Coming down heavily on airlines, the Director-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has asked them to immediately stop taking extra money from passengers for their preferred seating. Passengers picking their preferred seats on the Web are charged extra by some airlines. “Airlines will have to refund fee for seat assignment to those passengers who are booked on flights after July 15 and paid extra for preferred seat,” a senior DGCA official told.

In a letter to CEOs of scheduled domestic airlines, the DGCA has not just asked them to stop levying such charges but has also directed them to delete any mention about them from their Web site immediately. However, even 24 hours after the communication was sent out, the airline Web sites still showed these services and charges.

GoAir and SpiceJet charge Rs.50 for any seat selected online. IndiGo chargesRs.400 for front row and emergency row seats and Rs.50 for all other seats in domestic flights; in international flights, it charges Rs.750 for front row and emergency row seats and Rs.150 for all other seats. Air India Express chargesRs.300 for front row and emergency row seats and Rs.100 for all other seats. Front row and emergency row seats are generally preferred as they offer more legroom.

For seats otherthan mentioned above, opted during Web check-in, passengers will have to pay Rs 50 in case of a domestic flight and Rs 150 for international. However, the same service availed at an airport counter is not charged extra. SpiceJet charges Rs 50 for any preferred seat.