I like the idea of this option for women - air travel

[DOBARDAN]

https://www.livemint.com/companies/news/indigo-introduces-female-friendly-seat-selection-during-web-check-in-announces-special-flight-sale-starting-at-rs-1199-11716960304002.html

IndiGo Airlines has launched a new feature during web check-in that allows female passengers to see which seats have been pre booked by other female passengers. This initiative aims to make air travel a more comfortable and safe experience for women, in that they can choose to sit away from men. If you are a male passenger wishing to pre book, the seats immediately around a female's pre booked seat will be blanked out.

Many complaints are made from women of being harassed or sexually assaulted whilst on their journey and the fact you can't always change your seat mid flight, (and you most definitely cannot exit the plane to get away), is a compounding factor. Of course, you can always alert aircraft staff, but this would be after the event.

I don't know if this initiative will work but I like the idea. My own personal experience of flying is feeling very awkward getting out of my seat and having to inch past a seated male passenger, in order to go to the loo. It almost feels like you're having to do a lap dance! The same awkwardness applies should the man want to get out of , or get back into, his seat. For this reason alone I would opt to sit away from men.

This!

l work with men and women, l socialise with men and women, l even have a friend who met how husband on a plane!

l want to respect men around me and expect them to do the same to me. But when l want a wee, l want just around me, women!

I don't recall Malaysia Airlines offering such information. But I can confirm that Malaysian long-distance trains do provide the M/F information (you are required to provide passenger details upon booking).

I don't think it does necessarily, any more than single sex facilities does. It depends on how you frame it, and one way it can be framed is however you slice it, there are always a certain number of pervs. Enforcement can help some but not wipe that out.

I think women differ significantly on how far they like to take those kind of social options for single sex only.

Here's a better option, when booking flights passengers who wish to drink alcohol on or just before the flight will need to state so. Non-drinkers who wish to be seated away from drinkers can say so where the system will try to assist when choosing seats.

IMO drunks tend to make up at least 99% of problematic passengers on flights.

"What does this teach our boys? that they're all pervs?"

I recall maybe a decade ago an airline, BA I think, introduced a policy where men couldn't sit next to any children except their own, causing controversy as it gave the message all men are dangerous and can't be trusted even with ~200 witnesses present. It came to an end and didn't catch on.

I don't think this teaches boys that they're all pervs, just that some men are pervs and because, it seems, there is no way of getting this type of man to behave, and because so many complaints of sexual assault/harassment were received by the airline, preventative measures needed to be put in place to protect women and children.

You mention BA and their policy of not allowing men to sit with children, except their own. Again, it doesn't mean all men are dangerous, but enough of them are dangerous and there is no way of telling, as they board the plane, which men will act appropriately and which men won't. Women and children may appreciate a way of travelling by air and not having to consider what kind of man is sitting next to them.

I can appreciate it is a major headache trying to seat everyone to their needs and wants, no doubt the IndiGo initiative will go the same way as BA's, although trains in India do have separate carriages for women only, so who knows.

I doubt all 200 people (witnesses) on the plane would be able to see an assault happening, even people sitting in the same row won't be continually looking in one direction, let alone hear a man who mumbles sexual references to the person sat next to him.

These men are crafty, they do things 'accidentally', a touch of your leg, resting their leg up against yours, falling 'asleep' and leaning all over you etc. etc.

India does seem to be extremely bad in this respect, in that public harassment of women by men, including in groups, is very much accepted by men. They call it "Eve teasing" which minimises how serious it is.