Air India domestic baggage allowance

I am getting an Air India flight from Delhi to Mumbai and one of my main concerns ae the baggage allowance. I am going to Mumbai for two weeks, and I will have quite a bit of baggage, and I would like to know what the AirIndiaa domestic baggage allowance is.

If there are extra charges which I guess there will be for excess baggage, what are the charges?

 

Hello, welcome to the forum!

(Images from Star Alliance, Wikimedia and Freekaamaalhai)​

Overview

Tracing its origins back to the 19th century, Air India is now one of the most extensive airlines in India. It has both domestic and international flights to over 86 cities. The airline is owned by Air India Limited, which is actually a Government of India undertaking. However, it started out as a private business venture by Tata Sons, also known as Tata Airlines, and it was only after the World War II that it became a government-owned enterprise. Now, Air India has been offering their services to both locals and tourists, in need to be transferred from one place to another in India or from India to another country or vice versa.

Baggage Allowances in Domestic Sector of Air India

Air India caters to over 49 cities in India alone, including Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bangalore, Bhopal, Chennai, Dehradun, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kullu, Leh, Srinagar and many more. When booking a flight though, it's important to know the baggage allowances of your airline. This way, you can easily prepare and pack your suitcase without worrying about the excess baggage fees. With Air India, they have different policies for domestic and international flights. This thread would highlight their allowance policies about domestic flights, for both cabin baggage and checked-in baggage.

Cabin Baggage Allowance for Air India (Domestic)

Maximum Weight	Dimensions	Piece
8 kilograms	Up to 115 centimetres in linear diameter	Only 1 piece allowed

The values above depict the passenger limits for cabin baggage, also known as carry-on baggage, for domestic flights. Only 1 piece of cabin baggage is allowed, not exceeding 8 kilograms in weight. Its total linear diameter must not exceed 115 centimetres or 45 inches. So a carry-on baggage with the following attributes:

• 55 cm x 40 cm x 20 cm = Allowed

• 55 cm x 35 cm x 25 cm = Allowed

• 60 cm x 30 cm x 35 cm = Not Allowed

If you have a child with you, if he has his own seat, then he would be entitled to the same cabin baggage allowances. But if you have an infant with you, who doesn't have his or her own seat, he won't be entitled to the same allowances. However, you are allowed to bring one semi-collapsible stroller or cot with you, provided that it fits in the cabin as well. Lastly, passengers are also allowed to carry another hand bag (for the women), a laptop bag, reading materials or a jacket, in addition to the carry-on baggage allowed.

Checked-In Baggage Allowance for Air India (Domestic)

Class	Adults/Children FBA - Pieces	Infants FBA - Pieces	Dimensions (Adults/Children)	Dimensions (Infants)
First Class	40 kilograms - 2 pieces	10 kilograms - 1 piece	Up to 158 centimetres	Up to 115 centimetres
Business Class	35 kilograms - 2 pieces	10 kilograms - 1 piece	Up to 158 centimetres	Up to 115 centimetres
Economy Class	25 kilograms - 2 pieces	10 kilograms - 1 piece	Up to 158 centimetres	Up to 115 centimetres

The table above depicts the checked-in baggage allowances for domestic sector passengers. As you can see, they differ between infants and adults. For the adults or children with seats, there's a maximum of two pieces of checked-in baggage allowed. Depending on the class, there are also some differences in the allowed maximum weight. For an economy class, a maximum of 25 kilograms is allowed for adults/children. For a business class seat, up to 35 kilograms of checked-in baggage is allowed while for a first class seat, you have up to 40 kilograms of maximum checked-in baggage allowance weight. Infants are entitled to a 10-kilogram checked-in baggage allowance, regardless of the class of flight their parents have. Lastly, for adults/children, they are allowed of up to 158 centimetres in maximum linear diameter for their baggage while it's only at 115 centimetres for infants. Also, ensure that one piece of checked-in baggage won't exceed 32 kilograms as this is the maximum permissible weight per luggage.

*FBA stands for Free Baggage Allowance

Excess Baggage Fees for Air India (Domestic)

Class	Flat Rate/Kilogram	Service Tax
First Class	Rs. 250	8.4% of the Excess Baggage Amount reflected on the Excess Baggage Ticket
Business Class	Rs. 250	8.4% of the Excess Baggage Amount reflected on the Excess Baggage Ticket
Economy Class	Rs. 250	5.6% of the Excess Baggage Amount reflected on the Excess Baggage Ticket

From the table above, you can compute for the excess baggage fees. There's a flat rate of Rs. 250 per kilogram excess and also a service tax included. It depends on your class of seat what the service tax would be. For both the first class and business class passengers, they have to pay the Rs. 250 per kilogram excess plus the 8.4% service tax of the excess baggage amount reflected on the excess baggage ticket. For the economy class passengers, they have to pay the Rs. 250 per kilogram excess plus the 5.6% service tax of the excess baggage amount reflected on the excess baggage ticket.

So the following formulas would therefore suffice:

• If you have a 25-kilogram excess of checked-in baggage on economy class = (25 kilograms * Rs. 250) + 5.6% Service Tax

• If you have a 10-kilogram excess of checked-in baggage on first class = (10 kilograms * Rs. 250) + 8.4% Service Tax

For the cabin baggage though, any excess out of the permitted 8 kilograms, you would then need to have your luggage checked-in. You would then need to pay the required fees above as well.

Your Best Option for Excess Baggages - Prepaid Baggage Allowance Scheme

Weight	First Class/Business Class	Economy Class
5 kilograms	Rs. 1,230	Rs. 1,190
5 to 10 kilograms	Rs. 2,450	Rs. 2,390
10 to 15 kilograms	Rs. 3,680	Rs. 3,580
15 to 20 kilograms	Rs. 4,900	Rs. 4,770

If ever you have excess baggages with you, you can opt for the prepaid baggage allowance scheme. With this scheme, you can pay for the excess baggage in advance by calling the Air India call centre or booking centre. You save some money this way, instead of paying the fees right at the airport itself. As you can see, the fees differ for first class/business class seats and for economy class seats. They also have set kilograms, like up to 5 kilograms or maybe 5 to 10 kilograms. These slabs would allow you to choose which one best fits you and pay accordingly. You save up to 10% when you purchase a slab instead of paying the excess baggage fees at the airport. Do make sure that you call the centre at least 2 days before your scheduled departure as they won't allow excess baggage prepaid booking just a day before your flight.

Conclusion

I hope this little guide helps you in knowing more about the domestic baggage allowances of Air India. You can always contact Air India for further information or if you would like to purchase the prepaid baggage allowances above. Good luck and happy trip!