Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Airlines will now have to offer at least 60% seats “on any flight” without any selection charge and passengers travelling on the same PNR — who are usually family members or the travelling in a group — will need to be seated together, “preferably on adjacent seats,” The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) Wednesday issued these passenger-friendly directives, in a bid to address one of the biggest grouses of air travellers.Now, airlines have been asked to make available “minimum 60% of seats on any flight to be allocated free of charge to ensure fair access” and that “passengers travelling on the same PNR to be seated together, preferably on adjacent seats.How this is implemented remains to be seen as pre-booked seats can affect availability of passengers travelling on same PNR being seated together. The issue of people travelling in groups being seated separately if they do not pay extra for seat selection has been irking travellers across the world and not just in India. The US, for instance, has been grappling with this issue for years.Then US President Joe Biden had on February 5, 2023, said on X (former Twitter): “Some airlines charge extra to pick your seat, including for parents who want to sit next to their child on a plane. Congress should pass the Junk Fee Protection Act so we can crack down on these fees and give hard-working Americans just a little bit more breathing room.” In April 2024, the DGCA had mandated that airlines will have to ensure that young children are seated with at least one of their parents or guardians on flights without being required to pay extra for seat selection charge if travelling on the same PNR (booking reference). Following numerous complaints from passengers travelling in groups about being seated separately — especially from their children — if they choose not to pay extra for seat selection, the DGCA had two years back issued this directive to airlines: “Airlines shall ensure that children upto the age of 12 years are allocated seats with at least one of their parents/guardians, who are travelling on the same PNR and a record of the same shall be maintained.”Going a step ahead for protecting consumer rights, the regulator has now directed that “carriage of sports equipment and musical instruments (should) be facilitated in a transparent and passenger-friendly manner, subject to applicable safety and operational regulations. Airlines shall also bring out clear, transparent policies for carriage of pets.” The DGCA has called for “strict adherence to passenger rights framework, particularly in cases of delays, cancellations and denied boarding; prominent display of passenger rights across airline websites, mobile applications, booking platforms, and airport counters; and clear communication of passenger entitlements in regional languages to ensure wider accessibility and awareness.”In a statement issued Wednesday, the aviation ministry said it “remains committed to enhancing passenger experience, ensuring transparency, reducing grievances and upholding the highest standards of safety across the aviation ecosystem.”
