Two budget carriers. One booking decision. If you’ve ever typed “cheap flights” into Google and found yourself toggling between Akasa Air and SpiceJet, you already know the struggle. The fares look similar. The routes overlap. And the fine print? That’s where things get complicated.
Most airline comparison blogs stop at ticket price and baggage allowance. This one doesn’t. From seat downgrades and family seating separation to post-booking price drops and app reliability during check-in, the sections below cover the frustrations that actually affect your travel experience—not just the ones that look good in a comparison table.
Whether you’re a solo young professional commuting between metros or a family trying to keep seats together on a holiday flight, this guide is built for you.
Base Fares and Pricing Transparency
On short domestic routes, both airlines compete aggressively on price. Akasa Air, launched in 2022 and operating an all-Boeing 737 MAX fleet, entered the market with a low-fare positioning designed to undercut established players. SpiceJet, one of India’s oldest budget carriers, uses a mixed fleet of Boeing 737s and Bombardier Q400s with fares that fluctuate widely based on demand and season.
For most city pairs, the base fare gap between the two is negligible. The real cost difference appears in add-ons: seat selection fees, excess baggage charges, and meal options.
Price Drop After Booking
Here is a frustration that almost no comparison blog addresses directly: you book a ticket today, then check the same flight tomorrow and find it cheaper. Neither Akasa Air nor SpiceJet offers a price-match refund or fare difference credit for standard bookings. Once you pay, the difference is yours to absorb.
This is standard practice across Indian carriers, but it stings more when the drop is significant. The practical advice here is to book only when you’re certain of your plans and monitor prices during sale windows—both airlines run periodic promotional fares that are easiest to catch through their official apps and email alerts.
Baggage Policies: What You Actually Get
Both airlines offer identical free checked baggage allowances on domestic routes: 15 kg per passenger (one piece). Hand baggage allowance is also matched at 7 kg for both carriers.
Where they diverge is in the details:
- Akasa Air allows one additional personal item (handbag, laptop bag, or small carry-on) weighing up to 3 kg that fits under the seat in front, at no extra charge.
- SpiceJet permits one piece of hand baggage up to 7 kg, with a laptop bag, ladies’ purse, or duty-free shopping bag included within that same 7 kg total—not as a separate allowance.
For excess baggage on domestic flights, SpiceJet charges INR 700 per kg at the airport. Pre-booking excess weight is cheaper: 5 kg costs INR 3,225 and 10 kg costs INR 6,450. Akasa Air’s excess baggage rates are available on their add-ons page during booking.
Students flying Akasa Air on domestic routes should note a useful perk: passengers on student fares can carry one piece up to 25 kg instead of the standard 15 kg.
Clubbing baggage under the same PNR is available on SpiceJet for passengers sharing a booking, as long as individual bags don’t exceed 32 kg each. Akasa Air operates similar standard rules.
Check-In: Cutoff Times and What Happens If You Miss Them
Both airlines open online check-in 48 hours before departure. The closing times differ significantly.
- Akasa Air: Web check-in closes 60 minutes before departure for both domestic and international flights.
- SpiceJet: Web check-in for domestic flights closes 2 hours before departure, according to third-party travel sources. Airport check-in closes 45 minutes before departure.
This is one of the most overlooked points in airline comparisons. Passengers who arrive at the airport assuming they can check in freely—only to find counters closed—have no recourse. Under DGCA regulations, if a passenger misses the stated check-in deadline, the airline is not obligated to compensate for denied boarding. Knowing these cutoff times before travel day is not optional; it is essential.
Akasa Air also offers an Auto Check-in feature through its app, which automatically assigns a seat, a useful fallback if you forget to check in manually.
Cabin Comfort and Legroom
Akasa Air operates an all-737 MAX fleet. The MAX series offers slightly wider seats and improved cabin pressurization compared to older 737 variants. SpiceJet’s domestic network uses a mix of 737-800/900s and Q400 turboprops on regional routes.
Seat pitch on both carriers hovers around the standard budget-carrier range of 28–30 inches. Neither airline offers significant legroom on economy fares without an upgrade.
The Q400 experience on SpiceJet regional routes deserves a separate mention. The cabin is narrower, noisier, and sits lower to the ground. Passengers who book SpiceJet expecting a jet and get a Q400 sometimes feel blindsided—especially if they selected seats based on a jet cabin layout that no longer applies.
Aircraft Changes After Booking
This is one of the most under-reported passenger frustrations in Indian aviation—and it happens on both airlines.
When an airline swaps aircraft types after tickets are sold, passengers can experience:
- Different seat configurations, making pre-selected seats meaningless
- Loss of window or aisle position after paying for a preferred seat
- Smaller or narrower seats than originally expected
SpiceJet, given its mixed fleet, carries a higher risk of aircraft-type changes on certain routes. A booking originally scheduled on a Boeing 737 can sometimes operate on a Q400, resulting in a completely different seating layout. Akasa Air’s all-737 MAX fleet reduces this risk on their network, since there is no turboprop substitute waiting in the rotation.
