Baggage Rule Leaves Pilgrims in Precarious Situation

Jeddah: An Air-India flight left the Haj Terminal yesterday morning carrying only 100 of its over scheduled 200 passengers after they raised an outcry over an excess baggage charge of SR55 a kilo that the airline was demanding from the pilgrims.
The flight bound for Lucknow in northern India, for which over 200 passengers had checked in, finally left around 9 a.m. “In fact, the 100-odd passengers who did not travel chose not to board the flight as they needed time to send their excess baggage by cargo,” K.M. Kurian, Air-India’s Western Province manager, told Arab News.
“Our rules for excess baggage for passengers stand at SR55 per kilo for those purchasing return tickets in India and SR13 per kilo for those holding tickets purchased in the Kingdom,” Kurian said.
“So there was nothing wrong on the part of Air-India to demand SR55 kg per kilo over and above the carrier’s free baggage allowance of 45 kg in addition to a can of Zamzam water per pilgrim,” he added.
Asked why the pilgrims were not informed in advance about the increase in charges, Kurian said, “Air-India had communicated to the Haj Committee of India and it was the responsibility of the HCI to inform the pilgrims.”
Until last year, Air-India’s excess baggage charges stood at SR13 per kilo for Haj tickets purchased in India.
26/12/07 K.S. Ramkumar/Arab News, Saudi Arabia

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Categories: Air India - International Dec 2007, Foreign Dec 2007, NACIL Dec 2007