In a world first, Air India are designating six seats on their flights (starting with their domestic carriers) to women, as of January 18.
This comes after two women, on separate flights, were reportedly sexually assaulted on both international and national flights chartered by the airline.
One woman, travelling from Mumbai to Newark in the US, was allegedly groped by a male passenger after he moved from his business-class seat to economy to sit next to her.
He is said to have groped this woman while she was sleeping.
The second woman was an air hostess travelling from Oman to Delhi, who claims that a man molested her on a flight in December.
The man in question was later arrested.
“We feel, as national carriers, it is our responsibility to enhance comfort level to female passengers,” Meenakshi Malik of Air India explains.
“There are a lot of female passengers who travel alone with us and we will be blocking a few seats for them.”
While it’s commendable that Air India are taking aim at sexual assaults committed against women on their flights, we can’t help but agree with Hello Giggles and question the airline’s attempted ‘solution’.
Perhaps better, more spacious, and therefore visible, seating could be designed to accommodate, as the airline calls it, behaviour that gets “out of control”.
Because it’s worth asking: Why should women have to move?
As reported by 9Honey, one Twitter user posted: “Dear @airindiain. As a woman, this is insulting. My gender doesn’t make me an invalid.”
Another agreed, writing: “Air India has introduced six dedicated seats, for women to decrease sexual groping inflight. What about the other women on the flight?”
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