INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The government said on Monday that it was reviewing airlines' decision.The Indian Railways does not charge extra money from customers for
web-check ins, the government said
The statement from the Ministry of Railways came after budget airline IndiGo invited public ire for allegedly charging customers for all
seats booked under web check-ins
"No need to pay extra charges for Web-Checkins
No long queues for checking in your luggage
Avoid unreasonable tariff reduce your carbon footprint by travelling on the good old Indian Railways at affordable rates," said the
Ministry of Railways on microblogging site Twitter via its official handle @RailMinIndia.On Sunday, budget carrier IndiGo said that all
seats under its web check-in policy would be chargeable.IndiGo is the largest domestic airline with a market share of nearly 43 per cent in
said on Monday that it was the decision of airlines to charge passengers for any of the seats selected at the time of web check-in to will
be reviewed to ascertain whether the move is in compliance with the existing rules.However, later in the day, IndiGo clarified its stand
saying that it had not changed its policy
"The pricing of different seats is dynamic in natureIndiGo customers will NOT compulsorily have to pay for the seats
The pricing is only for advance selection of seats
When the customer checks-in at the airport, the seats would be assigned for free
That said, there is no guarantee that the seat of choice for the passenger would be available at the time of airport check-in," IndiGo
said.Meanwhile, replying to a customer's query on Twitter on Monday, SpiceJet said that "pre-allocation of seats through web check-in is
"If a passenger does not wish to pay for a seat, he/ she may request for a preferable seat while check-in at the airport
Our team shall provide the seat without charges, if available," the airline said
This was in response to a tweet saying that web check-in at SpiceJet is chargeable, as check-in not allowed without booking a seat.There was
no statement from SpiceJet about its web check-in policy.With unbundled pricing framework, airlines are allowed to charge for various
services, including for booking extra leg-room seats.By way of web check-in, passengers verify their presence on a flight online and seats
