Air India introduces simplified and enhanced fare structure – ‘Smart Fares’

Air India has introduced a more simplified and enhanced fare structure’ in its cabin classes to offer more customised travel options to its customers. Calling it the ‘New Fare Families’ called ‘Smart Fares,’ the airline plans to have simplified and enhanced fare families across cabins.

This rebranded and restructured fare family aims to align with evolving customer preferences across markets.The revamped fare has already been implemented as of October 17, 2024, and consists of eight categories in Economy, Premium Economy, Business, and First Class. Dumping its one-size-fits-all’ offering and calling it ‘increasingly redundant, Air India has offered customers an easy way to select from several products and services customised to meet their needs.

In Economy, passengers can choose from an array of options—Value, Classic, and Flex fares—with similar options available in Premium Economy, Business, and First Class too. If you’re travelling on a tight budget, the ‘value’ fare might just be what you need, as it allows some flexibility and includes one piece of checked baggage.

However, for those who value more elasticity in their travel plans and need more luggage space, the ‘classic’ or ‘flex’ fares could be a better choice.The diverse ticket categories offer a range of benefits, including enhanced luggage capacity as well as better cancellation and date-change flexibility, all as part of a package upgrade.

Now, no matter where you fly—within country borders or overseas, including destinations like the UAE—these ticketing classes are available for all.According to Nipun Aggarwal, Air India’s Chief Commercial Officer, the airline has simplified the fare families. “We have rebranded and simplified the fare families to provide a unique product and service value proposition at each price point.

We have also redesigned and relaunched market-specific fare families, which cater to unique customer preferences across geographies.

"This is a move away from the traditional one-size-fits-all approach, which is becoming increasingly redundant and addresses the evolving preferences of today’s travellers,” he said.

The airline has updated its pricing categories for flights going to Europe and the UK. With new fare options, customers of the flight can enjoy more economical flights, including a single checked bag up to 23 kg. Notably, the option comes with less flexibility for travel itinerary adjustments.

Recent reports from sources have said that Air India has placed an order for a whopping 85 new Airbus planes as part of its new transformational comeback initiative. That’s not all, as industry insiders are hinting about the airline considering adding more Boeing aircraft to their fleet. This comes on the heels of their unprecedented order of nearly 500 aircrafts from both manufacturing giants.