Airlines get DGCA nod to allow pre-booking for all seats

New Delhi, April 13: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Saturday, April 12 gave its consent to alirlines for allowing them to offer 100 percent seats for pre-booking to their passengers.

According to TOI report, for pre-booking seats in the front or emergency rows and window and aisle seats, airlines charge an add-on fee of upto Rs 600.

The UPA-II had capped the limit of offering pre-booking seats to 25 percent in June 2013.

Earlier, Airlines had complained that "they face problem in group travels as those flyers are unable to block seats and be seated together", the report mentioned.

Now, people will also be able to book middle seats.

In 2013, the civil aviation sector regulator had also prohibited the airlines to offer middle seats, except in the first row and the emergency exit, for preferential seating.

The government had also allowed airlines to charge passengers for preferential seating, meals, snacks, drinks (barring drinking water), check-in baggages, use of airline lounges, carriage of sports equipment and musical instruments and valuable baggages which have higher carrier liability.

In 2010-11, when some Indian carriers had started pre- booking seats, DGCA had stepped in and issued a directive asking them to withdraw the charges ranging from Rs 50 to 400.

Civil Aviation Ministry and DGCA had received complaints about airlines charging even for sitting sandwiched in a "middle seat" which the Ministry officials said cannot be termed a preferential one.

OneIndia News