Airline passengers in India may soon face fewer extra charges when choosing their seats. The Civil Aviation Ministry has directed airlines to ensure that at least 60% of seats on every flight are allocated free of cost, limiting the widespread practice of charging passengers for seat selection.
The order, issued through the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), aims to bring greater fairness and transparency to airline booking practices while improving passenger convenience.
Under the new directive, airlines must allocate a minimum of 60% of seats on any flight free of charge, allowing passengers to select them without paying additional fees. Until now, several Indian carriers had been charging extra for preferred seats after ticket booking or during web check-in.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation said the move is intended to “strengthen passenger convenience, transparency and uniformity of practices across airlines”.
Passengers on the same booking to be seated together
The order also directs airlines to ensure that passengers travelling on the same booking reference, or PNR, are seated together wherever possible.
According to the directive, passengers travelling on the same PNR should be seated together, preferably in adjacent seats, to improve travel convenience for families and groups.
New rules on baggage, pets and passenger rights
The ministry has also instructed the DGCA to implement a series of additional passenger-friendly measures across the aviation sector.
Airlines have been asked to facilitate the carriage of sports equipment and musical instruments in a transparent, passenger-friendly manner, while continuing to comply with safety and operational regulations.
The order also requires carriers to implement clear, transparent policies for transporting pets.
In addition, airlines must strictly comply with the passenger rights framework, particularly in situations involving delays, cancellations, and denied boarding.
To improve awareness, airlines will also have to prominently display passenger rights across their websites, mobile applications, booking platforms and airport counters.
The directive further calls for passenger entitlements to be communicated in regional languages to ensure wider accessibility.
Push for passenger-friendly aviation
The move comes at a time when India’s aviation sector is expanding rapidly. The country’s domestic aviation market has already become the third-largest in the world, with Indian airports collectively handling more than five lakh passengers every day.
“Passenger facilitation remains the highest priority of the Ministry of Civil Aviation,” the MoCA said while highlighting several initiatives aimed at improving the travel experience.
These include the introduction of UDAN Yatri Cafés offering affordable food at airports and the rollout of free Wi-Fi services at several airports across the country.
