New Delhi: Next time you fly on a low-cost airline, the carrier will be bound to allocate seat numbers to you unlike the present practice of giving out seats on a first-come, first-served basis.
While most low-cost airlines were so far not allotting seat numbers to passengers, the government on Tuesday made it mandatory for all airlines to allocate seat numbers to passengers.
Air Deccan is one such airline which does not allocate seat numbers at present while almost all other airlines, including low-cost carriers like SpiceJet and IndiGo, follow the practice of allocating seats. This government move will now help people traveling on low-cost carriers.
A Civil Aviation Requirement circular issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said seat numbers should be allotted to all passengers at all stations and their boarding passes should indicate the row and seat numbers.
The circular also said that due care should be taken to allot specific, but convenient, seats to aged and infirm passengers who should not be seated near the emergency exits. The rule also made it clear that aged and infirm passengers should be loaded on to the aircraft before others and disembarked at the end.
It said personnel responsible for seat allocation must ensure that the weight and balance of the aircraft and its centre of gravity were "well within the limits for all phases of the flight, irrespective of the number of passengers."
A Civil Aviation Ministry spokesperson said the move would not only facilitate a quick head-count of passengers for tallying with the manifest entries, but also assist follow-up action during investigation of any mishap.
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