Now pay more to check a second suitcase to Europe and the UK with Air India | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Passengers may now have to pay more to check a second bag on Air India flights to and from Europe and the United Kingdom. AI has introduced fare families from October 17 where the lowest economy fare allows one check-in of 23 kg at these two places. Those wanting to check two bags will have to opt for the higher economy fares, with the difference starting at around Rs 4,000 (one way). Most major Western airlines such as Lufthansa allow one piece of luggage to economy flyers and the second bag requires an additional fee. British Airways starts with an economy fare for handbags only and then moves to higher economy fare levels, allowing two suitcases of up to 23kg each.
Earlier this year, AI had done the same with domestic flights, where the basic economy fare category now allows a baggage allowance of up to 15kg – down from the previous 25kg, but in line with all other Indian airlines. In the days before the divestiture (pre-2022), state-owned AI offered a higher baggage allowance to attract passengers and compensate for its dilapidated cabin product and poor punctuality.
With the Tatas investing billions of dollars in improving AI and hopefully seeing the results across the fleet in the coming years, baggage allowances are on par with major global airlines. While passengers understand that, they wonder if AI should have a dome that once improved its wide body product (something expected to happen in the next two years), along with its punctuality. AI still allows two bags of up to 23kg each in economy on North American routes. How long that will last remains to be seen.
“Air India has restructured its fare families on European and UK routes to better align with market trends and offerings. AI now offers travelers a more affordable fare option, offering one 23kg checked bag with limited travel flexibility. Travelers looking for more baggage allowance and more travel flexibility can choose the ‘classic’ and ‘flex’ fares, which still offer two checked bags of 23kg each in economy. ‘Value’ fares are only available for economy class bookings,” AI had recently said in a statement while announcing new fare families for all cabins. AI has 264 weekly flights to and from Europe and Great Britain.
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 baggage fare is Rs 8,000. A leading Gulf airline is Rs 20,000 cheaper and offers a baggage allowance of 35 kg. But if you take that into account, this means a longer travel time of five hours because of the connection at the hub.”
As AI improves – generally in terms of cabin products and on-time performance – and IndiGo spreads its wings on longer-haul aircraft, foreign airlines with hubs in places like the Gulf, further West Asia, Europe and South and Southeast Asia that historically operate flights A lion’s share of traffic between India and the rest of the world will have to offer lower fares to deprive passengers of the non-stop convenience that these two desi airlines will provide.
A senior AI official said: “The difference is not much between our economy fares for one and two check-in bags for flights to Europe and the UK. For example, it could be around Rs 4,000 (one way) for a Delhi-Frankfurt flight, for example. The idea was why someone who travels with one check-in should pay the same as someone who travels with two check-in suitcases.”