Woman finds 'cute charge' on her flight booking; here is what it means

A social media user was left confused after learning that she was charged a "cute charge" while booking a flight ticket. The social media user, Meenal, was booking what appears to be an IndiGo flight from Hyderabad to Jaipur when she realized that there was a "cute charge" involved.

CREDIT: Unsplash

Rs 50 cute charge

In the photo of her laptop screen posted by Meenal on X, the total amount is shown as ?5,216, out of which ?3,455 is airfare charges, ?50 is the cute charge, another ?50 is the regional connectivity charge, ?236 is the aviation security fee, ?885 is the user development fee, ?407 is the arrival user development fee, and ?178 is GST.

"I was booking a flight and came across this. WTH is cute charge?" she asked on X.

I was booking a flight and came across this, WTH is cute charge ? pic.twitter.com/FpVhhwCRbB

¡ª Meenal (@itsmeenalj) August 6, 2024

'Only for cute people'

While one person responded by saying, "Thanks for making me realize I am not cute even for an extra charge," another stated, "Felt cute, might charge later."

"This message is for all the cute people traveling with their airlines," said another user, while someone else claimed that "It¡¯s a cute way of taking your money and making you laugh at the same time."

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Another X user clarified that it was the "Common User Terminal Equipment" charge.

What is the cute charge?

CUTE, in fact, stands for Common User Terminal Equipment charge, and it is an amount that is charged for the use of metal detecting machines, escalators, and other equipment that is used at the airport.

CREDIT: DELHI AIRPORT

It should be noted that the cute charge is not new and has been in place for at least a couple of years.

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