Air India Creates Women-Only Space to Prevent Harassment
The airline aims to make travel safer for female passengers after two incidents of assault this winter.
Air India, the country’s national airline, announced this week that it will soon set aside two rows on every flight for women passengers who are traveling solo in an effort to combat harassment and sexual assault. The six seats located at the front of the planes will be offered for no additional fees.
The move from the airline comes after two incidents this winter. In December, a male passenger groped a woman seated next to him on a flight from Mumbai to Newark. In January, a flight attendant reported a male passenger who exhibited similar inappropriate behavior towards her. Both men were arrested.
Related: The Most and Least Reliable Airports and Airlines
“We feel, as national carriers, it is our responsibility to enhance comfort level to female passengers. There are a lot of female passengers who travel alone with us and we will be blocking a few seats for them,” Air India general manager Meenakshi Malik told The Hindu.
The airline is following the lead of other transportation providers in India, such as buses and trains that have created female-only spaces.In recent years, there have also been a proliferation of Indian startup ride services by and for women.
SheTaxi permits NoidaAir India, the country’s national airline, announced this week that it will soon set aside two rows on every flight for women passengers who are traveling solo in an effort to combat harassment and sexual assault. The six seats located at the front of the planes will be offered for no additional fees.
The move from the airline comes after two incidents this winter. In December, a male passenger groped a woman seated next to him on a flight from Mumbai to Newark. In January, a flight attendant reported a male passenger who exhibited similar inappropriate behavior towards her. Both men were arrested.
Related: The Most and Least Reliable Airports and Airlines
“We feel, as national carriers, it is our responsibility to enhance comfort level to female passengers. There are a lot of female passengers who travel alone with us and we will be blocking a few seats for them,” Air India general manager Meenakshi Malik told The Hindu.
The airline is following the lead of other transportation providers in India, such as buses and trains that have created female-only spaces.In recent years, there have also been a proliferation of Indian startup ride services by and for women.
SheTaxi permits NoidaThe rest of this article is locked.
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