Nordwind Airlines has introduced baggage-free fares without any prior notice. They are already on sale for flights departing from October 29, Aviablogger.com reports.
Taking advantage of upcoming changes to the Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR), the airline has radically cut the free baggage and carry-on baggage allowances. The carrier will completely deprive its passengers of baggage on some economy class fares and will reduce the carry-on baggage allowance to 5 kilograms for all economy class passengers.
Formally, the solution offered by Nordwind Airlines is very similar to the Smart Choice fare system of S7 Airlines. In economy and business classes, two types of fares are available: Promo and Optimum. However, the standards differ greatly from those adopted by S7 Airlines.
The Economy Promo baggage-free fare allows you to take on board only one piece of hand luggage weighing no more than 5 kilograms and with dimensions no more than 115 centimeters in the sum of three dimensions. Tickets for this fare cannot be returned, but can be exchanged for an additional fee of 3,000 rubles or 60 euros (before departure) to 6,000 rubles or 95 euros (after departure). Adding checked baggage will cost 2,000 rubles.
It is likely that such a tiny carry-on baggage allowance will not suit most passengers, and to carry their belongings they will have to resort to the list of absolutely free items stipulated by the FAP, which includes, as is known, a handbag or briefcase with their contents. Their weight is not taken into account in the calculation. It is unknown whether Nordwind Airlines will control the weight of carry-on baggage upon boarding, but the carrier will certainly check it at check-in.
At the same time, the airline hardly warns passengers about sudden changes in its rules. The only indication of them during the booking process is an inconspicuous link “fare conditions” in small print under the price of the selected ticket. The link opens a list of rules consisting of hundreds of lines of compact service text of the booking system, which an ordinary passenger is unlikely to cope with - such as “Fare: OPROW. Flight: N4-173 adult passenger *МОВ-N4-ЭКБ* Abbreviated text of UPT Applicable to fares with the base fare code 'OPROW', applied as OW (one-way, unidirectional). Fare type 'C'-special” - and so on.
The carrier also did not publish any news or press releases about such a radical change in the rules. It is likely that many passengers will be caught off guard at check-in counters.
Moreover, it is not even formally known from what date Nordwind Airlines began selling tickets under these new rules. It is possible that this date is October 16 – on this day the company sent out a notice to its agents about the new tariffs. Logically, passengers who bought tickets before October 16 can use the old rules and regulations with 10 kilograms of hand luggage and 10 kilograms of checked baggage – plus a briefcase or handbag. Just in case, it is better to have the itinerary receipt at hand during check-in and boarding, this will help to avoid misunderstandings.
The Economy Optimum fare allows you to take 1 piece of hand luggage free of charge, again weighing up to 5 kilograms, and check in 1 piece weighing up to 20 kilograms. Such a ticket can be returned before departure with a fine of 1,500 rubles or 30 euros, or after departure with a fine of 5,000 rubles or 80 euros. It can also be exchanged - without a fine before departure and with a fine of 5,000 or 80 euros after departure.
The Business Promo fare includes two pieces of hand luggage weighing up to 5 kilograms each and one piece of luggage weighing up to 20 kilograms. A ticket for this fare is non-refundable, it can be exchanged for 5,000 rubles or 80 euros before departure and 7,000 rubles or 110 euros after departure. The Business Optimum fare allows you to check in two pieces of luggage weighing up to 20 kilograms each, the hand luggage allowance is the same as the Promo fare. Ticket exchange before departure is possible without a fee, after departure for 5,000 rubles or 80 euros. Ticket return is possible at any time without penalty.
Source: travel.ru