Airlines are mastering the art of upsell; raw deal for basic-fare flyers
Airlines are slowly mastering the art of upselling and are ready to offer that extra to passengers who are willing to pay more for better comfort or flexibility during their trip.
Both IndiGo and Air India which fly 9 out of 10 domestic passengers are rolling out multiple types of fares, where they bundle tickets along with extras. While making it costlier for those booking a basic fare- ticket, to cancel or reschedule their flights, they are lowering these costs for the higher fare bracket topping it up with extras.
For instance, since the beginning of July, market leader IndiGo, has sharply increased its cancellation fees for the lowest fare bracket. Passengers booking a “saver fare” will now shell out Rs 3,999 for cancelling a ticket at the last moment against the previous price of Rs 3,500.
But those opting for a higher fare bracket, which the airline calls “Super 6E fare,” will pay Rs 999 for cancelling a ticket. They will get to book extra roomier XL seats for free and will also get an extra 5 kg luggage allowance over the standard 15 kg.
“IndiGo has revised its cancellation and change fee policy to provide even more choice and flexibility to customers during their flight booking process. These changes are designed to give customers added flexibility and control when booking or amending their flights,” an IndiGo spokesperson said.
Tata group owned Air India which is trying to turn around its fortunes after losses of over Rs 50,000 crore under government ownership have also rolled out the practice of
