Airline Reserves Seats for Women After In-Flight Groping

Airline Reserves Seats for Women After In-Flight Groping

Air India is going to start reserving seats for women in front of the cabin, in order to keep them safe, according to a report in The Hindu.

The airline told The Hindu, “We will be reserving the third row — six seats — in the economy class of the aircraft for female passengers traveling alone.  As national carriers, it is our responsibility to enhance comfort level to female passengers. There are a lot of women who travel alone with us and we will be blocking a few seats for them.”

This is the first known airline to reserve seats specifically for women, though throughout India, this is a normal practice in public transportation, including trains and buses.  The seats will be offered to women traveling alone for no extra charge.

The move comes after a woman was groped on the airline’s Mumbai to New York flight, after a man from business class moved to coach and sat next to a sleeping woman and groped her.  Some in India have criticized the move, saying it may lead to discrimination.

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