- Flight costs often rise significantly from initially advertised base fares.
- Hidden charges and ‘dark patterns’ inflate final ticket prices.
- Supreme Court ordered Centre to submit new aviation rules within two weeks.
A flight ticket that appears to cost Rs 4,999 during an online search can often end up costing Rs 8,000-Rs 9,000 by the time payment is completed.
Additional charges for seat selection, baggage, meals and convenience fees are among the factors that increase the final fare. The issue has now reached the Supreme Court, which has directed the Centre to submit the proposed aviation rules within two weeks, irrespective of whether they have been tabled in Parliament.
Why Cheap Airfares Often Don’t Stay Cheap
Airlines no longer rely solely on ticket sales for revenue.
Many carriers sell a limited number of seats below their average cost to attract price-sensitive customers. These low fares are prominently displayed in advertisements and search results.
A significant share of airline earnings now comes from ancillary revenue, charges for services such as baggage, seat selection, meals and priority boarding. Globally, these additional services account for around 14 to 16 per cent of airlines’ total revenue.
How The Final Fare Increases
Search And Booking: Passengers are initially shown the base fare. As they proceed to the payment page, taxes, fuel charges and airport fees are added.
Travel booking platforms also levy convenience fees, typically ranging from Rs 149 to Rs 499 per passenger on major portals. This amount is retained by the booking platform and does not go to the airline.
Seat Selection: Passengers who choose window seats or preferred seats generally pay between Rs 300 and Rs 800 per flight. Seats with extra legroom are priced even higher.
Families wishing to sit together often have to pay separately for each member.
Baggage Charges: Baggage policies have become one of the biggest points of contention.
According to the petition before the Supreme Court, private airlines have reduced the free checked baggage allowance for economy-class passengers from 25 kg to 15 kg without any substantial justification.
Passengers exceeding the permitted baggage limit on domestic flights are typically charged between Rs 400 and Rs 750 per kilogram.
Cancellation And Changes: Flight cancellations generally attract charges ranging from Rs 2,500 to Rs 3,500, which in many cases are equivalent to the price of a discounted ticket.
Understanding ‘Dark Patterns’
The government has acknowledged that booking platforms use techniques that can mislead consumers.
In November 2023, the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) prohibited 13 categories of “dark patterns”, including false urgency, basket sneaking, confirm shaming and drip pricing.
False urgency involves displaying messages such as “Only two seats left” to pressure customers into making immediate bookings.
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Basket sneaking refers to adding services such as insurance or meals to a customer’s cart without explicit consent.
Drip pricing involves revealing the full cost only at the final stage of payment.
Surveys Highlight Consumer Concerns
A survey by LocalCircles found that 62 per cent of consumers had repeatedly encountered hidden charges while booking flights that were not disclosed upfront.
Another 40 per cent said services had been added to their carts without their consent.
Complaints also increased during IndiGo’s operational disruption in December 2025, when more than 5,000 flights were cancelled over a week.
Although the airline announced free cancellations and full refunds, several passengers said the cancellation option on the app was unavailable and only the option to change travel dates was displayed.
Why Airfares Keep Changing
Airfares in India have been market-driven since the repeal of the Air Corporations Act in 1994.
The government neither fixes nor regulates ticket prices.
Airlines sell tickets across multiple fare buckets, known as Reservation Booking Designators (RBDs). The cheapest fare bucket is sold first, and prices increase as seats are booked and the inventory shifts to higher-priced buckets.
This is why fares often rise sharply during festivals and long weekends.
The Supreme Court also cited an example where one airline charged Rs 8,000 for an economy seat on a particular route while another charged Rs 18,000 for the same route on the same day.
What Has Happened In The Supreme Court?
The matter stems from a public interest litigation filed by social activist S. Lakshminarayanan.
In November, the Supreme Court sought responses from the Centre and other stakeholders.
The petition seeks the creation of an independent regulator to ensure fare transparency and safeguard passenger interests.
The court has previously described steep airfare increases as “exploitation”.
The petition argues that no authority currently has the power to review or cap airfares or additional charges, allowing airlines to impose hidden fees and adopt unpredictable pricing practices.
A Bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta recently asked the Centre why there had been a delay in notifying the new aviation rules.
The Centre informed the court that the draft rules under the Bharatiya Vayuyan Adhiniyam, 2024, had been finalised and were being translated before being placed before both Houses of Parliament for 30 days.
According to the government, the rules will be tabled during the Monsoon Session of Parliament, scheduled from July 20 to August 13.
The court, however, directed the Centre to submit a sealed copy of the proposed rules within two weeks, regardless of whether they had been placed before Parliament.
The next hearing has been scheduled for August 3.
During the hearing, the petitioner’s counsel argued that airlines are too powerful and that an independent regulator, rather than only a bureaucratic framework, is required.
What Could Change?
Attention is now focused on the rules under the Bharatiya Vayuyan Adhiniyam, 2024.
If they establish a robust mechanism to monitor airfare and additional charges, they could mark the most significant regulatory change in India’s aviation sector since 1994.
Until then, passengers are advised to carefully review every charge before completing a booking, remove any services automatically added to the cart, and remember that the lowest fare displayed at the beginning of the booking process is often not the final amount payable.
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