Now, pay more to sit with family on Air India flights

Gone are the days when you had to pay a little extra to sit up front. Air India has become the latest airline to introduce a seat selection fee for both domestic and international flights.

While earlier the airline used to charge a fee only for the front row seats on long-haul flights, the new fee will apply to most rows. The airline issued a circular for travel agents, detailing the fees applicable on various routes. For middle seats on domestic flights, the fee is fairly low, starting at Rs 100 and Rs 200 for the window and aisle seats.

On international flights out of India, the fee is Rs 200 on most routes. But for the emergency exit row seats, the fee starts at Rs 240, and can climb as high Rs 1,500. On flights from international desti-nations into India, the seat fees depend on the currency of origin.


For instance, on the US-India routes, the middle seat fee is $3, while that for the emergency row exit seat is $50. For all the other window and aisle seats, it is $15.

The middle seat selection fee was first introduced in India in 2016 by Jet Airways, IndiGo, Go Air and Spice Jet. It is referred to as the ‘family fee’ since family members who want to sit next to each other will be forced to pay the fee. However, officials assure that the fee does not apply to all rows, so passengers can book well in advance to get the seats of their choice, without paying extra.