One of India’s biggest airlines, IndiGo, has unveiled a feature that allows female passengers to avoid sitting beside men. The carrier, which operates more than 2,000 domestic and international flights per day in the country, hopes that the new option will make flights more comfortable and secure for women.

The unprecedented move is set to take effect starting August 2024, and it will allow the gender of the person sitting next to each passenger to be disclosed exclusively to female customers, allowing them to specifically request seats beside each other.

India’s airline IndiGo has become the first in the world to give female travelers the option never to have to sit beside a man ever again

Image credits: Pexels/RAGHUL K.K.

The initiative is the first of its type in the aircraft world and was made after the company conducted a survey asking female customers to express which measures would make travel more comfortable for them.

IndiGo is specifically a low-cost carrier, which means their flights come with smaller seat spaces compared to more expensive alternatives. This, coupled with the rising cost of tickets all around the world, has made the need for comfort in economy flights more important than ever, especially when it comes to women who, according to studies, are more sensitive than men to the reduction in space.

Image credits: Pexels/Chen Te

The option will be made available to all flights booked online and will take place during the check-in process. Once the identity of the buying passenger is confirmed, the feature will show both the seats available and the gender of the customers who bought them, allowing women to make an informed decision on the matter.

IndiGo expects the change will make flights safer and more comfortable for women, especially those traveling on their own and minors.

“We are committed to providing an unparalleled travel experience for all our passengers, and this new feature is just one of the many steps we are taking towards achieving that goal,” said the company in a statement to CNN.

This is not the first time India has implemented female-only features in travel services

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For more than a decade, suburban trains, such as the Mumbai Metro and Delhi Metro, have offered compartments specifically designated for female passengers. 

During peak hours, these services also dedicate entire carriages to female passengers. The success of these trains has inspired similar initiatives in other public transportation systems, such as buses and taxis.

Other countries have implemented similar measures, such as Japan, Egypt, Indonesia, Brazil, and the Philippines, which also offer similar gender-exclusive transportation safety protocols in an effort to protect women from being harassed or groped due to the high volume of passengers during peak hours.

Netizens congratulated the airline for the decisions, while others shared their experiences with men making them uncomfortable during flights

Image credits: Pexels/Jojo Tesini

“Good step! Men in certain regions have an itch in their hands that doesn’t go away without touching the private parts of a woman!” commented one user on Facebook.

“As someone who was felt up on a Qantas flight a few years ago this is an amazing step to help people feel safer when traveling. Well done to this airline,” said one user, congratulating Qantas, IndiGo’s codeshare partner.

Image credits: Pexels/Athena Sandrini

On Reddit, more users shared their experiences. 

“I had a seat beside a married guy who was searching for a mile high cheating partner, who couldn’t understand the meaning of no.” said one commenter. “My cousin’s brother changed seats with me, but still the creepy guy tried to change seats near me.”

“I’ve been there. Except that one side was an uncle with no civic sense, and the other side was a guy trying to hit on me and giving me no space. One of the worst flights I’ve taken,” shared another.

“It makes me wonder what kind of society we’re living in when we feel the need to do this,” shared one commenter, and others also reflected on the causes behind the new option

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