India's domestic airlines have been allowed to charge a premium for 25 per cent of the seats that are booked in advance by passengers. The order allowing the airlines to charge a fixed flat rate for pre-booked seats was signed on June 27 and comes into immediate effect. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has not stipulated the rate which airlines can charge for these premium seats, but has told the airlines that the charge cannot vary from sector to sector.    

With this, a passenger pre-booking a seat on the Delhi-Chennai sector will pay the same amount for a premium seat as a passenger flying on the Chennai-Coimbatore sector. The DGCA order says that the airlines cannot sell the middle seat at a premium rate except for those in the front rows and near the emergency exits of the aircraft.    

Earlier, IndiGo was the only airline which was charging for premium seating. In May the DGCA introduced Seat Plus under which a passenger had to pay Rs 500 for window or aisle seat in Rows 1, 12 and 13 while for Rows 4-11 and 14-30 the rate was Rs 200 per passenger. The offer was later withdrawn.