After resistance from airlines against the direction to offer at least 60% seats free of charge on flights, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) on Thursday placed the order on hold for a “comprehensive examination” of the issue.
“…pending a comprehensive examination of the issue, it has been decided that the provision related to offering atleast 60% seats free of charge shall be kept in abeyance till further orders,” MoCA said in an official communication to aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), it is learnt.
“The matter has been reviewed in light of representations received from the Federation of Indian Airlines and Akasa Air, highlighting operational and commercial implications of the above provision, including its potential impact on fare structures and consistency with the prevailing deregulated tariff regime,” MoCA is learnt to have said.
On March 18, the DGCA had directed airlines to ensure that at least 60% of seats on flights are offered without any selection fee and passengers on the same booking reference, or PNR, are seated together, “preferably in adjacent seats”, among a few passenger friendly measures.
“DGCA may, however, ensure continued enforcement of other passenger facilitation measures contained in the aforesaid letter, including transparency in seat allocation, co-seating of passengers on the same PNR, carriage of musical instruments, sports equipment & pets and clear disclosure of applicable charges,” MoCA said in the communication to DGCA, it is learnt.
The 60% free seat mandate, which was to take effect from April 20, led to pushback from airlines, with the Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA), which includes IndiGo, Air India, and SpiceJet as members, and Akasa Air sending representations to MoCA against the move. Already struggling with higher costs and operational disruptions due to the West Asia war, airlines had warned the government that such a mandate would lead to higher airfares, sources indicated.
Seat selection fees form a major ancillary, or non-ticket, revenue stream for airlines, and mandating more than half the seats to be offered free of charge could impact their revenue. Over the years, Indian airlines, like global carriers, have been increasingly unbundling services to generate more ancillary revenue through add-ons like preferred seat selection, pre-booked meal services, and on-board food and beverage retail, while keeping base fares low.
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For sometime now, flyers have been complaining that the few free seats airlines offer free of charge during booking or web check-in are often middle seats or seats at the rear of the cabin. Usually though, better seats can be availed at the airline’s check-in counter at the airport prior to departure for free, subject to availability. But that option isn’t really available if the flight is full.
Most Indian airlines currently offer a limited number of seats—usually 20-30%—for free during booking and web check-in, while charging selection fee for others; the charges can vary depending on factors like the location of the seat in the aircraft cabin and in the specific row, and seat pitch, which effectively is a measure of legroom. Also, all seat selection—chargeable and free—is on a first-come, first-served basis.
There have also been complaints from passengers about not being able to sit together while travelling in a group, particularly with children, unless paid seats are pre-booked in advance.
While the direction to ensure that those travelling on the same PNR, or booking, should be made to sit next to one another hasn’t been put on hold, it is not clear yet how that measure will be implemented. Pre-booked seats by other passengers could be a hindrance, and how airlines implement this directive in such cases remains to be seen. Notably, a couple of years ago, the DGCA had asked airlines to ensure that children up to 12 years of age must be seated next to at least one of their parents or guardians travelling on the same PNR without having to pay extra for the seat selection.
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Apart from the directives on seat selection, the regulator had also asked airlines to facilitate carriage of sports equipment and musical instruments in a “transparent and passenger-friendly manner” subject to safety and operational regulations. There have been a few incidents of mishandling of and even damage to musical instruments and sports equipment by Indian carriers. Additionally, airlines were also asked to bring out clear, transparent policies for carriage of pets. A couple of major Indian carriers allow pets on board, subject to cage and weight specifications, while a few others allow carriage of pets only in the cargo hold of the aircraft.
The DGCA had also instructed airlines to ensure strict adherence to passenger rights framework, particularly in cases of delays, cancellations and denial of boarding; prominently display of passenger rights across airline websites, mobile applications, booking platforms, and airport counters; and to have clear communication of passenger entitlements in regional languages to ensure wider accessibility and awareness.
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