New Delhi: Following a massive outcry on social media against its move to charge for selection of any seat while doing web check-in, effectively making web check-in a paid service, IndiGo on Monday afternoon tweaked its decision.
In a statement, the airline said: “While the preferred seat pricing starts as low as Rs 100, there would be some seats that may be available for free depending on the market dynamics for the flight. Thus, there are some seats that are available for free at a certain time period before departure (e.g. one day before departure) or on certain aircraft type (e.g., ATR operated flights). If the passengers have no particular preference for seats and would not like to pay for advance seat selection, they can either reserve any free seats available at the time of web check-in or will, of course, be assigned seats at the time of airport check-in.”
“This is a common practice followed by airlines across the globe. The customers can always obtain the seat at the airport kiosk check-in or counter, though this may not guarantee that they would be assigned the seat of their choice,” the airline said.
The statement came after the aviation ministry on Monday morning tweeted that it “has noted airlines are now charging for web check-in for all seats. We are reviewing these fees+ to see whether they fall within the unbundled pricing framework.” Director General of Civil Aviation B S Bhullar told TOI he is examining the issue “on priority in light of our regulations.”
In its statement issued following social media outcry and strong words from the aviation ministry and regulator DGCA, IndiGo insisted there was no “change in the airline’s web check-in practice. Keeping in mind consumer preferences and market demand, IndiGo makes dynamic decisions about pricing for advance seat selection. This segmentation helps us to serve different customer segments as per their requirements. For instance, passengers who would prefer to have extra leg-room seats or would like to be seated together on a flight can make advance reservations and minimize any inconvenience of their preferred seats being not available when they arrive at the airport for check-in.”
26/11/18 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India
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In a statement, the airline said: “While the preferred seat pricing starts as low as Rs 100, there would be some seats that may be available for free depending on the market dynamics for the flight. Thus, there are some seats that are available for free at a certain time period before departure (e.g. one day before departure) or on certain aircraft type (e.g., ATR operated flights). If the passengers have no particular preference for seats and would not like to pay for advance seat selection, they can either reserve any free seats available at the time of web check-in or will, of course, be assigned seats at the time of airport check-in.”
“This is a common practice followed by airlines across the globe. The customers can always obtain the seat at the airport kiosk check-in or counter, though this may not guarantee that they would be assigned the seat of their choice,” the airline said.
The statement came after the aviation ministry on Monday morning tweeted that it “has noted airlines are now charging for web check-in for all seats. We are reviewing these fees+ to see whether they fall within the unbundled pricing framework.” Director General of Civil Aviation B S Bhullar told TOI he is examining the issue “on priority in light of our regulations.”
In its statement issued following social media outcry and strong words from the aviation ministry and regulator DGCA, IndiGo insisted there was no “change in the airline’s web check-in practice. Keeping in mind consumer preferences and market demand, IndiGo makes dynamic decisions about pricing for advance seat selection. This segmentation helps us to serve different customer segments as per their requirements. For instance, passengers who would prefer to have extra leg-room seats or would like to be seated together on a flight can make advance reservations and minimize any inconvenience of their preferred seats being not available when they arrive at the airport for check-in.”
26/11/18 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India
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