India to limit pre‑selection of seats
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The Indian government is likely to limit the number of seats that an Indian carrier can sell to passengers through pre-booking for a fee to 15% to 20% of the aircraft capacity.
The Civil Aviation Ministry is planning to ask airlines to limit this to the front, emergency row seats that have more legroom, window, aisle seats of the second to fifth or sixth row. Minister of Civil Aviation, K N Shrivastava has asked airlines to identify some premium seats and not put a tag on every seat. This directive had come after one budget airline put a tag on each of its seats, including the middle seat.
With the airlines yet to get back to the government, the ministry is now planning to issue a notification limiting the seats that can be sold. In addition, it is going to make it mandatory for airlines to very clearly state which seats can be booked and for how much, apart from clarifying that passengers can get seats at the time of check-in without any extra charge. “There should not be a wrong impression that every seat is being sold,” an official was quoted in Times of India.