The Centre has asked airlines to not show every flight seat as paid during web check-in. Here is a lowdown on what led to the warning

Do you always have to pay a little extra amount while doing the mandatory “free” web check-in every time you fly somewhere? This is a recurring problem, and more often than not, we are left confused as to why we are paying extra on a ticket that’s already purchased and is a confirmed one.

There was once a time when we used to pay extra for the seats with extra legroom. But now, you’d be lucky to catch the green “free” spot on your web check-in screen. The amount can range anywhere from INR 100-500. Is this fare to the customers?


The Centre definitely didn’t think so. Calling it “unfair trade practices” and “misleading”, the Centre has warned airlines that not every seat can be shown as paid seats during web check-in.

Web check-in for any airlines these days open two days prior to departure. Flyers often do web check-in during that time period but no matter when you do, one always finds nearly all seats marked as paid. However, some airlines do allow very few free seats towards the rear end of the aircraft. What can a flyer do when web check-in is made mandatory for all domestic flights?

This matter came under the radar of the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) back in November 2018.

Generally, a web check-in is free of cost. The extra charges are incurred only when passengers opt for facilities such as seats with more leg room, airlines’ add-on services like in-flight meals or sometimes for a window seat. It is important to note that there are some routes where not all seats are paid seats. However, it's unfortunate that a majority of the routes come with mandatory purchase of seats apart from the ticket which one has already purchased.