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Indian government to review IndiGo, Spicejet policies to charge for web check-in after flyers protest

Indian government to review IndiGo, Spicejet policies to charge for web check-in after flyers protest
(Photo Source: wikimedia.org)

  • Low cost carriers IndiGo and Spicejet have announced that they will now charge for the online check-in services for all seats but will continue to allocate seats with no extra charge for airport check-ins and for the flyers with corporate bookings. But, the seats will be assigned as per the availability.
  • The revised policy has been effective since 14 November and the seats will be charged according to flyer preferences, starting from ₹100 to ₹800.
  • Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) said that the charges will be reviewed under the pricing framework.
The Indian government has said it will review the new charges for online check-ins announced by the country’s budget airlines IndiGo and Spicejet following social media complaints by several flyers.

On Monday, India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) tweeted that the charges will be reviewed under its “unbundled pricing framework.”

MoCA has noted that airlines are now charging for web check-in for all seats. We are reviewing these fees to see whether they fall within the unbundled pricing framework.

— Ministry of Civil Aviation (@MoCA_GoI) November 26, 2018 ]]>

On Sunday, the two low-cost cost said they will now charge for the online check -in services provided to the flyers to ease the process. However, they plan to continue to allocate seats with no extra charge for airport check -ins and for the flyers with corporate bookings. The seats will be assigned as per the availability, according to the announcements.

As per our revised policy, all seats will be chargeable for web check-in. Alternatively, you may check-in at the airport for free. Seats will be assigned as per the availability. ~Prabh

— IndiGo (@IndiGo6E) November 25, 2018 ]]>

Earlier, in case of web check -ins, the airlines charged extra only for certain seats such as the ones along the aisle, window-facing or the seats with additional legroom.

The charges for lowest seats in IndiGo and Spicejet are ₹100 and ₹99, respectively.

IndiGo reportedly said that the revised policy has been effective since 14 November and the seats will be charged according to the flyer preferences, starting from ₹100 to ₹800. According to the revised policy, a first row seat will be charged ₹800 extra, while a non-reclining seat next to the emergency exit will cost ₹600 more and a middle seat in the last row will cost an additional ₹100 if booked online.

IndiGo said that the changes have been inline with the consumer preferences, for the advanced selection of seats. Also, the prices for different seats have been there already, the airlines have only refined it further, Times of India reported.

Our revised seat policy is effective since 14th of November, 2018. ~Prabh

— IndiGo (@IndiGo6E) November 25, 2018 ]]>

These charges will help generate revenue for the airlines including the baggage fees, seat selection fees and the cancellation charges, Business Standard reported.

Lalita Bhasin, partner at law firm Bhasin & Co. reportedly said that airlines are not violating any laws, and they can charge for such services.

Back in June this year, to maintain the costs, the budget carriers IndiGo, Spicejet and GoAir had also increased baggage charges beyond 15 kilograms.

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