{"id":1307935,"date":"2026-04-03T10:47:36","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T05:17:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/?p=1307935"},"modified":"2026-04-03T10:47:48","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T05:17:48","slug":"60-free-airline-seats-allocation-postponed-by-govt-as-of-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/60-free-airline-seats-allocation-postponed-by-govt-as-of-now\/","title":{"rendered":"60% Free Airline Seats Allocation Postponed By Govt, As Of Now"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>In a quick policy reversal, the government has <strong>put on hold its earlier order requiring airlines to offer 60% seats free of charge<\/strong>, just weeks after announcing it. The decision comes after strong pushback from airlines and concerns over rising costs in the aviation sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Untitled-design-7-1280x720-1-1-1024x576-1.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1307939\" srcset=\"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Untitled-design-7-1280x720-1-1-1024x576-1.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Untitled-design-7-1280x720-1-1-1024x576-1-300x169.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Untitled-design-7-1280x720-1-1-1024x576-1-768x432.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Was the Original Rule?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Earlier in March 2026, the government <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hindustantimes.com\/india-news\/centre-rolls-back-60-free-flight-seat-allocation-order-weeks-after-announcement-101775178056600.html\">had directed airlines to:<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Offer <strong>at least 60% of seats free of seat selection charges<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Increase transparency in pricing<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ensure families are seated together<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This was meant to reduce extra charges and make air travel more affordable for passengers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Has Changed Now?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The government has now <strong>put the rule \u201cin abeyance\u201d (temporarily paused)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Airlines are <strong>no longer required to offer 60% seats for free<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The rule will not be implemented from April 20 as planned<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The earlier system (around <strong>20% free seats<\/strong>) continues for now<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This means passengers will continue to see <strong>paid seat selection options<\/strong> on most flights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why the Government Took a U-Turn<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The rollback is mainly due to pressure from airlines and industry concerns:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Airlines argued the rule would <strong>hurt ancillary revenue<\/strong> (income from add-ons like seat selection)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>They warned it could lead to <strong>higher base ticket prices<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Rising costs due to <strong>fuel prices and global tensions<\/strong> added to the pressure<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>In short, airlines said:<br>\u201cIf we can\u2019t charge for seats, we\u2019ll have to increase fares.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Financial Stress in Aviation Sector<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The timing of the rollback is important:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Aviation fuel costs are rising due to global geopolitical issues<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The rupee is weakening, increasing operational costs<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Airlines are already operating on <strong>thin margins<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The government likely stepped back to <strong>avoid further financial strain on airlines<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Is the Rule Cancelled Permanently?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>No \u2014 the rule is <strong>not cancelled<\/strong>, just paused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The government has said it will <strong>review the policy further<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A revised or modified version may come later<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The goal remains balancing <strong>passenger benefits vs airline viability<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What This Means for You<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>For passengers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>You will <strong>still have to pay for many seat selections<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Free seats remain limited (around 20%)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ticket prices may remain stable for now<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>For airlines:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Relief from revenue loss<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>More flexibility in pricing strategy<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bigger Picture: Policy vs Profit Balance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>This episode highlights a larger issue in aviation:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Government wants <strong>fair pricing for passengers<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Airlines need <strong>flexibility to stay profitable<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Striking the right balance is difficult\u2014especially during a period of rising costs and global uncertainty.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a quick policy reversal, the government has put on hold its earlier order requiring airlines to offer 60% seats free of charge, just weeks after announcing it. The decision comes after strong pushback from airlines and concerns over rising costs in the aviation sector. What Was the Original Rule? Earlier in March 2026, the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":1307939,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[9676,989,8122],"class_list":["post-1307935","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","tag-60-seats","tag-airlines","tag-tickets"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>60% Free Airline Seats Allocation Postponed By Govt, As Of Now - Trak.in - Indian Business of Tech, Mobile &amp; Startups<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/60-free-airline-seats-allocation-postponed-by-govt-as-of-now\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"60% Free Airline Seats Allocation Postponed By Govt, As Of Now - Trak.in - Indian Business of Tech, Mobile &amp; Startups\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In a quick policy reversal, the government has put on hold its earlier order requiring airlines to offer 60% seats free of charge, just weeks after announcing it. 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