Aeroflot Airlines will introduce baggage-free fares starting in April on routes to Italy and Germany, as well as on a number of routes operated by its subsidiary Rossiya Airlines. There is no doubt that this is only the first step, and in the future, the innovation will be extended to other Aeroflot, Rossiya, and possibly Aurora routes, according to Travel.ru's own correspondent.
Aeroflot logically chose highly competitive European routes for its testing, where both other Russian and foreign airlines have long offered baggage-free fares. It's unclear whether this applies only to direct flights from Moscow or also to connecting flights to Italy and Germany from other cities in its network. Rossiya Airlines' initial sales phase will include certain "medium-haul routes"—what Aeroflot means by this is unclear. Theoretically, this could apply to any of Rossiya's routes, except for long-haul and tourist charters.
It's also unclear whether the first phase for Rossiya Airlines will include routes served by both Aeroflot and Rossiya Airlines—specifically, about two dozen routes from Moscow, primarily domestic. If they are included, Aeroflot will offer both Rossiya Airlines flights with baggage-free fares and its own flights without them on the same route.
Previously, all other major Russian and many foreign carriers had introduced baggage-free fares. As a result, Aeroflot found it somewhat inconvenient to compete on price while including baggage in every ticket.
This innovation will allow Aeroflot to slightly reduce its minimum fare (by removing the included baggage allowance), thereby better competing with other carriers on price. At the same time, as the experience of virtually all airlines shows, introducing baggage-free fares inevitably leads to an increase in the minimum baggage allowance—and this increase is often much greater than the reduction in the minimum fare. In other words, flying overall becomes more expensive (though cheaper for some passengers).
Aeroflot is not providing any further details about the new feature, other than to say that sales will open on April 2. Members of Aeroflot Bonus elite tiers and other SkyTeam loyalty programs will be able to carry one piece of checked baggage free of charge, even on baggage-free fares.
The cost of adding baggage to a baggage-free fare is also currently unknown. Currently, Aeroflot charges 2,500 rubles for an extra piece of baggage on domestic routes and 50 euros for international flights (100 euros for long-haul flights). It's possible these prices will remain in effect for passengers who wish to add baggage to a previously purchased baggage-free fare.
Aeroflot's free ski equipment allowance (and, on some routes, diving equipment) will likely not apply to baggage-free fares. At least, this is the typical solution for most airlines that offer baggage-free fares but also offer free ski and snowboard transportation.
Aeroflot's entry into the baggage-free fare race will significantly change the pricing situation on both domestic routes and some international routes. Among other things, at least on many domestic routes, there's a risk of a return to the cartel-like situation of approximately three to six years ago. Back then, as we recall, on most domestic routes, the minimum prices of almost all carriers were identical, down to the ruble (and Aeroflot's pricing moves were immediately copied by all competitors). The situation changed three years ago, when Siberia Airlines, and subsequently many other airlines, began offering baggage-free fares. As a result, everyone's product went from being identical to the previous one, and their prices also diverged. Now that baggage-free fares are available everywhere, there's a risk of a return to a similar situation of equally high fares that no longer include baggage.
Source: travel.ru
