Lufthansa has made travelling to India and North America significantly more expensive by cutting the baggage allowance on flights within those destinations.
Long-haul flights to India and North America are very costly and as rising fuel prices continue to increase costs for airlines, reducing passenger amenities and offers with a typical economy seat ticket may be the best option to keep operations going.
Further details
Lufthansa’s latest policy requires passengers to pay extra for a second check-in bag, reducing the baggage allowance on long-haul flights to India and North America.
From 1 August, the new policy will be in action and passengers will be subject to an extra charge for a second check-in bag for economy seats. If you booked your flight on or before 31 July, you’re in luck as you will be exempt from this new rule.
So what will you be charged?
From today, an economy passenger flying with Lufthansa will have to pay a further €200 online or €250 at the airport for every additional check-in bag. You are only allowed one check-in bag without any additional cost. For a return trip, the cost is the same. So, the costs add up to an additional €400 to €500 on top of the ticket price. Quite a significant increase.
Why has Lufthansa made this decision?
Most likely, Lufthansa’s decision to cut baggage allowance on its most costly flights is due to the jet fuel price surge and the challenges that arise as a result. Most airlines are spending more on jet fuel than they ever had before and unfortunately, to keep operations going, difficult decisions can be made.
What also contributed to the German national carrier’s decision was the fact that a significant portion of the profit from passenger flights comes from the cargo they carry. Charging for a second (or more) check-in bag means that Lufthansa will be able to deter passengers from checking in more bags, therefore freeing up cargo space on its planes to generate the much-needed extra profit.
What do you make of this? Are you planning to fly with Lufthansa any time soon? Comment below to share your thoughts with us.
It doesn’t appear to be a wise business decisions . Long haul flights are where people tend to carry more bags .Baggage allowance will become a competitive disadvantage especially the India-US sector