Flying to Europe with Air India? Be Ready to Pay More for Second Check-in Bag On Europe and UK flights

Air India (AI) passengers traveling to Europe and the United Kingdom (UK) will now have to pay more for the second check-in bag. Air India has changed its fare structure (introduction of fare families) from October 17. Under this, now only one check-in bag of 23 kg will be allowed with the cheapest economy class ticket. If passengers want to check-in a second bag, they will have to choose higher class economy fares, the difference of which starts from about ₹ 4,000 for a one-way journey.

This move of Air India is similar to that of large western airlines. For example, airlines like Lufthansa have the facility of checking one bag free in economy class and have to pay an additional fee for the second bag. British Airways also offers economy fares with handbags only and then higher fares that allow up to two bags of 23 kg each.

Air India had made a similar change on domestic flights earlier this year. Now passengers in the domestic economy class are only allowed to carry up to 15 kg of bags, up from 25 kg earlier. However, this is similar to other Indian airlines.

Before coming under the ownership of the Tata Group, state-run Air India used to follow a liberal baggage policy to attract passengers. This was aimed at compensating for the poor cabin product and lack of on-time flights. But now, with the Tatas investing heavily in Air India, the baggage policy is being improved as per global standards.

However, some passengers are not completely satisfied with this change. A Delhi-based chartered accountant said he had booked a ticket for his son from Europe to Delhi where the difference in fare for two bags was up to ₹8,000. “A leading Gulf carrier is cheaper by Rs 20,000 and is offering 35 kg baggage allowance. But taking that will mean increased travel time of five hours due to the connection at its hub,” he said.

Air India’s clarification

“The difference is not much between our one and two check-in bags economy fares for Europe and UK flights. For instance it could be about Rs 4,000 (one-way) for a, say, Delhi-Frankfurt flight. The idea was why should a person travelling with one check-in pay the same as someone doing so with two check-in bags” a senior Air India official said.

Air India officials believe that as Air India improves its cabin services and on-time flight performance, foreign airlines will have to offer competitive fares to retain their share in the Indian market. Apart from this, domestic airlines like IndiGo are also increasing their presence on long routes, which is likely to further intensify the competition.

Air India said in its recent statement that under the new fare structure, the ‘Value’ fare allows only one bag, while the ‘Classic’ and ‘Flex’ options offer two bags. Air India currently has 264 weekly flights to Europe and the UK.

This new move is a significant effort by Air India to keep pace with global competition and give passengers options according to their needs.