Regulations that can fly - in the passenger seat

Business Line : Industry & Economy / Logistics : Attention airlines: Stop charging more for preferred seats, says DGCA: "From now on, you will not have to pay extra for your preferred seat on a domestic low-cost airline.

IndiGo and SpiceJet charge between Rs 50 and Rs 750 for this service. JetLite and KingfisherRed and Air India don't charge extra for preferred seating.

Coming down heavily on airlines, the Director-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has asked them to immediately stop taking extra money from passengers for their preferred seating. Passengers picking their preferred seats on the Web are charged extra by some airlines. “Airlines will have to refund fee for seat assignment to those passengers who are booked on flights after July 15 and paid extra for preferred seat,” a senior DGCA official told Business Line.

In a letter to CEOs of scheduled domestic airlines, the DGCA has not just asked them to stop levying such charges but has also directed them to delete any mention about them from their Web site immediately. However, even 24 hours after the communication was sent out, the airline Web sites still showed these services and charges..."