Govt curbs airline seat selection add-ons, mandates 60% seats free

Aviation Ministry's directive aims to curb 'dark pattern' practices and improve passenger experience

The Ministry of Civil Aviation on Wednesday asked airlines to allocate at least 60 per cent of seats on each flight free of charge and ensure that passengers with the same PNR number were allotted adjacent seats. 

The move follows concerns raised by a Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) official that airlines and travel agents were using “dark pattern” techniques on their websites to nudge passengers into paying for seat selection during ticket booking or web check-in, while keeping the number of free seats very low. In several cases, passengers travelling together — on the same PNR number — were allotted separate seats if they did not pay, causing inconvenience. 

 

The government’s decision to mandate at least 60 per cent free seat allocation is likely to dent airlines’ ancillary revenue streams, particularly those derived from paid seat selection. Seat-selection fee is one of the largest components of ancillary revenue, and carriers have increasingly leaned on such add-ons to bolster profitability. 

The trend is evident in IndiGo’s financial performance: Its ancillary revenue rose 13.6 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) to ₹2,446.2 crore in the October-December quarter of FY26, outpacing the 6.2 per cent Y-o-Y growth in passenger ticket revenue to ₹20,464 crore.  

 

The divergence reflects a broader industry strategy: While base airfares are often discounted to remain competitive, charges for services like seat selection tend to remain relatively stable, providing airlines with a cushion to protect margins.

In a statement, the ministry said India had become the world’s third-largest domestic aviation market, with airports handling more than 500,000 passengers daily, emphasising the need for more passenger-friendly and uniform practices across airlines. 

 

To address these concerns, the government has asked airlines to mandatorily provide “a minimum 60 per cent of seats on any flight to be allocated free of charge to ensure fair access”.

 

It also directed carriers to seat passengers travelling on the same PNR together, preferably in adjacent seats, to avoid the current practice of splitting groups unless they opted for paid seat selection.

 

The ministry also said airlines must adopt transparent and passenger-friendly policies for carrying sports equipment, musical instruments, and pets, in line with safety and operational norms.

 

Additionally, it emphasised strict adherence to the passenger rights framework, particularly in cases of delays, cancellations and denied boarding, and asked airlines to prominently display these rights across their websites, mobile applications, booking platforms and airport counters.

 

Airlines have also been asked to clearly communicate passenger entitlements in regional languages to improve accessibility and awareness.

 

The ministry said the measures would benefit passengers, reduce grievances and ensure greater transparency across the aviation ecosystem, even as air travel continued to expand rapidly under initiatives such as UDAN.