India's largest airline IndiGo will now charge for web check-in of all seats as carriers continue to look for ways to make up for higher costs.
The budget carrier, operated by InterGlobe Aviation Ltd., said it has revised its policies since Nov. 14 to make all seats selected online chargeable, according to a series to tweets by the airline. That will cost between Rs 100 and Rs 800 depending on the preference.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Civil Aviation in a tweet said it 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," the aviation ministry tweeted on Monday morning.
Earlier, passengers paid extra only for some seats including those along the aisle, window-facing or offering additional legroom if they checked in online. IndiGo will continue to allocate seats without the extra charge to flyers checking in at the airport and those with corporate bookings.
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
Our revised seat policy is effective since 14th of November, 2018. ~Prabh
Rising fuel prices, a weaker rupee and competitive fares have hurt Indian carriers this year. IndiGo, Jet Airways Ltd. and SpiceJet Ltd., which account for 70 percent of the market, reported a combined net loss before tax of more than Rs 2,600 crore—the highest in three years, BloombergQuint reported earlier. The yield, or what airlines earn per passenger for every kilometre, fell as they continue to expand their fleet.
To make up for higher costs, they already levy a fuel surcharge and also increased overweight baggage fees a few months ago.
IndiGo will now charge Rs 800 more for the web check-in of a first-row seat, according to its revised charges and cancellations policy. A non-reclining seat in row 12, which is next to the emergency exit, will cost an additional Rs 600 when selected online. A middle seat in the last row will cost Rs 100 more.
The charges will be added even when a passenger selects the option of web check-in at the time of buying the ticket.
Here's the full list of revised web check-in charges:
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