India's largest airline IndiGo hiked charges for flyers opting for front seats having more leg room in flights. Now, passengers will have to dole out up to Rs 2,000 for front seats, the PTI said. According to the fees and charges mentioned for various services on IndiGo's website, selecting a window or aisle seat in the front row of an A321 aircraft having 232 seats will cost Rs 2,000, while the amount is Rs 1,500 if it is the middle seat.
As per the report, the charges are the same for these seats in an A321 plane that has 222 seats and in an A320 aircraft having 186 seats. The same tariff is applicable for selecting these seats in an A320 aircraft with 180 seats, according to the airline's website. In the case of ATR planes, the charge for seat selection is up to Rs 500.
Aviation analyst Ameya Joshi said the airline has increased the seat selection charge for the front row seats with extra legroom to up to Rs 2,000. Earlier, it was up to Rs 1,500, he added.
There was no immediate from IndiGo on hiking the seat selection charge to up to Rs 2,000. Changes in charges for selecting seats in other rows could not be immediately ascertained.
Last week, IndiGo announced that it has removed fuel charges applicable on its domestic and international flights, effectively immediately. The airline earlier introduced fuel charges in October 2023, due to an increase in Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) prices, an airline spokesperson said. The withdrawal of fuel charge that was collected from passengers will reduce airfares by up to Rs 1,000 on certain long routes.
In the wake of a spike in jet fuel prices, the airline started levying the fuel charge on each domestic and international ticket from October 6, 2023. The quantum of the fuel charge varied from Rs 300 to up to Rs 1,000, depending on the distance.