Hours after the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) said it is “reviewing the web check-in fees announced by the two low-cost carriers to see whether they fall within the unbundled pricing framework,” IndiGo on Monday, 26 November, tweaked its decision, the Times of India reported.
The decision comes after a huge public outcry against IndiGo’s move to charge the passengers for selection of any seat while doing web check-in for a flight.
“While the preferred seat pricing starts as low as Rs 100, there would be some seats that may be available for free depending on the market dynamics for the flight. Thus, there are some seats that are available for free at a certain time period before departure (eg. one day before departure) or on certain aircraft type (eg. ATR operated flights).”Indigo in a statement
According to the report, “If the passengers have no particular preference for seats and would not like to pay for advance seat selection, they can either reserve any free seats available at the time of web check-in or will, of course, be assigned seats at the time of airport check-in,” the statement said.
The MoCA on Monday morning tweeted that it has taken cognisance of the matter and is “reviewing these fees to see whether they fall within the unbundled pricing framework.”
The government’s response came after IndiGo, on Sunday, said passengers will now have to pay up to Rs 800 extra if they opt for web check-in, as the airline has revised its policy.
"As per our revised policy all seats are chargeable for web check-in. Alternatively, you may check-in at the airport for free. Seats will be assigned as per the availability," IndiGo had said in a series of tweets.
The revised policy has been effective from 14 November, it said.
With the new revisions already in place, the seats now cost between Rs 100 and Rs 800 depending on the preference.
The Gurugram-headquartered low-cost carrier reported its first quarterly loss at Rs 651 crore in July-September period amid high fuel cost and depreciation of rupee.
For web check-in of a first-row seat, a passenger will have to pay as much as Rs 800 extra, while 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 now costs Rs 100 more, as per the revised charges.
Earlier, the budget carrier charged only for seats of a particular type – like a window or an aisle seat or a seat having extra legroom when – passenger opted for online selection.
Passengers Had Expressed Disappointment
IndiGo Cancels Flight to Delhi, BJP MP Among Passengers Stranded
Bharatiya Janata Party parliamentarian Meenakshi Lekhi and her co-passengers were stranded at the Indore airport after their flight to New Delhi was cancelled at the last minute due to "technical" reasons on Sunday, 25 November.
"Stuck at Indore Airport, people are angry and disappointed by the conduct of IndiGo officials," Lekhi said in a tweet along with a video clip of the angry passengers.
The IndiGo flight 6E 8867, operated by Airbus A320, was scheduled to take off at 9:20 pm, but the airline informed the passengers that the flight was delayed by half-an-hour. "Fifteen minutes later, IndiGo announced that it had cancelled the flight due to technical reasons," a passenger said.
"The airline also informed the passengers the flight will now depart on Monday at 12:30," he added.
The passengers also claimed that the airline did not accept the request for providing food or hotel accommodations, alleging that the IndiGo staff was not at all cooperative.
IndiGo officials could not be contacted for comments.
(With inputs from PTI and the Times of India)
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