Women can now avoid sitting beside men on flights provided by India’s biggest airline, courtesy of a new booking feature.
While traveling with IndiGo, women will be shown pink icons during online check-in indicating where other women are seated.
As a result, they can tailor their seat selection to avoid being seated beside a man. The feature is only visible to female passengers.
IndiGo’s CEO, Pieter Elbers, said the program was based on feedback from customers as well as emerging technology allowing the feature to become a reality.
Elbers explained to CNBC’s Street Signs Asia: “Part of our philosophy really is a courteous and hassle-free service.
“We brought it up as a test … and actually it has resounded very, very well. I think it speaks to the innovation of IndiGo and the fact that we move forwards and not only have affordable and low costs, but also put a lot of emphasis on our customer experience.”
While Elbers said the company doesn’t currently have data on how many women are using the feature, he cited strong individual reactions from customers.
IndiGo, which operates around 2,000 flights a day and flew 28 million customers in its most recent quarter, told CNBC the feature is designed to “make the travel experience more comfortable for our female passengers.”
IndiGo, which dominates the market for domestic flights in India, added that the feature is currently in pilot mode and aligns with the company’s “#GirlPower ethos.”
IndiGo did not immediately respond to Fortune’s request for comment.
Is this policy needed?
On X, the Elon Musk–owned platform formerly known as Twitter, opinion is divided. While some people appreciate the feature, saying they have felt “discomfort” on flights for this reason, others asked whether it was necessary.
According to the U.S. State Department, women face a higher level of threat to their personal security while traveling in India. It writes: “Do not travel alone, particularly if you are a woman.”
The State Department directs further inquiries to its advice for women travelers, which includes notes such as not using a title while booking accommodation and finding nearby police stations and hospitals in case of an emergency.
While women are warned to exercise caution while on the ground, evidence suggests they should also be aware of risks in the air.
Data about sexual assault on flights is difficult to come by: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) keeps a tab on “unruly” passenger reports but doesn’t specify the nature of these incidents.
This data peaked in 2021, following the COVID pandemic, at 5,973 reports for the year, subsequently falling to 897 for the year to date.
Likewise following the establishment of the National In-Flight Sexual Misconduct Task Force in 2019, data illustrates the number of incidents nearly doubled from 2017 (63 incidents) to 2020 (119).
While information about incidents in the past four years is less available, the FBI warned in April of this year that the “serious federal crime” is on the rise.
An FBI study in 2022 outlined the problem.
“Generally, sexual crimes are committed by males, and the same holds true when they happen on airplanes.
“Most often, an assailant sits immediately next to the victim and takes advantage of this proximity. Victims likely sit in a middle or window seat, with the offender closer to or on the aisle, effectively barricading her so she will have to walk past the perpetrator to get out,” writes Special Agent Wess Brooker.
While some may query how possible it is for an individual to commit an assault in a closely monitored environment (planes packed with other passengers and flight attendants) in a short period of time (flights last a matter of hours), Brooker points out this merely accelerates the grooming and assault process.
One example, Brooker notes, is when an individual assaulted two female passengers by sitting beside them in unassigned seating. Both the attacks took place on a flight under two and a half hours, indicating the subject’s “experience with spotting a target and acting quickly.”
