Loss-making Air India has reduced the free cabin baggage allowance for the lowest economy fare segment on domestic flights from 20 kg to 15 kg. The changes have been made to fare families, a menu-based pricing model introduced by Tata Group-owned Air India last August. The airline has said that a one-size-fits-all approach is no longer ideal.
An airline spokesperson said on Saturday that there are three fare families – Comfort, Comfort Plus and Flex – which offer different levels of benefits and fare restrictions at different price points. From May 2, the free cabin luggage allowance for ‘Comfort’ and ‘Comfort Plus’ categories has been reduced to 15 kg from 20 kg and 25 kg respectively. Before the introduction of the Fare Family concept, passengers on Air India domestic flights were allowed to carry 25 kg of cabin luggage without any extra charges.
On domestic route in economy class, both ‘Comfort’ and ‘Comfort Plus’ fare family now offer 15 kg luggage allowance, while ‘Flex’ offers 25 kg baggage allowance. Business class luggage (baggage) allowance on domestic routes ranges from 25 kg to 35 kg.
The spokesperson said that “Free luggage allowance on international flights varies from market to market”. Other domestic airlines also allow passengers to carry up to 15 kg of cabin baggage without extra charges. An Air India spokesperson said the fare families have been designed to give passengers the flexibility to choose the kind of fare and services that suit their needs, given that passengers today have poles apart preference, and a the one-size-fits-all approach is no longer the norm.
