Bengaluru/Mumbai, April 23 -- War-driven cost pressures are deepening an already weak travel cycle, dampening luggage makers' peak summer season and pushing them to pivot to smaller, lower-priced products from bigger suitcases. Higher airfares and geopolitical uncertainty have hit suitcase sales, forcing brands to lean on backpacks and accessories to protect volumes without eroding margins.

The April-June quarter accounts for about 40% of annual sales for luggage brands as families typically spend more on holidays and leisure travel. But companies said that this year, geopolitical disruptions, higher domestic travel costs, and a sharp rise in crude oil-linked raw materials have dampened the typical seasonal optimism, forcing brands to re...