Air France and KLM have launched baggage-free fares on European routes departing from Russia. This has resulted in a slight price reduction for those flying without baggage and an increase for those checking suitcases, according to a Travel.ru correspondent.
Passengers planning flights with Air France or KLM within Europe should decide in advance whether they want to fly with or without checked baggage. Adding baggage to an existing Light fare with no checked baggage will in most cases cost more than the original Standard fare with checked baggage. Air France allows two items weighing up to 12 kilograms in the cabin free of charge.
The difference between baggage and baggage-free fares is approximately €33 one-way and €50 roundtrip. Adding baggage to a baggage-free fare costs €30 one-way and €60 roundtrip at the time of purchase (meaning, in most cases, it's pointless). However, the Air France website is extremely inconsistent, with its help pages stating that adding baggage after purchase costs €25 upfront and €40 at the airport.
Examples of one-way fares (with a layover in Paris) found on the Air France website include: Moscow to Barcelona (5,787 rubles without baggage allowance) and 8,157 rubles with baggage allowance; Moscow to Nice (5,395 rubles) and 7,840 rubles; and St. Petersburg to London (5,848 rubles) and 8,213 rubles. All of these fares were found for various autumn dates; summer prices are significantly higher.
Examples of autumn round-trip fares: Moscow - Nice - 12,494 rubles without baggage and 16,194 rubles with baggage, Moscow - London - 12,445 and 16,145 respectively, Moscow - Lisbon - 14,198 and 17,898 rubles, St. Petersburg - Rome (via Amsterdam on KLM flights) - 11,784 and 16,224 rubles.
KLM's website isn't yet adapted for selling baggage-free KLM tickets. However, baggage-free KLM fares are available through travel agents and (for select destinations) on the Air France website. While the KLM website sells baggage-free Air France tickets, it doesn't provide any notice, so passengers can assume they've purchased a baggage-free ticket. However, baggage-free Air France fares are no longer available on the website.
Baggage-free fares are also available on the Moscow-Paris route, but the minimum ticket price is very high. Round-trip fares start at 29,014 rubles without baggage and 32,710 rubles with baggage. Fares from St. Petersburg to Paris are approximately half as low.
When booking both baggage-inclusive and baggage-free fares on Air France and KLM, Aeroflot Bonus members should check the fare class, as Aeroflot mistakenly considers all X-class tickets to be award tickets and does not award Aeroflot Bonus miles for them. Checking the class on the Air France website is easy—to do so, open the flight details, click on the fare conditions, and then check the first letter of the fare in the first line of the window that opens.
Elite members of the Flying Blue program and other SkyTeam alliance loyalty programs, including Aeroflot Bonus, are entitled to one piece of baggage free of charge. This also applies to baggage-free fares on Air France and KLM.
Air France and KLM initially planned to launch baggage-free fares on European routes departing from Russia on April 25. However, for unknown reasons, the sales launch was delayed until May 15, and KLM's website is still not ready for them. Intercontinental flights departing from Russia do not yet offer baggage-free fares. Furthermore, baggage-free fares do not apply to tickets where one segment is operated by Aeroflot.
Source: travel.ru