Domestic flyers will now have the option of travelling for less. This follows the Directorate General of Civil Aviation allowing airlines to offer “no check-in baggage/hand baggage only” fare.

In effect what the notification means is that if a passenger wants to travel without checked-in bags, they will have the option of getting a lower fare. These passengers will be entitled to carry a handbag weighing up to 7 kg free of charge.

In June this year, low-cost airline SpiceJet had introduced hand baggage only fares, a scheme under which passengers with hand baggage only and who book at least 30 days in advance, will pay ₹ 200 less than the normal SpiceSaver fare for a one-way flight.

The airline had said that those passengers who booked under this scheme but later decide to go in for check-in luggage, a fee of ₹ 500 for up to 10 kg, and ₹ 750 for up to 15 kg, will be payable at the airport during check-in. The proposal ran foul of the scheme and the airline was asked to charge ₹ 400 instead of ₹ 750.

The latest notification paves the way for airlines to offer such fares to domestic passengers.

Mittu Chandilya, Chief Executive Officer, AirAsia India, had earlier this year told BusinessLine that if DGCA allows proper unbundling of fares which includes offering passengers travelling without a checked-in bag a specific fare, then AirAsia’s fares will be 40-50 per cent lower than the base fares of other domestic airlines.

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