Flying with just cabin bag? You may get a cheaper ticket soon.
Airlines are considering introducing special discounted fares for passengers who opt to fly with just their carry-on luggage, two people aware of the development said.
The cheaper fares will benefit about 40% of domestic travellers, such as small businessmen and corporate executives, on short trips and encourage them to travel more frequently rather than stay in hotels.
“Indian airlines are studying the market to see which routes make more sense to offer such fares.We are aware that they are preparing to offer lower airfares to those travelling with just one cabin bag. One of the main beneficiaries of this service would be the micro, small, and medium enterprises,” said a senior executive at an online travel operator.
Currently, the lowest airfares offered on most domestic routes include the provision of a cabin bag weighing up to 8 kg and check-in luggage weighing 15-25 kg, and no Indian airline offers cabin baggage-only fares.
However, foreign carriers do, and Scoot, the low-cost subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, already offers zero baggage fares from India.
IndiGo, India’s largest domestic airline, said it is considering the plan. “We will continue to evaluate our service offerings to offer options and flexibility to meet the evolving needs of our customers,” an IndiGo spokesperson said in response to a query.
This will not be the first time airlines roll out special fares for passengers. An earlier attempt in 2017 was rejected by the aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation. Courtesy mintlive
