AIR INDIA FORCES FLIERS TO GO LIGHT

Air Indias decision to bring down the check-in baggage allowance from 20kg to 15kg will have a cascading effect as other airlines are likely to follow suit.An average Indian family carries around 20kg a head.Theyll have to throw some items out of their bags with the allowance coming down.Most domestic carriers,including Indigo,Jet Airways,Go Air and Spice Jet,provide a baggage allowance of 20kg per passenger.This goes up to 30kg on international airlines such as Etihad and Emirates.Air India will charge between 200 and 250 for every extra kg.Nirmal Selvamani,a businessman who flies regularly,said most middle-class passengers carry as much as they can to avoid spending at their destination.The airline should review its decision,especially since the money they collect as excess baggage charges is not going to save cash-starved Air India, he said.A senior Air India pilot agreed.An e m p t y b a g weighs about 5 k g,wh i ch means passengers can only pack items weighing 10kg as check-in baggage, he said.This could be difficult if a person is taking a long trip.Airlines allow 7kg as hand baggage.Sources said other airlines might cut their check-in baggage allowance too.The decision cannot be challenged because there are no norms for the free baggage allowance.In the US,most airlines do not allow free checked-in baggage, said an airline official at Chennai airport.International Air Transport Association (IATA) is framing new norms for baggage services.Aviation experts said that the only rule restricts the weight of a bag to 32kg based on labour laws and concern for loaders who handle baggage.Air Passengers Association of India president D Sudhakara Reddy said,Air passengers in the US are different from India.Most domestic air passengers there are business travellers and do not have check-in baggage.They holidays are road trips.Indian passengers fly on domestic holidays. Low-cost carriers have always been indifferent to the idea of free baggage allowance.Since the ticket prices are low,people should be willing to pay for checking in baggage because we incur operational costs and difficulties while handling bags, said an airline official.
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