Indian fliers spending big for extra seats to ensure social distancing

New Delhi: Bargain hunters for least-cost air travel before the pandemic, Indian fliers are now spending big on buying extra seats to ensure onboard social distancing.Since July, when airlines allowed the option of buying extra space, domestic carriers have seen up to 25 per cent of bookings in this category. There have been cases where families of two or three have booked all 12 business class seats. Carriers say social distancing concerns are forcing more fliers to upgrade from economy to premium economy or business class.“The demand for extra space is growing. Of the total number of people booking extra space, about 55 per cent are opting for more than one seats,” said an airline executive, who did not want to be identified.India’s aviation regulator had asked airlines to keep middle row seats empty but later allowed them to fill all seats after studies proved that such a move is of not much use. Most Airlines See Good ResponseIndiGo, Vistara and SpiceJet told ET they are receiving good response to the extra space scheme and all categories of fliers are opting for it.“Our numbers are showing improved trends as more and more people are taking advantage of the scheme,” Sanjay Kumar, chief strategy & revenue officer at IndiGo said in an email response. All categories of passengers including students, the elderly and business travellers have bought extra space, he added.77942080“We are seeing these numbers grow…all types/profiles of passengers (are opting for it),” the SpiceJet spokesperson said. Vistara, which is a full service carrier and offers premium economy and business class options to passengers, says this phenomenon is not restricted to any specific region. “A growing number of customers from across the country are making use of the facility,” a Vistara spokesperson said. National carrier Air India and GoAir did not reply to ET’s queries. AirAsia India said it is offering schemes to “improve the entire flying experience”.77942082

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