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Who hasn’t dreaded – just a little bit – opening your laptop to book a domestic flight in India? Seat selection fees here, unclear baggage policies there, a checked-in instrument that you don’t know if it’ll arrive in three pieces. Well, aisle be damned. The Ministry of Civil Aviation has apparently had enough of all that. This week, it issued a sweeping set of India airport guidelines.
Directives, at the end of the day, are directives – none of this will necessarily fix your next Thursday evening flight just yet. But as far as baseline protections go, it's a meaningful shift, worth knowing about the next time you book. Here’s a peek:
Free seats almost guaranteed: At least 60% of seats on every flight must be allocated at no extra charge.
Sit together by right: Same PNR for multiple people is expected to mean adjacent seats by default.
Guitars and gear, sorted: The Ministry directed airports to form explicit guidelines for pets, and ensure that sports equipment and musical instruments are transported safely.
Your rights in your language: Passenger entitlements expected to be displayed prominently in regional languages, across all booking platforms and airport counters.
Delays and cancellations? No more guesswork: The Ministry expects strict adherence to the existing passenger rights framework for delays, denied boarding, and cancellations.