Calcutta airport has introduced a paid porter service for fliers, minus the frills that at least two other metros offer and more of an alternative to being fleeced by trolley retrievers masquerading as passenger assistance staff.

The delayed start of the service at the state-run airport - three years after the integrated terminal became operational - is in contrast to the availability of porters in privately managed airports even before their new terminals were opened.

For a flat fee of Rs 300, the airport promises the services of a porter who will fetch you a trolley, place the check-in baggage on it, wheel it till the X-ray counter and get the bags scanned before check-in. Arriving passengers can expect assistance in getting to a taxi or a bus and also making a hotel booking.

A porter service is basic to any modern airport. Mumbai got it even before its new terminal started operating. Bangalore has had it since the new terminal opened.

While Calcutta has a larger terminal than before, passengers still need to queue up before X-ray machines to get their baggage scanned. The promised inline baggage scanning has been a non-starter for reasons ranging from technical inadequacies to bureaucratic bungling.

Mumbai and Bangalore have long moved to the inline system, where a passenger can directly go to the check-in counter and deposit the bags for scanning and tagging.

For the Airports Authority of India that runs Calcutta airport, the introduction of yellow-shirted porters - distinct from the railway porters in red - appeared to be a giant leap. On Thursday, marigold garlands adorned the kiosks from where the services of a porter can be hired.

Three counters have been set up outside the entry gates for domestic departures and one outside the entry to the international area. Two counters are at the domestic and international areas of the arrival hall along with one at the Volvo bus stop.

Airport officials said any passenger who wished to avail himself of the service before departure should visit one of the three counters of Swagat Seva and pay Rs 300 per porter. Post check-in, a porter is supposed to accompany the passenger to the security hold and then the boarding gate.

On arrival, porters in uniform - black trousers and yellow shirts with "Paid Porter" written on the back - can be found outside the aerobridges or at the point where passengers get off from the airline coaches.

A porter who is hired will collect the passenger's baggage from the conveyor belt, put them on a trolley and push it till the taxi stand, bus stop or the point where the passenger boards a private vehicle.

The porter agency has hired 45 personnel, 15 of them women.