IndiGo, a budget airline founded in 2006 and India’s largest carrier by passenger numbers and fleet, is introducing a new regime to allow female passengers to choose seats next to other females during the booking process. The airline is trialling the new booking feature, which is open to both solo female flyers and those travelling as part of a family, according to a press statement. The option is inspired by market research and the company’s so-called #GirlPower ethos, the airline said.
More comfortable
“IndiGo is proud to announce the introduction of a new feature that aims to make the travel experience more comfortable for our female passengers,” an airline announcement read, explaining, “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.”
Notably, the airline did not go further to explain exactly how sitting next to other women would make female flyers “more comfortable”. However, reporting the development, CNN Travel has speculated that the reasoning behind the offer is to do with the number of worldwide reports about “assaults against women and children during commercial flights”. The outlet cited a 2024 FBI report that details 96 cases of sexual assaults aboard aircraft in 2023. The FBI has jurisdiction to deal with in-flight crimes in the US and its report pointed out that “Typically, men are the perpetrators, and women and unaccompanied minors are the victims.”
Data protection, consent and other questions
Describing the new option, IndiGo said “the feature offers visibility of seats booked by female passengers only during web check-in. It is specifically tailored to PNRs with women travellers.” But, it is not yet clear exactly how the IndiGo system will work, nor how the seat selection feature aligns with data protection rules. A key question yet to be answered is whether female passengers will be asked for their consent before the details of where they are to be seated on the plane are made available to other women. It also remains to be seen how the airline’s proposal will intersect with transgender rights. The right to a self-perceived gender identity was enshrined in Indian law in 2019.
IndiGo’s social media feeds regularly feature pro- LGBTQI+ messages as well as #GirlPower statements such as “Future is Female” and clips featuring female workers, such as “Archana” who explains the process of an aircraft safety inspection, and “Nagomi” the airline’s first female pushback operator.
