Internet confused with IndiGo charging ‘cute’ fee

CHENNAI: With pictures of IndiGo flight ticket’s price summary going viral, several passengers were left confused after they noticed that IndiGo had levied them a 'cute charge' on their airline tickets.

Twitter user Shantanu shared the price breakup of his ticket fare to bring the internet's attention to a certain component in his ticket which was called the "cute fee".

This tweet triggered an array of reactions, some tried to explain what this component was all about while others played along.

Shantanu shared the price summary and wittingly wrote, “I know I’m getting cuter with age but never thought @IndiGo6E would start charging me for it.’ The picture highlights the ‘price summary’ section which include the usual Airfare charges, seat fees, security and convenience, along with a Rs 100 ‘cute charge’.

Another user, Simran Waliya, also shared a similar experience and wrote, “Only because of these new charges in Indigo, I don’t book flights… It would be 20K for me…. More expensive than the flight fare itself.”

Responding to her tweet, IndiGo clarified, “Ms. Waliya, please know that the CUTE charges are levied at select airports for the usage of Common User Terminal Equipment (CUTE) services…We’d love to serve you on board!”

The full-form of Cute here is “Common User Terminal Equipment”. It is an amount charged by the Airport Authority of India for using metal detecting machines, escalators and other equipment at the airport. CUTE fee is sometimes also referred to as passenger handling fee which varies from one airport to the other, ranging from Rs 50 and Rs 100 per passenger.