Air India Reduces Free Baggage Limit For Lowest Fare Segment - Check Details

Air India has changed its domestic luggage policy, depending on the passenger's selected ticket price. As per the change, the allowance may now be as little as 5–15 kg less. With this modification, the airline's baggage allowances now equals to those of its rivals. 

Air India unveiled a menu-based pricing structure last year that has three "fare families - Comfort, Comfort Plus, and Flex. These fare groups have varying limits and perks at different pricing ranges. With effect from May 2, the new regulation reduces the allowed amount of checked baggage for Economy-class customers who purchased tickets in the Comfort and Comfort Plus fare families to 15 kg, down from the previous 20 and 25 kg, respectively. The 25-dollar allotment for the Flex price in the Economy class is still in place. 

Changes have also been made to Premium Economy where Comfort Plus can only carry 15 kg of luggage instead of 30 kg, and Flex can only carry 25 kg instead of 35 kg. Similarly, baggage allowances for Business class customers traveling in Comfort Plus will drop from 35 kg to 25 kg, and Flex passengers will receive a 35 kg permit instead of the 40 kg formerly permitted.

According to a report, an Air India spokesperson said, “The fare families are designed to let our guests choose the kind of fare and services that best suit their requirement, given that travellers today have varied preferences, and a one-size-fits-all approach is no longer ideal.” 

“Bundled fares, in fact, offer a lot more value and greater choice to guests for less. For example, the price difference between our Comfort Plus and Flex fares would typically be around Rs 1,000 in a domestic sector like Delhi-Mumbai, with the Flex fare providing a value of nearly Rs 9,000, including 10kg extra baggage, zero change or cancellation fees, more loyalty points, greater choice of free seats to choose from, etc. It is also benchmarked against the offerings of relevant competition in each of the markets we have introduced it in,” the spokesperson explained.