provide.

A senior AI official said: “The difference is not much between our one and two check-in bags economy fares for Europe and UK flights. For instance it could be about Rs 4,000 (one-way) for a, say, Delhi-Frankfurt flight. The idea was why should a person travelling with one check-in pay the same as someone doing so with two check-in bags.”