Ladies can now keep away from sitting beside males on flights supplied by India’s largest airline, courtesy of a brand new reserving characteristic.
Whereas touring with IndiGo, girls can be proven a pink icon throughout on-line check-in indicating the place different girls are sat.
Consequently they’ll tailor their seat choice to keep away from being sat beside a person. The characteristic is simply seen to feminine passengers.
IndiGo’s CEO, Pieter Elbers, mentioned this system was based mostly on suggestions from prospects in addition to rising expertise permitting the characteristic to turn into a actuality.
Elbers defined to CNBC’s Road Indicators Asia: “A part of our philosophy actually is a courteous and hassle-free service.
“We introduced it up as a check … and really it has resounded very, very nicely. I believe it speaks to the innovation of IndiGo and the truth that we transfer forwards and never solely have inexpensive and low prices, but additionally put a variety of emphasis on our buyer expertise.”
Whereas Elbers mentioned the corporate doesn’t presently have information on what number of girls are utilizing the characteristic, he cited robust particular person reactions from prospects.
IndiGo, which operates round 2,000 flights a day and flew 28 million prospects in its most up-to-date quarter, informed CNBC the options is designed to “make the journey expertise extra comfy for our feminine passengers.”
IndiGo, which dominates the market for home flights in India, added the characteristic is presently in pilot mode and aligns with the corporate’s “#GirlPower ethos.”
IndiGo didn’t instantly reply to Fortune’s request for remark.
Is that this coverage wanted?
On X, the Elon Musk-owned platform previously referred to as Twitter, opinion is split. Whereas some individuals respect the characteristic, saying they’ve felt “discomfort” on flights because of this, others requested whether or not it was obligatory.
In keeping with the U.S. State Division, girls face the next degree of menace to their private safety whereas touring in India. It writes: “Don’t journey alone, notably in case you are a lady.”
The state division directs additional enquiries to its recommendation for girls vacationers, which incorporates notes reminiscent of not utilizing a title whereas reserving lodging and discovering close by police stations and hospitals in case of an emergency.
Whereas girls are warned to train warning whereas on the bottom, proof suggests they need to additionally pay attention to dangers within the air.
Information about sexual assault on flights is tough to come back by: The Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) retains a tab on ‘unruly’ passenger experiences however doesn’t specify the character of those incidents.
This information peaked in 2021 following the COVID pandemic at 5,973 experiences for the 12 months, subsequently falling to 897 for the 12 months 2024 thus far.
Likewise following the institution of the Nationwide In-Flight Sexual Misconduct Activity Drive (Activity Drive) in 2019, information illustrates the variety of incidents practically doubled from 2017 (63 incidents) to 2020 (119).
Whereas details about incidents up to now 4 years is much less out there, the FBI warned in April of this 12 months that the “critical federal crime” is on the rise.
An FBI research in 2022 outlined the issue.
“Usually, sexual crimes are dedicated by males, and the identical holds true once they occur on airplanes.
“Most frequently, an assailant sits instantly subsequent to the sufferer and takes benefit of this proximity. Victims doubtless sit in a center or window seat, with the offender nearer to or on the aisle, successfully barricading her so she must stroll previous the perpetrator to get out,” writes Particular Agent Wess Brooker.
Whereas some could question how attainable it’s for a person to commit an assault in a carefully monitored setting (planes filled with different passengers and flight attendants) in a brief time period (flights final a matter of hours), Brooker factors out this merely accelerates the grooming and assault course of.
One instance, Brooker notes, is when a person assaulted two feminine passengers by sitting beside them in unassigned seating. Each the assaults happened on a flight beneath two and a half hours, indicating the topic’s “expertise with recognizing a goal and appearing rapidly.”
