Indian carrier and American Airlines partner IndiGo sends parents with small children to the back of the aircraft. If you’re a breastfeeding mom, they don’t want you in the extra legroom seats.
One reporter describes her experience across several flights. She wasn’t allowed to book seats at the front of the cabin, traveling with her four month old child, until she complained on social media that this rule wasn’t published anywhere.
So @IndiGo6E has a pathetic infant travel policy- they don’t allow infants before 23rd row. When asked why, they said air pressure. But this is rubbish, @airvistara says pay to book infant and chose any seat except emergency exit.
Guess which airline I will be flying forever?— Rishika Baruah (@rishika625) December 2, 2022
It turns out the rule is unevenly enforced. After getting an exception and booking bulkhead seats, she another trip on the airline reserving these same seats. She was allowed to check in and board – but was then marched to the back of the aircraft being told that parents with lap infants are only permitted to sit behind row 22.
I was told the speakers are too loud at the front and that the air pressure is “dangerous” for a baby at the front.
…I was seated on the same 1F seat. But just before take-off, three male employees approached me and ordered me to move to the back. They threatened to hold the flight until I vacated my seat.
Larger aircraft have an extra oxygen mask in each row, which can be used for a lap infant or in case one fails. Parents traveling with two lap infants may want to sit in separate rows in order to each have access to an extra mask even if the airline doesn’t require it (regional jets may have only one extra mask per side of the aisle). IndiGo staff claim their planes are not equipped with extra masks in the front of the aircraft. This seems odd because as a general matter U.S. certification requirements for an aircraft will include having 10% more oxygen masks than passengers.
The passenger was frustrating trying to use a feeding pillow without the extra space she’d booked. And having to stop and restart her feeding in order to change seats, her baby screamed.
According to the airline,
We have taken cognisance of the issue and are working towards a well-defined infant policy to avoid any such experiences in the future. IndiGo is conscious of the needs of its valued customers and it is our constant endeavour to provide a courteous and hassle-free experience to all.
IndiGo is one of the airlines that the Indian government is trying to protect from competition at the expense of passengers who have to pay more.
That would be amazing.
Will never happen, but it would be amazing.
Gary,
“IndiGo is one of the airlines that the Indian government is trying to protect from competition at the expense of passengers who have to pay more.”
From now on in the interest of fairness, when you write about AA, DL, UA, AS or anty US airline, you need to write, “AA/UA/DL/AS is one of the airlines the US government is trying to protect from competition at the expense of passengers who have to pay more” and you can add that “these airlines are the same ones who get subsidies at taxpayer expense and do not hold up their end of the contract with firing staff”.
It is pathetic – you have lost a lot of objectivity. There are 66000 seats negotiated each way every day from India to UAE. The ME3 have grown to reach the limit. In a bilateral agreement the Indian airlines have not yet done so. What is the issue that you have that no further increase is permitted until both sides are even? Even if it is political, which it does not appear to be, there are a lot of political issues everywhere.
“They don’t think they need foreign flights to improve commerce and bring down costs. They’d rather protect their homegrown oligarchs.” When AA and DL ad UA do the same thing, where is you righteousness?
Similar but not quite same situation.
Wizzair require PRM passengers to be allocated seats at the back of the aircraft. On two round trips on Wizz out of Luton I’ve been allocated the same window seat 3 rows from back of aircraft.
I was told this was mandatory as PRMs are brought to rear of aircraft on a hi-lift. When I queried if the aircraft might use a jetway I was told a hi-lift would still be used !
Ryanair do have a similar policy but they will allocate an aisle seat if requested
Seems wrong to me to send mothers with small children to the back of the airplane, but I also think Westerners now have little basis to complain about strange social customs adopted by other cultures, as a lot of our Woke policies are idiotic, too (mutilating children to reassign their gender, anyone?).
@chopsticks – turn off fox “news” and get educated. Exactly nothing you describe is even remotely true.
I actually have no issues with designated areas for babies and small children. I think it’s great. Doesn’t have to be unfortunate and can have more space even. I think that would be quite fine. Extra legroom area in the back behind a wall and available exclusively for babies and their parents. Perfect
Never ever try Indigo airlines very bad service
@chopsticks…Please don’t use a legitimate airline article topic as a springboard for your right-wing bloviating. Spare us, will you?
Only aim of this article appears to bring down Indigo by reducing its brand value and trying to support expensive American airlines