Jet Airways will now charge for excess cabin baggage

Starting tomorrow - 15 July 2016 - Jet Airways will charge extra fees at check-in or at the boarding gate, for passengers who carry hand luggage beyond the permitted free allowance of 1 cabin baggage of up to 7 kgs. A fee of Rs 900 will be charged for any additional baggage. Here's a detailed look at this policy change.

 

According to this news report in today's Times of India,

Domestic flyers who don't travel light will not be able to avoid paying excess check-in baggage charges by carrying more 'free' cabin bags. Jet Airways will charge Rs 900 from Friday for extra cabin bag for passengers flying from the six metros.

I've been able to verify this change on Jet Airways' website as well, and here's what I make of the changes.

• The normal cabin baggage allowance is 1 bag of standard dimensions (55cm x 35cm x 25cm) not exceeding 7 kg (10 kgs for First and Business class). Note that for ATR flights, the dimensions are 50cm x 45cm x 20cm.
• If the cabin baggage exceeds 7 kgs (10 kgs for First and Business class) or if there is more than one item of hand baggage, then such excess will be charged at Rs 900 per bag.
• In any event, the following are allowed without charge, in the cabin:
  An overcoat wrap or blanket, An umbrella or walking stick, A lady's handbag, pocketbook or purse, Reading material for the flight, A small camera and/or a pair of binoculars, Infant's carrying basket, Infant food for consumption on the flight, A fully collapsible invalid's wheelchair and/or a pair of crutches and / or braces or other prosthetic device for the guest's use provided that the guest is dependent upon them, A laptop.
• Duty-free bags are exempted from additional cabin baggage charge.

The changes take effect for flights departing on 15 July 2016 and after, irrespective of when the ticket was booked. Also important to note is that this change applies only for flights departing from the six metros: Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad.

You can find all the info on Jet's baggage policies, including this new change, here.

Conclusion

Specifically with reference to business class passengers, I've rarely had or seen any concern with two pieces of cabin baggage (excluding a laptop).


Going by the language of the announcement, it does indeed appear (as the news report states), that the objective of this charge is to act as a disincentive or deterrent to passengers from carrying hand baggage over and above the prescribed limits (a fairly common problem in India, and one that I've been guilty of myself a few times), as opposed to trying to make some money out of it. The latter is the positioning that SpiceJet seems to have taken, with their Carry More Onboard offering.


That said, no airline - full service or low-fare - is going to leave money on the table if there's an opportunity for additional revenue. Expect Jet Airways to weigh your bags more closely, going forward!