In a world-first initiative, an airline is changing a key procedure to enhance safety for women travellers. Sorry men, this change isn’t for you.

Starting in August, IndiGo will allow female passengers to choose seats next to other women if they prefer not to sit beside a male passenger. Women will have the option to check the gender of their seat-mate before booking their seats. However, this feature will not be available for men, who will only be able to view available seats without knowing the gender of their seat-mate.

IndiGo, a low-cost carrier and codeshare partner of Qantas, serves destinations such as India and various routes within the country for Australian passengers. The idea for this change stemmed from an IndiGo survey asking female passengers what would make their travel more comfortable.

“IndiGo is proud to announce the introduction of a new feature that aims to make the travel experience more comfortable for our female passengers,” the airline stated. “We are committed to providing an unparalleled travel experience for all our passengers, and this new feature is just one of the many steps we are taking towards achieving that goal.”

The initiative will be introduced on a trial basis initially.

In India, long-distance trains and suburban commuter trains in Mumbai already have women-only compartments. Similar arrangements exist in Japan and Iran, where public transport also separates the sexes for safety reasons.

Assaults on flights do occur, with women being more vulnerable. An FBI report in April highlighted an increase in in-flight sexual assaults, noting 96 cases in the US in 2023. The report indicated that men are typically the perpetrators, while women and unaccompanied minors are the victims.