In a recent survey conducted by community social media platform LocalCircles, 44 per cent of respondents expressed dissatisfaction with having to shell out extra charges for securing seats when booking their flight tickets. The survey, which garnered over 41,000 responses from consumers across 339 districts of India, shed light on the frustrations travellers face, particularly when booking family trips involving young children.

According to the findings, many respondents reported paying seat allocation fees ranging from INR 200 to INR 2,000, which could represent a significant percentage of the airfare, sometimes as high as 5-40 per cent.

The survey noted a marginal improvement over the last 12 months in consumers' ability to secure free seats during booking but emphasised that the issue persists, with approximately 80 per cent of seats on certain airlines now requiring a seat allocation fee.

The survey also highlighted the challenges faced by families trying to sit together without incurring additional costs. Families are sometimes forced to sit in separate rows, as only middle seats may be available without extra payment.

The Ministry of Consumer Affairs and the consumer regulator CCPA took note of these concerns, convening a meeting with airlines late last year to address alleged unfair trade practices and misleading claims surrounding "free" web check-in.

Of those surveyed, a significant 65 per cent who had booked flights in the past year reported paying extra fees for seat reservations at least once. When travelling with family or in a group, 66 per cent of respondents found it challenging to secure seats together without paying a seat fee on IndiGo. In comparison, 21 per cent faced similar issues with SpiceJet.

(With inputs from PTI)