From June 15, excess baggage to be easier on flyers’ pockets

NEW DELHI: Excess baggage will now be easier on the flyer’s pocket with the government reducing charges to Rs 100 for every kilo above the 15kg free baggage allowance till a 20kg limit. The new charges kick in on June 15.

HT Image

At present, all domestic carriers, except Air India, charge Rs 300 per kg of extra baggage. The national carrier allows 25kg of free checked-in luggage on most of its flights.

This is a first step towards wide-ranging changes to civil aviation rules relating to refunds, compensation, delays and passenger facilities proposed by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) — first reported by HT on June 2.

“A final view on these will be taken once we receive comments from stakeholders in the next 15 days,” DGCA chief M Sathiyavathy said Saturday.

The proposals will be put up on the ministry’s website for this period.

In the case of refunds, DGCA joint director Lalit Gupta said “the process shall be completed within 15 working days in case of domestic travel and 30 working days in case of international travel”.

The onus will be on airlines even for tickets purchased through travel agents or portals, as “agents are appointed representatives of airlines”.

On the proposal to bring down cancellation charges, Gupta said, “Under no circumstance will the cancellation charge be more than the base fare.”