Can a New Seat-Map Tool from This Airline Reduce Stress for Women While Flying?

A major airline in India has recently introduced a program allowing female passengers to view the seating arrangements of other women when booking their seats online.

IndiGo Airlines, a low-cost carrier managing over 2,000 flights daily, is trialing this initiative, exclusively available to women traveling alone or with children.

IndiGo proudly announces a new feature designed to enhance comfort for our female travelers,” stated the airline.

While male passengers can still select their seats, they will not have access to information about the gender of nearby passengers during the booking process.

Although this is the first instance of such a test in aviation, similar concepts have been implemented in other modes of transport. In countries like Japan and the United Arab Emirates, there are dedicated women-only carriages on metro systems and reserved seating at the front of buses.

Melissa Byron, the founder of A Solo Woman Traveling, which specializes in luxury trips for all-female groups, believes that women often prefer sitting next to other women because of a sense of solidarity.

Byron states, "Many women feel more comfortable sitting beside another woman due to shared experiences and a common understanding of personal space and safety concerns. This could greatly reduce the anxiety linked to traveling."

Although the airline did not provide further details on the rationale for this feature, there has been a rise in sexual assault incidents on flights globally in recent years. For example, in 2022, a woman and her teenage daughter reported being groped by a drunk man on a flight from New York to Athens. In 2023, another man sexually assaulted a woman on a flight from Phoenix to Seattle. Just this month, a flight from Edinburgh to Ibiza had to return so police could remove a male passenger following an alleged sexual assault.

In April, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) released a statement revealing that the agency opened 96 investigations into in-flight sexual assaults in the United States alone in 2023, a sharp increase from 27 in 2018.

And these are merely the incidents that have been reported.

The FBI highlighted that perpetrators often exploit the situation, as some victims may refrain from reporting due to embarrassment, the desire to avoid creating a scene, or convincing themselves that the assault was unintentional. This emphasizes the importance of informing flight attendants about such issues.

According to the FBI, "Sexual assault on airplanes—most commonly manifested as unwanted touching—is a serious crime that can lead to imprisonment for offenders. Generally, men are the aggressors, while women and unaccompanied minors are the targets."

The agency noted that these assaults often occur during long flights when the cabin lights are dim, with victims typically seated in the middle or window positions and covered by blankets or jackets.

"We’ve witnessed numerous headlines about disruptive airline passengers making others uncomfortable," says Jen Tenzer, founder of The Soloist, a luxury travel agency for solo travelers. "While not all passengers may utilize IndiGo’s pilot program, I commend any initiative aimed at enhancing safety and reassurance for female travelers."