Flying costs the sky!

Well, it is human nature – to always pick up and inculcate all that which is not-so-good. But once again, ‘good’ is a relative term; what is good for one, might be bad for the other. So the domestic airlines have finally succumbed to the international practice – of charging for cabin baggage, for preferential seats or use of lounges increasing the revenue options for airlines. This is good for the airlines not bad for passengers – it means we only get fleeced further.

Many feel that this could be at the behest of the new Malaysian airlines – AirAsia which is expected to debut soon and it has been one of its biggest earners – to charge for check-in and preferential seats. Many whisper in the corridors of the aviation ministry that this was to accommodate the new airlines.

So for the convenience of travel, to get speedily from one city to the other, we as passengers will now pay for not just the air fare,  fuel surcharge, passenger service fees, user development fees but what will now also add on to the cost will be preferential seating, meal/snack/drink charges (except drinking water), use of arlines’ lounges,  check in baggage, sports equipment carriage, musical instrument carriage and  fee for special declaration of valuable baggage. If only our Indian Railways were cleaner and safer…