Know the Charges For Carrying Extra Baggage on Indigo Airlines Domestic And International Routes

Indigo Airlines is a low cost carrier which holds about 50percent of Indian passenger traffic. Considering that the airline came at a later stage than some other carriers and much later than Air India, the government owned flag carrier of the country, this is a huge achievement. Many contributing factors have led to Indigo becoming the top aviation brand of India. One of these factors is the reasonable amount of excess baggage charge which it used to levy initially, during the earlier period of its operations. These charges are to be paid when the passenger carried more baggage than what was allowed free. Free allowance of check-in baggage is mandated by DGCA and therefore, all airline companies operating from India have to comply with this directive. But, beyond this free allowance, the airlines are free to levy the excess charges.

These extra baggage charges could be based on a flat per kg rate when paid at airport. These are given in different currencies of the countries where Indigo flies. However, if passengers know in advance how much of extra is being carried, then they also have option of paying online, well in advance of their travel, at a discounted rate. These pre-paid charges are generally planned out in the form of slabs of different excess weights being taken. These charges are lower than the airport rates. Earlier, the difference between the flat rates and slab rates was quite significant but now this difference has shrunk, though the pre-paid slab rates are still less than airport rates.

Another point to be noted is that the pre-paid slabs have to be booked using online medium within a fixed time frame. If this is not done, then higher charges at airport have to be paid.

So, what are the Indigo extra baggage charges and when shall these be bought?

For domestic routes within India, the airline levies Rs 400 per excess kg flat rate at airport. However, the pre-paid slabs of 3kg, 5kg, 10kg, 15kg and 30kg can be booked for Rs 1000, Rs 1900, Rs 3800, Rs 5700 and Rs 11400 respectively.

For international flights from India and to India, charges as per following table apply:

Baggage (International)	Currency	3kg Pre-paid	5kg Pre-paid	10kg Pre-paid	15kg Pre-paid	30kg Pre-paid
Ex - India	INR	1485	2475	4950	7425	14850
India to Colombo, Dhaka, Kathmandu	INR	1000	1900	3800	5700	11400
Ex-Singapore	SGD	21	36	72	107	215
Ex-Dubai/Sharjah/Abu Dhabi	AED	100	125	250	375	750
Ex-Doha	QAR	100	125	250	375	750
Ex-Kuwait	KWD	9	12	20	30	55
Ex-Muscat	OMR	10	15	25	35	65
Ex-Colombo	LKR	3000	5000	9000	15000	30000
Ex-Male	USD	26	43	85	130	260
Ex-Kuala Lumpur	MYR	100	160	300	450	900
Ex-Dhaka	BDT	1200	2000	4000	6000	12500
Ex-Kathmandu	NPR	1700	2700	5500	7800	15500
Ex-Istanbul	USD	26	43	85	130	260
Ex-Hong Kong	HKD	180	300	600	850	1700
Ex-Bangkok/Phuket	THB	780	1300	2600	3500	6528
Ex-Chengdu	CNY	140	250	450	600	1100
Ex-Hanoi	USD	25	35	80	100	170
Ex-Yangon	USD	25	35	80	100	170
Ex- Ho Chi Minh	USD	25	35	80	100	170
Ex- Jeddah	SAR	195	280	485	680	1240

Besides these normal international connections, the airline also has excess baggage charges for codeshare flights and connecting international flights with other airlines.

Aditya Ghosh and Beyond

If there is any Indian airline that could proudly say that "we made profits", it is Indigo. When all other Indian carriers were reeling under losses and huge debt burdens, (mind you, even Spicejet was in doldrums), it was Indigo which reported the best on-time performance, efficiency and profitability. It did not take much time for it to become the largest market share garner as there was no significant competitor within its business model. The person who kept the airline focused on its way to become the number one airline of India was its CEO Aditya Ghosh, a person who does not need an introduction.
Changing times call for changes as well. As Indigo plans to move from short-haul to long-haul flights, covering more international destinations, it was considered incumbent to have someone who is experienced in handling large airline operations. This, along with a number of follies that Ghosh reportedly committed in past, led to his ouster. The ramifications of this move could be felt for a long time to come, despite assurance from Indigo investors that the airline will move ahead strongly.
Was Ghosh so incompetent to handle an airline that was set for expansion? Are the reasons for his ouster merely eyewash? Were there other reasons which could have led to the ouster that have not been made public? Was there a difference of strategic approach in expansion plans? Were the expats considered to be a lot more competent that Ghosh and team to lead the airline in the future?
There are many questions which will be answered in the near future and the way Indigo expands begins to unfold. Whatever may be the outcome of the move, two things are for sure. One, the new entrants will have a lot of pressure to prove their mettle and herald Indigo in new phase. If they are able to achieve it, the decision to oust Ghosh would be marked correct and bygones will be let to be bygone. Second, this move reinforces the supremacy of investors as against a powerful CEO. Investors have proven that they rule the board.
As Indigo plans to expand into the medium and long-haul aviation segments, it will have powerful competitors. Will it be able to turn the tables on them? It will require a lot of doing and a careful product differentiation to beat the best in the field. We can speculate it to now have a frequent flyer program, more cabin choices, associations and alliances with other airlines and enlarged bouquet of services.  Though it does has a lot of goodwill and market share to bank upon for the next phase, and this will make things a lot easier for it, it shall not squander the advantage away.
For a long thought, will it be able to do to the Gulf airlines what they did to the American and European airlines- make India the preferred aviation hub for long haul flights?

What Makes Spicejet Check-in So Easy?

