Travelling, for work or for leisure, is supposed to be a relaxing and fulfilling experience. However, when one is travelling with excess baggage, especially via an economy airline, heavy charges on extra baggage might end up dampening the experience. Additionally, claiming and transporting the baggage at the airport becomes even more cumbersome when one has excess baggage. Pioneered out of Hyderabad, Avaan Excess is a women-led startup that is disrupting the excess baggage segment with an aim to make air travel safe, hassle free, convenient and economical. Senior citizens, mothers with small children and even international passengers with excess baggage can now travel stress free.

Incorporated in 2019 under the leadership of Meera, Avaan Excess was visioned to give travellers the luxury of excess baggage at affordable prices. Having started her career in the hospitality sector with the Oberois, and then with the Logistics & Express cargo sector in companies like TCI & Gati, Meera, comes with a sound experience which gave her the expertise to think out of the box and spearhead customized and pocket friendly solutions for the excess baggage problems of the travelers.

Reminiscing her exorbitant and harrowing baggage transfer experience, Meera mentions, “About 5 years back, I was travelling from Kolkata to Hyderabad from a wedding and my ticket cost was only Rs. 2500/- whereas I paid Rs 8000/-towards excess baggage as I had lot of luggage. It was extremely frustrating to think that in future I will always have to pay this kind of money for excess baggage. This is from

where the concept of starting an alternate for excess baggage took its root.” Understanding the woes of logistics industry close and personal, Ms. Meera started Avaan Excess with a focus on customer service and sustainable business models. Avaan Excess bagged the Startup Business Award at the Economic Times Business Innovation Leaders Awards on 16th February 2020.

Innovating Excess Baggage Transfers
Providing the luxury to affordably and safely transfer excess baggage, consumer can avail Avaan’s services either directly through their physical kiosks at the airport or opt for door-to-door service by connecting with them via company website. Avaan’s transfer services can also be availed while booking tickets on their partner travel portals like MakeMyTrip. The platform allows shipment tracking right from the time of pickup until delivery to ensure safety and transparency for travellers.

With Avaan, travellers have the option to choose the delivery period by opting for a Premium package (delivery within 24 - 72 hours) or a Surface package(delivery between 4-7 days)at prices starting at less than Rs 100 per kg. Addressing the current problems with luggage transfers with airline carriers, Meera says, “At present all airlines in India charge Rs. 500 per kg for excess baggage and also 10 kgs @ Rs 750 for the second bag. In the future the airlines are planning to have no free check-in baggage for the air traveler, leaving no choice for the passenger but to pay for all of their luggage. This is where Avaan Excess comes in to their rescue by making baggage transfers 5 times cheaper for travellers.”

Promising Future Ahead
Under the brand name of Avaan India, Meera has also incorporated Gati Academy an initiative to promote upskilling of students especially in the tier 3 rural sectors and further providing employment to them, Gati Intellect a startup eLearning organization and Avaan Avishkaar a marketplace for ethnic Indian products like handicrafts, Ayurvedic products and Indian weaves.

With the help of a credible team of supply chain experts, Avaan Excess has already tied up with players like GMR, ADANI, AAI, Gati, Make My Trip, MarutiCourier and is delivering worldwide through various partners such as DHL, Aramex, UPS etc.“Setting up kiosks across the country and promoting our services digitally is the next course of action for the growth of the business. The next ventures in the pipeline for Avaan Excess are Pet Express and Art Express. Through Pet Express we shall transport pets like cats and dogs across India at affordable prices. We are also working on having a white glove service called Avaan Art Express through which we will be transporting exclusive art pieces and artefacts with packaging from a professional German packaging company. Last but not the least, we believe in a future that is powered by green and clean energy. Firmly guided by this vision, we are pioneering the concept of electric vehicles for intra city pickup and delivery of our excess baggage for a greener and ecologically friendly environment” Meera signs off.