Excess baggage fee in domestic flights may see 300% hike

Agencies
August 18, 2017

New Delhi, Aug 18: Economy class passengers carrying more than 15kg check-in baggage on domestic flights may now have to pay almost thrice as much for the first five kilos.

Low cost carrier (LCC) SpiceJet is considering raising the Rs 500 pre-booking charge for carrying 20kg to Rs 1,425.

Hikes are also being contemplated for pre-booking in other weight bands beyond 20kg. Moreover, those checking-in more than 15kg without pre-booking may end up shelling out Rs 300 per kg.

"This is a proposal that we are considering. A final decision will be taken shortly," said a SpiceJet source. The new charges, if finalised, will be implemented from Friday itself. The move comes after the Delhi high court stuck down DGCA's order of Rs 100 per kg cap on excess baggage fee for the 15-20kg band on Wednesday. A senior DGCA official said, "We are studying the HC order to see the reasons why our order has been set aside. We will take legal opinion and then decide on whether to go in for an appeal against the HC order."

Other airlines are likely to follow suit. Only Air India said that economy class domestic flyers can check-in up to 25kg without a charge.

Even if airlines do not hike their existing charges, the impact on flyers checking-in 20kg can be significant if they implement the charge kept for beyond 20kg to beyond 15kg now. For instance, two low cost carriers (LCC) charge Rs 300 and Rs 350 per kg as excess baggage fee for domestic travel beyond the allowed limit. A full service airline charges Rs 500 per kg from economy passengers carrying beyond 20kg.

The higher charges used to start from over 20 kg due to the DGCA cap of Rs 100 on the 15-20 kg band. Now with that set aside, airlines are free to charge the higher fees they had for over 20 kg check-in baggage from over 15 kg itself now. No airline formally commented on what their policy for excess check-in baggage fees will be after Wednesday's HC order. "We are just waiting for someone to make the first move and then the rest will follow. Only AI can offer higher baggage limit as the airline is headed in a different direction (referring to impending sell off),"said an airline official.

AirAsia India, when launched in 2014, did not want to give any free check-in baggage to passengers and was directed by DGCA to allow 15 kg check-in baggage - like all other Indian carriers -to domestic flyers without any extra fee. 

"We welcome this change proposed by the Delhi High court on the excess baggage fees. We will however evaluate this internally and see how this can be beneficial to both the guests as well as the airline, as we continue our endeavor to make flying affordable for all,"AirAsia India said in a statement.

Comments

Wellwisher
 - 
Friday, 18 Aug 2017

All price hike to be with Indian Air Act Limoration. Air Lines has no right to hike any flight charge. Dear brothers please study about implemented by the Central Goverment.

 

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News Network
April 5,2020

Thiruvananthapuram, April 5: Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja on Sunday said that the state's preparations for containment of COVID-19 were satisfactory and added that PCR tests were going on in nine laboratories, in which upwards of eight thousand samples have been tested so far.

"Our strategy for the containment of COVID-19 is satisfactory. We are yielding good results from our strategy for tracing, isolation, testing & treatment. PCR test is going on in 9 laboratories. We have tested more than 8000 samples so far," Shailaja told ANI here.

She further said that the state government wanted to implement Rapid test in Kerala and added that they had ample PPEs and N95 masks.

"We want to implement Rapid Test in Kerala. Yesterday, we got 2000 kits; Right now, we have sufficient PPEs and N95 masks. If the number of COVID19 cases increases in the coming weeks then we will need more equipment," Shailaja said.

Keeping up with the need of the hour, the new administrative block of Kasaragod Medical College will soon be converted into a COVID-19 hospital for providing better treatment facilities to the coronavirus patients.

A team constituting 26 doctors and medical staff of the Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram will join the efforts of converting the new administrative block into a COVID-19 Hospital in Kasaragod on Sunday.

The total number of COVID-19 positive cases rose to 3,374 in India on Sunday, as per the data provided by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

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News Network
March 27,2020

Srinagar, Mar 27: Over 180 people with undeclared recent travel histories have been traced and shifted into quarantine in Srinagar, officials said.
"COVID-19: Over 180 persons with undeclared recent travel histories have been traced and shifted into quarantine this past week in Srinagar. Some 200 more complaints are being verified. Just hoping no one is infected as it's just too hard to even imagine the possible consequences." Srinagar district administration tweeted.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had earlier on Thursday reported 88 new COVID-19 cases, which is the highest in a single day, taking the total countrywide tally to 694.

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News Network
January 17,2020

Mumbai, Jan 17: A 68-year-old convict of the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, Jalees Ansari, went missing on Thursday morning while being on parole, officials said.

Ansari, a resident of Mominpura in Agripada here who is serving a life term, is suspected to be involved in many bomb blast cases across the country, an official said.

He was on parole for 21 days from the Ajmer Central Prison, Rajasthan, and was expected to surrender before prison authorities on Friday, he said.

During the parole period, he was ordered to visit the Agripada Police Station everyday between 10.30 am and 12 pm to mark his attendance, he said.

However, Ansari did not visit the police station on Thursday during the designated time, the official said.

In the afternoon, his 35-year-old son Jaid Ansari approached the police station with a complaint about his “missing” father, he said.

According to the complaint, Jalees Ansari woke up in the early hoursand told family members he is going to offer namaz, but did not return home.

On his complaint, the Agripada Police registered a missing case, he said.

The Crime Branch of the Mumbai Police and the Maharashtra ATS have launched a massive manhunt to trace him, he said.

Jalees, who is known as Doctor Bomb, was allegedly connected with terror outfits like SIMI and Indian Mujahidin and taught terror groups how to make bombs, he said.

He was also questioned by the NIA in 2011 in connection with the 2008 bomb blast in Mumbai, he said.

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