The Civil Aviation Ministry has allowed airlines to unbundle airfares.
This is inline with standard practices across the world. In fact, many airlines in the United States, with the sole exception of the most successful US Airline, Southwest, charge passengers for luggage. All major airlines across the world charge a premium for ‘better’ seats, those with more legroom or access to the aisle.
However, it remains to be seen how exactly the airlines in India will implement such a policy. Some airlines had been allowing ‘seat selection’ in the garb of buying a meal and priority check-in. Now airlines have been told that they can charge a premium for 20 per cent of a flight’s seats. Personally, paying a bit extra for a better seat is not a bad thing as long as it is within a ‘reasonable’ amount of the fare. Again, I feel that it should be within 10-12 per cent of the total fare.
However, again, personally, I do not believe that lower luggage restrictions will work very well in India. The last a few times I have flown on low-cost carriers I have seen crying and screaming at check-in counters over excess baggage. Although, I do feel airlines are not charities and if you are carrying a lot of luggage, you ought to choose an airline with bigger allowances or pay in advance.
But it is unlikely that Indian carriers will move to a ‘zero-free’ baggage allowance like some American and European low-cost airlines. However, I do feel that as a hand-baggage only passenger quite often I ought to be given a discount of sorts. In fact, I feel that ‘charging’ for premium services is fine as long as I can get a good deal if I’m flying with no luggage and do not mind a middle seat on a non-reclining row.
Ancillary fees are boosting several airlines revenues, American carrier Spirit which charges you fees for everything, even for booking a ticket on their website (as do some Indian carriers) makes a quarter of their revenues from these fees. But, in America and Europe passengers have become accustomed to this and air travel has lost any iota of romance that was left.
In India as well, airlines will push the limits on what can be charged, the romance and excitement that young kids had of flying at 35,000 feet will die as well. Air travel will just become like any other commute on a bus or a train, just that everybody will be seated. But airlines might be healthier businesses as a result. One might have mixed feelings about this, but the little boy in me, is sad!