AirAsia sells all tickets in 10 mins, but irks DGCA by charging flyers for baggage

AirAsia may have made a stellar debut in India, selling all of its tickets for its maiden flight within 10 minutes, but it has also managed to rub the national aviation regulator the wrong way by charging passengers for carrying any kind of luggage on board, a scheme that it has now withdrawn.

“Airlines have to submit their charges to the regulator and get them approved. That did not happen in this case for charges like those for checking-in baggage and a few others. I have also called airline officials for a meeting on Wednesday,” Prabhat Kumar, Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) chief, was quoted as saying in a Times of India report.

AirAsia has introduced a progressively increasing fare chart for passengers carrying luggage on board but after the DGCA’s intervention, the airline has withdrawn the charge for carry on luggage up to 15 kg.

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The airline had reportedly imposed a charge of Rs 199 for baggage up to 15 kg if paid while booking the ticket and Rs 300 if the passenger chooses to pay it in cash at the airport.

While the airline has been charging it on its flights abroad, it reportedly did not seek the regulator’s permission before introducing the scheme in India.

Indian low cost carriers typically allow passengers to carry upto 15 kg of luggage without any charge.

However, it isn’t clear how the airline will refund flyers who may have already paid for carrying luggage on board.

The airline also had to amend its cancellation policy, under which it had said that it wouldn’t refund base fares, after the aviation regulator raised objections to it.

Tickets for the maiden flight (Bangalore-Goa) were sold out within 10 minutes of opening of bookings. Also, AirAsia India sold out 25,000 promo seats within 48 hours of opening for bookings, the airline said in a release.

The first AirAsia flight - an Airbus A320 aircraft -is scheduled to leave Bangalore in the afternoon on 12 June. The airline, a joint venture between AirAsia, Tata Sons and Arun Bhatia’s Telestra Tradeplace, was granted flying licence by aviation regulator DGCA early last month after a nine-month-long wait and various legal hurdles.

All inclusive fares from as low as Rs 990 are available for booking on flights on Bangalore-Chennai and Bangalore-Goa sectors, the release said. Customers can book flights through the airline’s website from today till 9 June, for the travel period from 12 June to October, it said.