Financially-strained Indian carriers have started looking at every possible way to make money. Domestic airlines in the country, which collectively lost $2 billion last fiscal, have hiked existing fees and introduced a host of new ones in last two to three months to boost revenue.
The free check-in baggage limit of 20 kg for domestic flyers is all set to be reduced by 20% to 25% and carrying more weight will mean shelling out Rs 200 per kg. This excess charge used to be Rs 100 per kg in domestic airlines till about two months ago.
Cancelling or changing travel date had so far meant paying Rs 750 for both domestic and international tickets. Now this charge has risen to Rs 950 for domestic and Rs 1,750 for international flights. Taking a licensed weapon on a flight is no longer free. Airlines have started charging Rs 5,000 for this service. Asking the airline reservation counter to give a printout of your e-ticket now would cost Rs 50.
All airlines are going to offer passengers pre-booking of seats at the time of buying tickets itself for a charge. People will have to pay more for the front rows. While all the new charges listed above are optional, which can be avoided through proper planning, some airlines have also introduced new or higher charges like convenience and transaction cess which have to be paid at the time of booking tickets.
Coupled with fares, which have gone up by 20-25% after Kingfisher declared itself bankrupt and steep new airport charges at Delhi, air travel is no more a low-cost affair.
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