Choose your seat

Preferred Seating

Pick your favourite seat in economy class on select Air India flights to enjoy additional comfort during your journey. 

Rules for preferred seating on Air India flights

• Seat reservation is free for first and business class travellers on select routes operated by Air India. Preferred seat selection in the economy class is available on select routes operated by Air India. However, this option is not available on Air India codeshare flights. 
• Preferred seating is only open for window, aisle, and middle seats in the front and middle zones of the aircraft. Select seats in the rear section are currently available free of charge on our website on a first-come, first-served basis. 
• Travellers can buy preferred seats up to four hours before departure. 
• Paid seats do not include infant bassinets, which remain charge-free, subject to availability. 
• You can visit the Manage Booking section of the website to book preferred seats.

Eligibility criteria for emergency exit row seats 

In compliance with the exit row seating guidelines laid by the Director General of Civil Aviation, travellers on seats next to the emergency exit doors must: 

• Be able to observe the written or pictorial safety instructions related to emergency evacuation in English or Hindi. Else, they must be able to understand the commands spoken by the crew. 
• Be able-bodied and have sufficient physical strength, dexterity, and mobility to open and pass through the emergency exit doors without assistance or impeding others. 
• Be in good health during check-in, boarding, and the flight. 
• Be above 15 years of age on the date of the flight. 
• Not be pregnant or an unaccompanied minor. 
• Not be a passenger with restricted mobility, which includes persons with a physical or intellectual disability, persons who are using a wheelchair or other assistive devices, and persons who are impaired due to any other cause as they may endanger themselves or others in the event of an emergency. 
• Not be directly responsible for the caring of children, infants, elderly, or passengers with restricted mobility. 
• Not be under the influence of any intoxicating substance at check-in, boarding, and during the flight. 
• Not requiring an extension seat belt due to large body size and not using the inflight entertainment system during aircraft taxi, take-off, or landing.

The preferred seat charges are for each flight/segment of your trip. If you have multiple flights/journeys, each segment is payable separately. For example, a San Francisco-Delhi-Bengaluru flight will attract two separate charges —San Francisco-Delhi and Delhi-Bengaluru. 

Note:

• Payments for preferred seats will be accepted in the local currency. 
• Preferential Extra Leg room seat is available on the limited type of aircraft.

Rules for a refund on paid preferred seats

The charges on preferred seats are fully refundable: 

• If the booking is cancelled 48 hours before flight departure 
• In case there is a change in schedule or flight disruption 
• If due to operational reasons, we may have to deploy other aircraft types to stick to the flight schedule. We will do our best to allocate you a similar seat or a seat in the same zone. If you have paid for the seat, we will refund the charges if we cannot offer you the selected seat or an equivalent. 

Disclaimer: Air India reserves the right to allot an alternate seat at any stage of the journey for operational or safety requirements without assigning any reasons. Passengers who select an emergency exit row seat and do not meet any of these criteria at check-in, boarding or during the flight, may be reassigned to another seat without any refund.

Note: The charges on the preferred seat are non-refundable if the passenger changes the itinerary within 48 hours of flight departure. Passengers who book an emergency exit row seat and do not meet these criteria at check-in, boarding or during the flight may be re-assigned to another seat without refunds. Air India reserves the right to allot an alternate seat at any stage of the journey for operational or safety requirements without giving any reason.