Air India, the airline that has been operating at a loss, has recently decreased its complimentary cabin baggage limit from 20 kilograms to 15 kilograms for the most affordable economy fare category on domestic flights.
Air India, owned by the Tata Group, has recently made modifications to its menu-based pricing model fare families that were implemented last August. The airline believes that a one-size-fits-all approach is no longer suitable.
An airline representative stated on Saturday that the Comfort, Comfort Plus, and Flex fare families provide different levels of benefits and fare restrictions at different price points.
Starting from May 2, the cabin baggage allowance for the ‘Comfort’ and ‘Comfort Plus’ categories has been decreased to 15 kg and 25 kg, respectively. Previously, before the implementation of the fare family’s concept, passengers traveling on Air India’s domestic flights were permitted to carry 25 kgs of cabin baggage without any extra fees.
Likewise, passengers can bring 15 kgs of cabin baggage for free on other domestic airlines. The fare families are created to give passengers the flexibility to choose fares and services that suit them best, considering the various preferences of travellers.
In a route like Delhi-Mumbai, the ‘Flex’ fare usually costs about ₹1,000 more than the ‘Comfort Plus’ fare. The ‘Flex’ fare offers a total value of almost ₹9,000, which includes an additional 10 kg of baggage allowance and no charges for changes or cancellations.
Fare families were introduced based on customer feedback and Air India’s thorough study. The spokesperson mentioned that they were also compared to competitors’ offerings in the markets where they were launched. Tata Group is working on a bold strategy to turn around the struggling Air India, which they bought from the government in 2022.
