IndiGo Pilots New Scheme To Make Flights Safer For Women
IndiGo airlines has announced a pilot project that it hopes will make travel safer and more comfortable for women.
Women passengers travelling on their own or as part of family bookings will be able to see seats booked by other women on the flight during web check-in. The facility is in its trial stages and was introduced after market research conducted by the airline. In a statement, 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.”
What Women Say
Nivi Shrivastava is a travel writer and blogger who flies at least twice a month for her work. Having travelled to over 25 countries, she counts Rome, Azerbaijan, Croatia and the Maldives as some of her favourite destinations. She is dismissive of this new measure and likens it to a marketing gimmick whose end purpose is to make more money.
“Usually airplane journeys are short and it doesn't really matter who is sitting beside [you]. What [IndiGo] should have done instead is created a category for kids and crying babies because they cause more menace and noise,” says Shrivastava. “My flying experience in all these years has been okay. Most male passengers do not dare to misbehave because they know they can be reprimanded [at] any time. For women travellers, a separate segment of seats closer to the exit doors would make more sense because when the plane lands the worst experience is to get pushed and shoved by reckless passengers who are dying to get out.”
In a 2024 Outlook Traveller-Toluna survey on the habits and preferences of women travellers, 57 per cent of the 1,214 interviewees said they would prefer to travel solo if their safety concerns were addressed. Nearly 90 per cent of respondents prioritised their safety while opting for a destination and another 59 per cent said they had faced harassment while on the go.
It remains to be seen how women in the pilot project respond to the new measure and whether IndiGo will roll out this feature on their 2000+ daily flights.