What you can do: Check your booking closer to departure for any aircraft change notifications. If the airline downgrades your aircraft type and your pre-selected seat is no longer valid, contact customer support before the day of travel.
Seat Downgrades and Family Seating Separation
Under DGCA’s Civil Aviation Requirements (Series M, Part IV, effective 15 February 2023), if a passenger is involuntarily downgraded to a lower class, the airline must reimburse 75% of the cost of the ticket including taxes for domestic sectors.
However, seat reassignment within economy—being moved away from a pre-selected seat due to aircraft changes, system errors, or overbooking—is a different matter. This type of reassignment often happens without clear notice, and many passengers only discover it at the boarding gate.
Families traveling together face this problem acutely. If seat selection was not purchased, or if an aircraft change invalidates those selections, family members—including parents with young children—can end up separated across the cabin. This is a documented passenger frustration on both carriers.
Practical advice for families: Always purchase seat selection at booking time and confirm your seats again 24 hours before departure via online check-in. If seats have changed due to an aircraft swap, call the airline immediately rather than hoping it resolves at the airport.
Airport Terminal Changes
Airlines occasionally shift terminal operations, and this information does not always reach passengers clearly. At airports like Delhi’s IGI, different terminals serve different airlines—and a terminal change can mean a significant transfer time.
Both Akasa Air and SpiceJet operate primarily from domestic terminals at major airports, but their specific gate allocations can shift. DGCA regulations state that if an airline offers a flight from an alternative terminal without informing the passenger at least 6 hours in advance, the airline must bear the cost of transferring the passenger between terminals.
Check your terminal assignment through the airline app the evening before travel, not just on booking confirmation.
Passenger Rights: What DGCA Actually Guarantees
The DGCA’s Civil Aviation Requirements (effective 15 February 2023) provides the following protections for passengers on both carriers:
Denied Boarding:
- If an alternate flight departs within 24 hours: compensation of 200% of the one-way basic fare plus fuel charge, capped at INR 10,000
- If the alternate flight departs more than 24 hours later: 400%, capped at INR 20,000
- If the passenger refuses the alternate flight: full ticket refund plus 400% compensation (max INR 20,000)
Flight Cancellation (without adequate notice):
- Compensation ranges from INR 5,000 to INR 10,000 depending on block time, in addition to a full refund
Flight Delays:
- Meals and refreshments must be provided for qualifying delays (starting at 2 hours for short-haul flights)
- Hotel accommodation must be provided for delays exceeding 24 hours or overnight delays between 8 PM and 3 AM
Passengers can file grievances through the Air Sewa App or Portal. If unresolved, escalation to any statutory body or court remains an option.
Most passengers are unaware of these entitlements. Knowing them before your flight is not paranoia—it is preparation.
App and Digital Experience
Akasa Air’s app, built as a digital-first product from the ground up, is generally regarded as more stable and intuitive than SpiceJet’s. Both apps support booking, check-in, seat selection, and add-on purchases.
Common digital pain points across Indian budget carriers include:
- Payment gateway failures during peak booking windows
- Boarding passes failing to load or refresh correctly
- App crashes during web check-in, which can create issues if the check-in window is closing
Akasa Air’s younger technology stack gives it an edge in this category. SpiceJet’s platform has historically faced more reported performance issues, particularly during flash sales when server load spikes.
Tip: Always screenshot your boarding pass and save it locally rather than relying on app connectivity at the airport.
Customer Support During Disruptions
Price and baggage policies are easy to compare because the numbers are published. Support quality during disruptions is harder to quantify but often matters far more.
Akasa Air, as a younger airline, has generally received more favorable reviews for response times and resolution speed. SpiceJet, which has faced significant financial and operational turbulence in recent years, has drawn more complaints around delayed rebooking, unresponsive airport desks, and inconsistent refund processing.
For both airlines, the fastest route to resolution during a disruption is the airport help desk, followed by the airline’s official social media handles—which typically receive faster responses than call centers.
The Final Verdict: Which Airline Suits You Better?
For young professionals on solo or paired city-to-city trips: Akasa Air offers a cleaner digital experience, a modern and consistent fleet, and fewer unpleasant surprises around aircraft changes. If your route is covered by Akasa, it currently edges out SpiceJet on overall reliability.
For cost-first travelers on regional or tier-2 routes: SpiceJet’s wider network, including Q400 operations to smaller airports, means it serves routes Akasa Air does not yet cover. If SpiceJet is the only option, or the price gap is significant, it remains a serviceable choice—provided you book seat selection, know your baggage allowance, and arrive at check-in well within the cutoff.
For families: Either airline requires advance seat selection at booking. Do not leave family seating to chance. Know the DGCA rules on downgrading and compensation, and confirm your seats the day before departure.
The most expensive part of a budget flight is not always on the fare screen. It is the seat you lose, the terminal you missed, or the compensation you never knew you were owed.