This airline is giving women the option to avoid sitting next to men

This option arrives after notable events, including a 2023 incident when a drunk man urinated on a female traveler.

India’s largest budget airline, IndiGo, has launched a pioneering booking feature enabling female passengers to avoid sitting next to male passengers on flights.

The airline has been testing this option since May, offering women the choice of selecting seats marked in pink during the seat selection process. This marking indicates the seat will be occupied by another female traveler, according to a company representative who spoke to CNBC Travel.

However, this option is only visible to female travelers. Male passengers do not have access to this information. IndiGo’s system requires passengers to identify their gender when booking, which facilitates the implementation of this feature.

The feature has sparked a range of responses online. IndiGo’s CEO, Pieter Elbers, shared with CNBC’s "Street Signs Asia" that the initiative has received “positive individual reactions” on social media.

He noted that the airline is leveraging technology to introduce this option, stating, "We brought [the initiative] up as a test ... It has responded very well with our customers, but also internationally.”

While many users on platforms such as X and Reddit have praised the feature, citing personal experiences of discomfort when seated next to male passengers, others have labeled it discriminatory. Some critics questioned how the airline would handle situations where male passengers identify as female.

IndiGo has defended the initiative, stating it was introduced to make flying “more comfortable for our female passengers.” However, the company did not comment on whether the decision was influenced by recent incidents involving male passengers' inappropriate behavior on flights.

In one notable 2023 incident, a drunk male passenger urinated on a female traveler during an Air India flight, which led to significant public outcry.