India’s aviation regulator will probe the legality of fees just introduced by two airlines for online check-in.
Two of India’s biggest carriers, IndiGo and SpiceJet this week announced it would charge a fee starting at INR100 and INR99 respectively.
It has been slammed by passengers as another example of ‘nickel and diming,’ and even Indian Railways trolled the airlines in social media posts.
Check-in at airports will remain free.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has said it will see whether the fees violate any of the current airline ticketing rules.
It is likely to have a counter-productive effect of causing longer lines at airport check-in desks which will inevitably lead to more manpower required.
India is arguably the most price-sensitive aviation market in the world with airlines loath to increase base fares in a highly competitive market.
Most have raised or added extra ancillary fees to boost their bottom line, even as the DGCA has cracked down on unnecessary fees in some instances recently.
