DGCA's New 60% Free Seats Rule: What It Means for Families

DGCA's March 2026 circular mandates that 60% of economy seats must be free of charge on every Indian flight, and families on the same PNR must be seated

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DGCA's New 60% Free Seats Rule: What It Means for Families

By Priya Nair (Priya Nair covers India's beach destinations — Andaman, Lakshadweep, Goa, Kerala — with a focus on the practical bits: which gateway airport, which ferry connects to which island, the permits, the scuba seasons, the budget math.) · Published · 9 min read

DGCA's March 2026 circular requires airlines to keep 60% of economy seats free, and to seat same-PNR families together at no charge. Most Indian travellers don't know this exists — here's how to invoke it.

TL;DR: 60% Free Seats, Same-PNR Families Must Sit Together

In March 2026, DGCA issued a circular that requires every scheduled Indian airline to keep at least 60% of economy-class seats available for selection at no charge. Separately, the same circular reinforces an existing rule: passengers on the same PNR — especially families with children under 12 and elderly travellers — must be seated together without any extra fee.

This is a direct response to years of complaints that airlines were deliberately scattering passengers and then charging to reunite them. If an airline you're flying refuses, you now have a specific 2026 DGCA directive to point to.

What Exactly Does the 60% Rule Mean?

The 60% figure is a minimum threshold. At any point during the booking or check-in window for a given flight, at least 60 of every 100 economy seats must be available for selection without a fee. The remaining 40% — typically exit rows, bulkhead, front-of-cabin, or airline-defined premium rows — can still carry a charge.

Practically, this means: if you go to an IndiGo or Air India booking page and you're shown a seat map where more than 40% of seats require payment, the airline is likely in breach of the circular. That's not a grey area.

For families specifically, the implication is that there should always be enough free seats in the middle of the cabin to seat your group together — or close enough to together. The airline cannot claim 'no free adjacent seats' if they're artificially reducing free-seat availability below the 60% floor.

The circular applies to: IndiGo, Air India, Air India Express, Akasa Air, SpiceJet, and any other scheduled carrier operating under DGCA's purview. Verify the latest version at dgca.gov.in, where DGCA publishes all CARs and circulars.

The Same-PNR Seating Rule — How It Applies to Families

The same-PNR family seating rule isn't new — it predates the 2026 circular — but the new order reinforces it with more teeth. The rule covers:

For these groups, the airline must ensure adjacent seating without charging extra for it. The way to invoke this: make sure all family members are on one PNR. If your booking is split — even if you bought the tickets from the same OTA on the same day — you're technically on separate bookings and the rule is harder to apply.

When you're at check-in and the agent says 'only paid seats are available together,' your response should be: 'I have children under 12 on this PNR. Under the DGCA March 2026 circular, adjacent seating must be provided at no charge. Can you please override this?' Most check-in supervisors know the rule. Ground-level agents sometimes don't.

Which Airlines Are Complying — and Which Are Still Resisting?

Airline compliance varies, and I'll be honest: this is a moving situation. Air India has been more straightforward about family seating, partly because its full-service legacy means it never fully moved to the pure ancillary-fee model that low-cost carriers use. Air India Express has had mixed reviews — some families report easy resolutions, others say the international check-in counters (especially at Gulf airports) are harder to deal with.

IndiGo has the most documented tension here, primarily because its ancillary revenue model relies significantly on seat fees. Akasa Air, being newer and smaller, hasn't had as many public complaints on this front — but anecdotally, its seat-fee structure is similar to IndiGo's in design.

SpiceJet is in a difficult operating position as of mid-2026, with reduced network and intermittent service. If you're flying SpiceJet, the rule theoretically applies, but practical enforcement at their counters has been uneven.

Tip: if you're flying around school holidays — summer (May–June), Diwali, Christmas — book seats in advance the moment booking opens. The 60% free-seat rule doesn't guarantee the specific adjacent seats you want; it guarantees a certain number of free seats exist. By the time you're checking in the night before, those free slots may all be in non-adjacent rows.

