- Sunday, April 28, 2024
The airline, which is a subsidiary of Air India, introduced last month Xpress Lite for UAE passengers who plan to travel without check-in baggage.
By: Shubham Ghosh
INDIA’S Tata Group-owned Air India Express has now offered its passengers an option to save money on their flight tickets by travelling with less baggage. The budget carrier has introduced a fresh fare structure offering travellers the flexibility to either enjoy an enhanced baggage allowance of up to 40 kilograms or opt for a ticket without any checked-in luggage.
The newly introduced fare classifications, applicable to flights to and from the UAE as well as other international destinations, include:
Xpress Lite
Xpress Value
Xpress Flex
Xpress Biz
While Xpress Lite presents cabin baggage-only fares, providing the most economical option for passengers flying with the airline, Xpress Value fare permits 15 kg of checked-in baggage. Xpress Flex offers unrestricted changes without any change fees and Xpress Biz offers business class seats, complimentary meals, and priority services.
Read: India, UAE ink pact to fast operationalise economic corridor
The airline, which is a subsidiary of Air India, introduced last month Xpress Lite for UAE passengers who plan to travel without check-in baggage, the Khaleej Times reported.
Xpress Biz fares are accessible on all the recently introduced Air India Express Boeing 737-8 aircraft. Passengers booking such fares can benefit from enhanced baggage allowances of 25kg for domestic flights and 40kg for international flights, along with priority check-in, baggage, and boarding services.
Read: India, UAE strengthen ties with 10 collaboration pacts
Air India Express has already commenced operations with aircraft featuring Biz seats in more than 70 routes across India.
In February, Ankur Garg, chief commercial officer, Air India Express said that the launch of Xpress Lite fares sets in motion what they hope “will be a new way to fly in India, extending a proposition already popular amongst flyers across the world, including international airlines flying to and from India”, India’s Economic Times reported.
Aloke Singh, managing director of Air India Express, told Khaleej Times in an interview in the past that the airline was eyeing a bigger operational capacity in the Gulf region, including the UAE, besides providing better connectivity to travellers in that region.
The carrier runs 195 flights per week connecting India and the UAE, with 80 to Dubai, 77 to Sharjah, 31 to Abu Dhabi, five to Ras Al Khaimah, and two to Al Ain. It operates 308 flights weekly across the Gulf region.
Competition is intensifying in the India-UAE sector, which stands as one of the busiest air routes in the region due to a large population of non-resident Indians (NRIs) residing and working in the UAE. Moreover, UAE carriers offer robust connectivity to European and American destinations, attracting many Indian travelers to fly with them.
In February, Emirates inked a deal with VFS Global to introduce a pre-approved visa-on-arrival service for Indian passport holders who have chosen to book their travel with the airline, capitalizing on the burgeoning travel trends between the two nations.
