Airline becomes first to let women choose not to sit with men - but move gets mixed reaction
24 July 2024, 15:07
An Indian airline has become the world's first to let women choose not to sit next to men.
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IndiGo lets female passengers see which seats have already been booked by other women when they choose their places onboard.
The seats reserved by women are coloured pink. Men are not given this option when booking their seats.
The change arose from a customer survey where the airline asked women what would make their travel experience more comfortable.
Women are already offered the chance to sit only with other female passengers on trains and buses in India - but this is a first for airlines.
"IndiGo is proud to announce the introduction of a new feature that aims to make the travel experience more comfortable for our female passengers," the airline said.
"We are committed to providing an unparalleled travel experience for all our passengers, and this new feature is just one of the many steps we are taking towards achieving that goal."
The change will come in from August 2024 on all of the 2,000 domestic and international flights that IndiGo operates each day.
The move has gained a mixed reaction - with some people welcoming it, and others saying it is a sad indictment of the state of society.
One person said on Reddit: "Smart move that is sure to build customer loyalty. Especially given the increase in news stories of creeps being caught on flight."
Another added: "From a business and women safety PoV this is definitely a very good move. But I feel really sad that it has come to this. Women should be and feel safe regardless of the people sitting next to them."
A third said: "I would purely fly Indigo if they can give me a Child free zone. I don’t need 1000 decibels blaring at me after I pay a inflated price for a comfortable flights".
