Get ready to pay more for check-in baggage, preferred air seats and meals

New Delhi: Next time you want a seat with more leg room on a domestic flight, be ready to pay extra. Not just for more leg room, domestic carriers may soon begin charging for even check- in baggage, meals (which most LCCs charge for anyway), carrying a musical instrument or sports gear.

Civil Aviation regulator DGCA today allowed airlines to charge for these services at a pre-determined fare which would be outside the base fare.

This has been a long pending demand of airlines and is on the lines of global practices where some airlines charge for each piece of luggage. But it is interesting to note that while these charges will not need to be paid by fliers if they don’t want a snack, a preferred seat or a check-in bag, they are being allowed just when AirAsia is preparing to launch services in India.

A known ultra-low fare airline, AirAsia charges for everything including check-in bags. AirAsia is partnering Tata Sons and Telestra Tradeplace for its entry into India and has submitted its application for an initial no-objection certificate to the Ministry of Civil Aviation last week.

Also, this move comes amid plans by Air India to make meals on board optional and on payment basis, just like other low-cost carriers. A statement from the ministry said airlines need to file details of services to be unbundled and fee charges for the same to DGCA in terms of product description, charges/fee, manner of disclosure to public, terms and conditions. This means these charges cannot be included in the basic fare by any airline.

DGCA sources had told Firstpost earlier that the practice of charging for preferred seats was discontinued some years back when IndiGo began charging for all seats on its aircraft, calling each seat preferred. Even now, DGCA was aware of LCCs offering preferred seats to fliers who pre-booked meals with an airline. They are perhaps already including a preferred seat charge in the bill for pre-booked meals. The DGCA made it clear that charges for unbundled services shall be a fixed amount and announced well in advance by the airlines, and should not vary with the base fare for a particular flight.

And perhaps wiser after the IndiGo experience, the regulator has also made it clear that all such charges be levied “on opt-in basis and not on opt-out basis”. This means customers should be given an opportunity to pick and choose which amenities they want to receive and pay for instead of expecting them to specify which services they do not want.

So the next time you book a flight within the country, make sure you check out what all services will need to be paid for first.