This Indian Airline Is Allowing Women Passengers To Avoid Sitting Next To Men On Flights
Since IndiGo introduced the feature, the number of solo women travelers choosing these "pink seats" has risen by 60 to 70%.
India’s largest budget airline, IndiGo, has introduced a new feature that lets women passengers choose seats next to other women during the booking process.
The new seating feature, introduced in May 2024, is available on all IndiGo flights.
As passengers have to identify their gender along with their personal information while booking their flight tickets, the airline allows women, whether traveling alone or with family, to see seats booked by other women highlighted in pink during their online check-in.
Men, however, will not be able to see this information.
IndiGo came up with this new option which is the first of its kind in the aviation industry after conducting a survey that asked women what would make their travel more comfortable.
The airline said in a statement that it aims to "make the travel experience more comfortable for our female passengers" after increasing concerns about in-flight harassment and assault.
In September 2023, a woman reported that a man next to her lifted the armrest and groped her on an Indigo flight.
In another similar case, a woman was groped by a drunk man while waiting to board an IndiGo flight.
In January, 2023, a drunk passenger urinated on a woman traveler during an Air India flight.
Similar incidents have been reported from all over the world.
Since IndiGo introduced the feature, the number of solo women travelers choosing these "pink seats" has risen by 60 to 70% in August 2024 compared to July.
While many women support the option as a step towards safer travel, there have also been some concerns and criticisms.
Some say they worry that the policy could lead to unintentional discrimination or suggest that women who don't pick these seats are inviting unwanted attention, according to India Today.
Additionally, some also said that the policy is unfair and have asked for similar options for men.
“That’s discrimination. Should offer men the same choice,” a man wrote on X.
There are also questions about how the airline will handle situations involving men who identify as women.
IndiGo says it is still testing the option and plans to evaluate its success before implementing it permanently.
Although IndiGo is the first airline to introduce such a policy, several Indian railways and buses already allow women to reserve seats near or next to other women.
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