Indian carriers got regulated on the amount of money they could charge for excess baggage a while ago. All carriers flying in India are to offer 15 kilograms free baggage allowance. Air India offers 25 kg of free baggage allowance.
Beyond that, up to the next 5 kg, they are supposed to offer the next 5 kg at only INR 100 per kg. This was as per a DGCA directive to them effective since July 2016. DGCA was supposed to be the airline safety regulator, however it has stepped into the shoes of being a commercial regulator as well of late.
The airlines went to the Delhi High Court under the banner of Federation of Indian Airlines, of which Air Asia India and Vistara are not members. Yesterday, the court admitted that DGCA could not fix the tariff in this situation, and quashed the directive.
This would mean, if you are a heavy traveller, you should get ready to pay more for your baggage on domestic flights, which could be to the tune of INR 220-350 per kg. According to airlines, it is almost certain that they will raise the prices of tickets again. Though of course, this should also create some differentiation for some carriers who may want to continue with the lower price and become preferred choices for a certain category of travellers.
Update: Air India is charging INR 450 per kg beyond 25 kgs alread, and Jet Airways is charging INR 500 per kg. Indigo has put out INR 300 per kg as their price.
Dang! That should hurt…
Do the upcoming charges bother you? Will you look at baggage prices as well going forward? Do share your views in the comments section
Air India has already started charging RS 450 per Kg over standard allowance. Their site is now updated to show Rs400 plus GST. Total BS on their part..
@ Kabir: Before dissing Air India please keep in mind their free baggage allowance is 25 kgs, everyone else is at 15 kgs.
Overall, I have anyways started avoiding Jet now since they amended their policy on web check-in and want to monetize all seats. Rs 500/ kg is obviously going to be another deterrent while booking tickets. Jet keeps slipping away from my consideration set.
Indigo that way is better since they kept a lot of seats available for free web check-in. Flew Go Air recently after ages and was pleasantly surprised, found them to be actually better than Indigo. Need to fly more on Go Air to decide if they have improved over the years. Being in Mumbai Vistara hardly figures in my travel plans, at least not until they expand their routes.
As things stand right now, flying Jet is hardly an experience any more, plus they want more and more money for very little in return. Just the prospect of getting a few crummy miles which are worth less and less over the years is not enough for me to fly Jet. I see only people who have existing elite status with Jet opting for it because they are in a way tied to it.