Mighty howl on social media as IndiGo decides to follow web check-in policy

 NEW DELHI: On Monday afternoon the IndiGo airlines which had been following a mighty howl on social networking sites regarding its decision to charge for the selection of any seat while doing a web check-in, indeed making web check-in a paid service.

In a statement, the airline said: “While the preferred seat pricing starts as low as Rs 100, there would be some seats that may be available for free depending on the market dynamics for the flight. Thus, there are some seats that are available for free at a certain time period before departure (e.g. one day before departure) or on certain aircraft type (e.g., ATR operated flights). If the passengers have no particular preference for seats and would not like to pay for advance seat selection, they can either reserve any free seats available at the time of web check-in or will, of course, be assigned seats at the time of airport check-in. This is a common practice followed by airlines across the globe. The customers can always obtain the seat at the airport kiosk check-in or counter, though this may not guarantee that they would be assigned the seat of their choice,” the airline said.

The aviation ministry had tweeted on Monday morning that it “has noted airlines are now charging for web check-in for all seats. We are reviewing these fees to see whether they fall within the unbundled pricing framework.” The Director General of Civil Aviation B S Bhullar had told a source that he is examining the issue “on priority in light of our regulations.”

The decision to charge for all the web check-in could see that serpentine check-in queues are chaining up as flyers may skip web check-in to avoid the payment for the seat selection charges that are being ranged from Rs 100 to Rs 800.

IndiGo told passengers: “As per our revised policy, all seats will be chargeable for web check-in. Alternatively, you may check-in at the airport for free. Seats will be assigned as per the availability.”

In its statement which was issued on social media outcry and strong words have been used from the aviation ministry and regulator DGCA, IndiGo as they insisted that there was no “change in the airline’s web check-in practice. Keeping in mind consumer preferences and market demand, IndiGo makes dynamic decisions about pricing for advance seat selection. This segmentation helps us to serve different customer segments as per their requirements.”

“The pricing is only for advance selection of seats. When the customer checks in at the airport, the seats would be assigned for free. That said, there is no guarantee that the seat of choice for the passenger would be available at the time of airport check-in. Advance selection for a small fee helps consumers reserve the seat of their choice on their flight,” the statement added.