Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) has introduced on its website a new kind of tariff that allows "hand luggage only," replacing its "promo" tariff, avianews.com reports. The new tariff is also mentioned in the airline’s updated “Passenger and Baggage Carriage Rules.”
According to data in the UIA ticket booking system, a passenger can take only hand luggage weighing up to 7 kilograms aboard a plane. Return of tickets is not possible. Tickets can be exchanged, but a fine will be levied.
Purchase of tickets based on the new tariff that allows only hand luggage is not yet possible.
Recently, UIA announced that it might introduce tariffs without baggage allowance. However, this requires abolition of the provisions of the existing rules on air transport, which oblige Ukrainian airlines to carry at least 15 kilograms of baggage or a single bag weighing up to 23 kilograms free. It is specifically because of this that the Wizz Air Ukraine airline company allowed passengers to check in only one suitcase as baggage with no extra charge before it terminated its operations.
Avianews.com has asked UIA to clarify when it plans to start selling tickets without baggage allowance and how the airline intends to bypass the law’s provision on mandatory carriage of baggage.
If the new rate is introduced, UIA’s operating model will essentially duplicate the operating model of the Latvian carrier airBaltic, which is a hybrid model. As reported, UIA refused to offer free meals to passengers in economy class on most of its flights in 2014.
