Even as the importance of physical distancing is constantly emphasised to prevent the spread of coronavirus, domestic airlines not keeping the middle seat empty has further raised fears of lack of physical distancing while travelling by flight. But airlines are now offering a possible solution to that – booking more than one seat, or an entire row for yourself.
Vistara airlines was the first to offer this option. Vistara had released a survey on July 6 that 24% passengers were worried that fellow passengers wouldn’t adhere to COVID-related precautions while flying. Based on these findings, Vistara announced that passengers can book the adjacent seat as well at a discounted rate to be able to keep it vacant.
IndiGo too, on July 17 launched a ‘6E double seat’ scheme allowing passengers to book two adjacent seats for additional safety. The airline said that the charges for the extra seat will effectively be up to 25% of the original booking cost.
However, the scheme can be availed only on IndiGo’s website and will not be available through travel portals, IndiGo call centre or airport counters.
More recently, on Wednesday, SpiceJet announced ‘SpiceJet Extra Seats’, giving passengers the option to book two seats or even a full row to make their travel more comfortable. This is available only for domestic flights.
SpiceJet is also offering complimentary privilege services such as priority check-in, preferred boarding and bag out service for passengers that opt for the extra seat option, which is available both on the airline’s website and on its agent portal. Passengers wanting to book more than one row can do so through the airline’s call centre.
Passengers can opt to book an extra seat or full row while making the booking or through the “Manage Booking” section on SpiceJet’s website and can also be availed during the web check-in process and can be booked up to six hours prior to the scheduled departure of the flight.
Meanwhile GoAir has launched ‘GoFlyPrivate’ wherein customers can book multiple rows and create their own private zone. The idea is for passengers to be able to avail benefits of a charter flight at the ‘fraction’ of the cost.
Domestic airlines are also offering other schemes to boost domestic travel. IndiGo, for example, has launched a flexible payment option called ‘Flexi Pay’ where passengers can book a domestic flight by paying only 10% of the total fare amount. The remaining amount can be deferred for a period of up to 15 days from the date of bookings or before the date of departure.
SpiceJet, on the other hand, is offering COVID insurance cover for passengers. The insurance cover ranges from Rs 50,000 to Rs 300,000 at a premium starting from Rs 443 to Rs 1564 a year (including GST), covering hospital expenses and all pre and post hospitalisation expenses for 30 and 60 days respectively. The comprehensive cover includes tests, medication and consultations upon testing positive for COVID-19.
Airlines in India have taken a massive hit after having been shut for nearly two months due to rising COVID-19 cases.