The Airline Speaks on Its New Policy Aims
A low-cost airline in India has become the world’s first aviation company to allow female travelers the option not to sit next to men on flights.
Traveling alone or being seated separately from friends can be quite daunting, especially when you find yourself spending several hours sandwiched between two strangers.
For women traveling alone, unique concerns can arise. Recognizing this, an airline in India, IndiGo, now offers female travelers the option to sit away from men if they choose.
Starting this August, this budget carrier will allow female travelers to see where other women are seated (indicated by pink seats), giving them the choice to select a seat away from men.
Meanwhile, men will only see which seats are available and not the gender of the passengers seated next to them.
A spokesperson for IndiGo confirmed the move, aiming to make travel more comfortable for women.
“IndiGo is proud to announce a new feature aimed at making travel more comfortable for our female passengers. This initiative is based on market research and aligns with our #GirlPower ethos,” the representative stated.
“The feature allows visibility of seats booked by female passengers during web check-in. It’s tailored for bookings with women travelers, both solo and part of family groups.”
They further emphasized: “We are committed to providing an unparalleled travel experience for all our passengers, and this new feature is one of the many steps toward that goal.”
This change will initially be introduced on a trial basis, before wider implementation across the airline.
While well-intentioned, the move has sparked debate online. Research conducted by the FBI in 2022 shows that most perpetrators of sexual assault or harassment on flights are male, but not everyone is convinced of this solution’s effectiveness.
“How will the computer know the gender? They trick,” one social media user questioned, while another suggested: “What if males use the feature to sit next to females? Instead, auto-assign the seat next to females if she is traveling solo.”
Reddit users were more supportive, sharing personal experiences of discomfort while traveling as women.
One user commented: “Yup, it’s basically an acknowledgment of how widespread it is for men to be creepy everywhere. Embarrassing.”
Another added: “God, this is such good news. I always travel alone and my experience was terrible last time.”
