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The Supreme Court on Monday took up a public interest case challenging unfair and confusing pricing in India’s aviation sector and the cut in free check-in baggage for passengers.

A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta has asked the Centre, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), and the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (AERAI) to respond within four weeks to a plea filed by social activist S. Laxminarayanan.

Senior advocate Ravindra Srivastava, along with AoR Charu Mathur and advocate Abhinav Verma, told the court that air travel, considered an essential service under the Essential Services Maintenance Act, has become very expensive due to ‘unregulated, unpredictable, and unfair’ fare practices.

The PIL said sudden fare hikes, hidden pricing algorithms, and reduced free baggage from 25 kg to 15 kg hit passengers with urgent travel needs, like patients, students, and workers. It noted that airfares can double or triple within hours, citing spikes during events like the Pahalgam terror attack and Maha Kumbh.

The PIL called these sudden fare hikes unfair and against Article 21, which protects the right to live with dignity. It argued that completely leaving airfares to market forces harms this right. The petition said that when people fly in emergencies, charging such high prices directly affects their lives.

The PIL also opposed the sharp reduction in free baggage allowance. It said airlines cut the free check-in limit from 25 kg to 15 kg without any valid reason, turning the removed 10 kg into a way to make more money. Passengers now have to pay up to ₹6,000 extra for that lost 10 kg. The plea added that neither the DGCA nor AERAI has the power to control airfares or extra fees, and the DGCA’s Passenger Charter is not legally binding, giving consumers no real protection.

The petitioner, pointing to the Rajya Sabha Standing Committee’s March 2025 report, has asked the Supreme Court to direct the government to set up an independent regulator to control airfares.