A budget airline in India has made history by becoming the first in the world to offer female passengers the option to avoid sitting next to men on flights.
Traveling alone or being separated from friends can be quite intimidating, especially when you find yourself sitting between two strangers for several hours. Recognizing the unique challenges faced by women traveling alone, this Indian airline now allows female passengers to be seated away from men if they prefer.
Starting this August, budget airline IndiGo will allow female passengers to view the locations of other women in the cabin, with their seats marked in pink. This feature will give women the option to choose seats away from men if they prefer. On the other hand, men will not be able to see the gender of passengers next to them and will only have access to information about available seats.
A spokesperson from IndiGo airlines confirmed that the new feature is designed to make travel “more comfortable” for women travelers.
“IndiGo is proud to announce the introduction of a new feature that aims to make the travel experience more comfortable for our female passengers,” he said. “This has been introduced basis market research and is currently in pilot mode aligning with our #GirlPower ethos.”
The spokesperson continued, “The feature offers visibility of seats booked by female passengers, only during web check-in. It is specifically tailored to PNRs with women travellers – solo as well as part of family bookings. 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 start as a trial before possibly being implemented more broadly across the airline. Although IndiGo’s move is intended to improve safety and comfort – given that FBI research from 2022 found that most sexual assault or harassment perpetrators on flights are male – the decision has sparked mixed reactions online.
“How will the computer know the gender.. they trick,” said one.
“What if male use the feature to sit next to female. Instead of that auto assign seat next to female if she is travelling solo,” a second added.
Reddit users have reacted more favorably to the move, with many sharing their personal experiences of feeling uneasy while traveling as women.
“Yup, it’s basically an acknowledgment of how widespread it is for men to be creepy everywhere. Embarrassing,” someone wrote.
“God, this is such good news. I always travel alone, and my experience was terrible last time,” another person said.
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Source: Reddit
