IndiGo Airlines has announced a new feature that will allow female travellers to see where other women will be sitting when selecting their seats on a flight.
Founded in 2006, IndiGo Airlines is the largest airline in India by passengers carried and fleet size - with more than 100 million passengers carried in 2023 and 2,000 daily flights.
In a statement to CNN, the airline said that the new feature will be piloted with female passengers checking in for their flight online - but did not name a specific reason for introducing the new feature. It said that the announcement aligns with the airline's "#GirlPower ethos."
“IndiGo is proud to announce the introduction of a new feature that aims to make the travel experience more comfortable for our female passengers,” said the airline.
“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.”
The announcement of the new feature has sparked a conversation around passenger safety.
In the United States, the FBI released a statement in 2023 alerting the public about the rise of sexual assault aboard aircraft - noting that the FBI opened 96 cases based on in-flight sexual assault that year.
“As warmer weather approaches and the travel season commences, the FBI expects to see an increase in reported sexual assaults”, said Mehtab Syed, assistant director in charge of the FBI Los Angeles Field Office.
“Flyers are urged to be aware of their surroundings and take precautions to stay safe including keeping the armrest down between you and your seatmate and requesting a seat change if the passenger next to you engages in behavior that makes you feel uncomfortable."
A federal lawsuit was filed in 20243 in New York after a male passenger groped a mother and her daughter while on an international Delta flight. In their complaint, the mother and daughter alleged that flight attendants dismissed their claims about the man.
In the Washington, prosecutors filed separate cases against four men for sexual harassment on flights to Seattle. “An aircraft in a public setting is not where one might expect such brazen and perverted behavior to take place, but it is happening and it needs to stop now,” said Toshiko Hasegawa, a Port of Seattle commissioner.