How to Invoke the Rule at Check-in — Step by Step

Here's what I'd actually tell a friend heading to the airport with two kids:

  1. Web check-in first (48 hours out). Open the airline app or site the moment check-in opens. Look for free adjacent seats in the 60% pool — they're usually mid-cabin, not exit or bulkhead rows. Grab them immediately.
  2. If no free adjacent seats show up, don't pay yet. Note the seat map (screenshot it) and head to the airport counter.
  3. At the counter, ask calmly but specifically: 'I have a child under 12 on this PNR. DGCA's circular requires adjacent seating at no charge. Can you please seat us together from the available seats?' Have your PNR ready. Keep it factual, not combative.
  4. If the agent resists, ask to speak with the duty manager or shift supervisor. The counter-level agent may not have the system authority to override even if they want to.
  5. If you're still not seated together, board the plane and ask a flight attendant. Fellow passengers in adjacent rows often voluntarily swap when there's a young child involved — but you shouldn't have to rely on that.
  6. After the flight, file on AirSewa (airsewa.gov.in) if you were charged or separated despite invoking the rule. Include your PNR, date, route, and the seat numbers assigned. Keep your boarding passes.

What If You've Already Paid for Seats You Shouldn't Have Had To?

This is a real situation. Plenty of families paid seat fees on flights that departed before they knew about the March 2026 circular, or on flights where an agent told them paying was their only option. Can you get that money back?

The honest answer: it's possible but requires effort. The 60% rule and family seating rule have both existed in some form before March 2026, so even for past flights there's a basis for complaint. File through AirSewa, cite the PNR and the fact that you have children on the booking, and request a refund of the seat fees. Airlines typically respond within 21 days under DGCA guidelines.

For future trips: search your family flights on FlightGPT — comparing across dates can sometimes show you flights where the load factor is lower, meaning more free seats are available and you're less likely to get into the together-seating fight in the first place. A Thursday morning departure beats a Friday evening one almost every time.

Also worth reading: our piece on IndiGo's quiet zone vs DGCA rules and the Akasa Air infant policy guide for more on how different carriers handle family passengers.

Frequently asked questions

What is DGCA's 60% free seats rule?

The March 2026 DGCA circular requires Indian scheduled airlines to keep at least 60% of economy seats available for selection at no charge on every flight. The remaining up to 40% (exit rows, front rows, premium economy seats) can still carry a fee. Verify the current circular text at dgca.gov.in.

Does the DGCA family seating rule apply to Air India international flights?

It applies to Air India flights departing from Indian airports, including international routes. Inbound international flights operating under a foreign aviation authority (e.g., landing in London Heathrow) fall under that country's rules for the inbound sector. Air India's own policy typically aligns with DGCA's requirements regardless of direction.

What if the airline charges me for seats despite the DGCA rule?

Pay under protest if you must (to avoid missing the flight), keep your receipt, and file a complaint on AirSewa (airsewa.gov.in) after the flight. Cite the DGCA March 2026 circular, your PNR, and the children's ages. Airlines are required to respond within 21 days and must refund incorrectly charged seat fees.

Does being on the same PNR matter for the family seating rule?

Yes, significantly. Same-PNR bookings give you the clearest legal basis for mandatory together-seating. If you booked separately — even on the same day, same route — the airline has more room to treat you as unrelated passengers. Always book a family group in one transaction.

Can I apply this rule on OTA-booked tickets (MakeMyTrip, Cleartrip, etc.)?

Yes. The rule applies to the airline's seat assignment, regardless of whether you booked through the airline directly or an OTA. The PNR is the same once issued. Your OTA booking reference maps to a single airline PNR — that's what matters at the check-in counter.

How early should I try to select seats under the 60% rule?

Web check-in typically opens 48 hours before departure for most Indian carriers. Open the airline app at the earliest moment and select free adjacent seats from the middle cabin pool. On peak routes (Mumbai–Delhi, Bengaluru–Hyderabad, any holiday weekend flight), free seats in good positions go quickly. Don't wait until the night before.