In an attempt to be more like its low-cost rivals, Eurowings is adding more restrictions to its basic economy fare. This move would also theoretically speed up turnaround times for the Lufthansa subsidiary. According to a statement from Eurowings, the airline says it is looking after the needs of its price-sensitive customers.

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The new carrier could potentially take over some of the routes operated by Eurowings. Photo: Eurowings

In its press release issued last Friday, Eurowings claims that for its BASIC customers, price is the most important factor when booking a flight.

Passengers will now only pay for services they want

Starting in March, the German budget airline is offering what it calls a revised BASIC fare on short- and medium-haul routes. The airline claims that by allowing passengers to only pay for services that they require, it will make the BASIC entry-level fare even more affordable.

As a kick-starter to the new BASIC fare campaign, Eurowings is offering tickets from March 3rd until March 15th, at 20% cheaper than the normal price. With this new BASIC fare, passengers will be allowed to bring with them on-board one piece of luggage whose dimensions should not exceed 55x40x23 centimeters. A second carry-on will no longer be included in the BASIC fare ticket, which means if you require two carry-on items, an additional fee is required. This will not affect any existing bookings that were made before the new set of rules.

BASIC fare passengers can add extras at time of booking

By changing its carry-on baggage policy for those passengers looking to fly as inexpensively as possible, Eurowings claim passengers can add another piece of luggage by logging on to the company’s website.

Another new feature for BASIC fare customers will be the ability, should they desire, to add priority boarding to their flight.

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BASIC fare passengers will also be able to purchase priority boarding. Photo: Eurowings

In all, this new fare is another example of unbundling, designed to allow passengers to pay for as little or as much as they want and need. This will allow Eurowings to be able to offer competitively priced flights.

When speaking about the flexibility in the new BASIC fare, Eurowings said:

“Our statistics show hand baggage is one of the main drivers of delays, such as when individual pieces of hand baggage have to be loaded after boarding. The newly designed BASIC fare with reduced hand baggage makes a decisive contribution to further minimizing these delay drivers - and all Eurowings customers benefit from this. Thanks to optimized hand baggage processes, among other things, Eurowings were among the ten most punctual airlines in Europe in 2019. Passengers greatly appreciate this, which is reflected in current customer satisfaction figures at record levels at Eurowings.”

Eurowings wants passengers to check-in online

Also starting in March, Eurowings want to speed up things at the airport by getting BASIC customers to check-in online, rather than at the airport. Eurowings claims that by doing this, it will reduce queues at the airport while also saving passengers valuable time. Any BASIC fare passenger who would prefer to check-in at the airport will still be able to do so but must select the option in advance when making their booking.

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Eurowings is changing its policies and encouraging more passengers to check-in online. Photo: Eurowings

Touting the advantage of online check-in, Eurowings claims that they would be able to use online information systems to keep customers comprehensively informed about their flight via SMS and e-mail in the event of flight irregularities.

Any Eurowings customers who have booked the SMART or BIZclass fare will not see any changes to the onboard baggage allowance. These fares currently do not have to pay for the ability to check-in at the airport.

What do you think about Eurowings' new BASIC fare baggage restrictions? Is this going too far? Please let us know your thoughts in the comments section.