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An airline’s new coverage that enables feminine passengers to decide on the gender of the individual seated subsequent to them has divided social media customers.
IndiGo, India’s largest low-cost airline, introduced the change for all its flights beginning in August.
Girls can now see the gender of different passengers who’ve already chosen seats – with girls marked in pink – throughout on-line check-in to assist them determine the place to take a seat.
Males are usually not proven this data and might solely see accessible seats.
Social media customers have had combined reactions to the introduction of the reserving coverage.
One X/Twitter person mentioned: “It’s about time girls had the choice to decide on who they sit subsequent to on a flight. Private area and luxury matter, particularly in a confined area like an airplane.”
“Loopy that measures like this should be taken as a result of some males simply can’t management themselves and invade girls’s areas. all for it tho,” added one other.
A number of others commented agreeing that “each airline ought to do that”.
Nevertheless, some replied calling the initiative “unfair” and questioned why males “can’t select to not sit subsequent to girls”.
A person posted: “That’s discrimination. Ought to provide males the identical selection.”
One other social media person referred to as the transfer a “regressive step” and mentioned the airline was “going again in time”.
The airline mentioned in an announcement that they have been proud to introduce the brand new function to “make the journey expertise extra snug for our feminine passengers”.
Earlier than the airplane coverage, trains and buses in India already allowed girls to decide on e book seats subsequent to different girls – reportedly to scale back the chance of sexual assault.
Within the US this yr, the FBI warned the general public a few “severe federal crime that’s on the rise” after the company opened 96 investigations primarily based on instances of in-flight sexual assault in 2023.
Mehtab Syed, assistant director answerable for the FBI Los Angeles Subject Workplace mentioned: “Flyers are urged to concentrate on their environment and take precautions to remain secure together with holding the armrest down between you and your seatmate and requesting a seat change if the passenger subsequent to you engages in behaviour that makes you are feeling uncomfortable.”
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