If you are flying on Spicejet, then the biggest relief could be that you are able to check in using a number of ways. There is no sole dependence on the Spicejet airport desk which was the only way to check in before the flight. As travel technology has advanced, it has made possible to explore various other ways of checking-in. While it is true that each of it comes with its own set of limitations, there is no denying the fact that the pressure on airport check-in desk has been reduced considerably.

Spicejet check-in can be done in two ways other than at the airport. These are:

1. Web Check In
2. Mobile Check In

Basically, both of these are driven by internet and the only difference is of using the different devices and platforms.

While web check in is done using the desktop or laptops, the mobile check  in can also be done using the mobile application of the airlines. This application needs to be downloaded from either the Play Store or Apple itunes Store in your mobile. Once done, the process of check-in can be accomplished in no time from any place and at any time. So, you can get your seats reserved and order for special services or meals right from you mobile device or desktop, without having to visit the airport or contact center of the airline.

Even as checking in on Spicejet flights has become a lot more easier, security concerns might still require you to carry a paper print-out of ticket and e-boarding pass. The one present in the mobile is not going to be accepted at the airports in India. Proposal for allowing the same has been put forth many times by airlines but this has not been accepted so far by the security agencies at the airport. 

In How Many Ways Can You Check In On Jet Airways Flights?

There was a time when passengers had to queue up at airports for checking-in. The air passenger traffic and airlines were also limited at that time as compared to the present day numbers. If the same method of airport counter check in is the only means to get the boarding pass, you can expect a lot of congestion at airports. Technology has come to the aid of airline, airport management and, ultimately, passengers. They can make use of a number of means at their disposal for checking-in through a number of alternative means. There might be quite a few ifs and buts, and a few terms and conditions on who can avail this and where these can be availed.
Jet Airways provides a number of means of checking in. Each of these has check-in cut-off times and attached conditions to be met for easy and safe check-in. While web check in is quite common, you will also find a number of rather unheard of Jet Airways check-in methods, including twitter check-in, through check-in, Metro check in for Delhi and others. Let us have a look at these:

1	Airport Check-in
2	Tele Check-in
3	Express Check-in
4	Tweet Check-in : #JetInstant
5	One Time Check-in on Return Journey
6	Through Check-in
7	Metro Check-in at Delhi
8	Baggage Tag Through facility to / from Macau
9	Sea-to-Air Baggage Tag - From Macau to Hong Kong Airport Ferry Skypier Terminal
10	Air-to-Sea Baggage Tag - from Mumbai / Delhi to Hong Kong and connecting on to Turbojet / Cotaijet Ferry to Macau from the Hong Kong International Airport Ferry Skypier Terminal
11	Check-in at Lianhuashan, Macau and Shenzhen ferry ports for travel from Hong Kong
12	City check-in terminal at Abu Dhabi
13	City check-in terminal at Dammam

Jet Airways Baggage Drop Off Facilities

Jet Airways allows you to perform check-in in a number of ways, not just at the airport check-in counter. In order to make check-in from remote means possible, especially through the online check in medium feasible, it is pertinent to provide some kind of facility for the passengers to leave their check-in baggage and proceed for security check. Since the airlines do provide the check in baggage allowance and also the web check in, passengers having check in bags need to get their tags and leave these at some designated points. Jet Airways provides these counters at designated airports in India and in other cities of the world. Passengers who have performed Jet Airways online check-in either through its mobile website or the mobile application, can use these facilities.

Domestic Cities
Ahmedabad
Amritsar
Bengaluru
Bhopal
Chandigarh
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Goa
Hyderabad
Indore
Kochi
Kolkata
Mangalore
Mumbai
Pune
Rajkot
Thiruvananthapuram
Vadodara

International Cities
Abu Dhabi
Bangkok
Colombo
Dammam
Dhaka
Doha
Dubai
Hong Kong
Jeddah
Kathmandu
Kuwait
London
Paris
Riyadh
Sharjah
Singapore
Toronto

Take a note of these cities since this advance information can save you a lot of time.

Etihad changes allowance rules- Who Gained, Who Lost?

Etihad, the Abu Dhabi flag carrier, has again changed its baggage allowance rules. Moving away from the piece-based system of allowance for almost all of its routes except for United States and Canada, it has embraced the weight-based system yet again.

The new rules will be applicable for tickets bought after 31 January, 2018. For the ticket bought before this date, the old policy will continue. The minimum allowance for piece based system was 1 bag of 23 kg, and this will be replaced with a minimum allowance of 30 kg for most of the routes. With this shift in Etihad baggage allowance policy, let us examine, who will be carrying more allowance and who will take less?

For people travelling from/to South America and Bermuda, the allowance will now be as per the General Policy (minimum 23 kg for Deal fare tickets). This will be a loss since earlier the allowance was 2 bags of 23 kg or 47 kgs in total.

Traveller flying to or from Africa earlier used to take 2 bags of 23 kg each as a minimum allowance. This has now changed. Etihad has re-jiged the allowance by providing 40 kg allowance for people travelling out of African countries on Economy and Business class flights. 

For flights to Africa, it has divided into two parts- those arriving from GCC, Lebanon and Jordan and those arriving from India, Pakistan, China, Japan, Hong Kong and Australia. The former are allowed 40kg as minimum allowance whereas it is 30 kg for the latter. 

Earlier, people travelling to/from UK from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh could carry at least 2 bags of 23 kg as allowance, now all flights from Europe to India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Philippines will get only 30 kg as minimum allowance. On flights from these destinations to some European countries would be minimum 30 kg.

Specific mention has been made of three flight segments. 

a. From India and Pakistan to Australia- minimum 30 kg allowance

b. From Italy to China- minimum 30 kg allowance

c. Between UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait- Only Hand baggage allowed in Deals fare ticket. 

Even the General Policy which would cover all other routes which have not been mentioned has been changed from piece-based to weight-based.