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Now, pay more to sit with your family on overseas flights

[email protected] (Agencies)
December 22, 2016

Mumbai, Dec 22: Saccharine-sweet portrayals of families bonding may be a popular theme in airline commercials, but in the airline boardrooms they have figured out that families can be put to better commercial use. The latest revenue generator in the industry comes from ensuring that the families that fly together pay to sit together.

AI
The 'seat selection fee' or 'family fee', as it's called by different airlines round the world, made its debut over eight years ago, but in India it's only this year that this fee has emerged in a ruthless avatar.

While Air India introduced the fee in May, private carrier Jet Airways revised its seat selection fee recently.

Currently, for a family of three on board a flight from, say Mumbai to London, the additional one-way cost of sitting together would come to Rs 9,000 on Air India. It would be Rs 4,500 on Jet Airways, and if the bulkhead/exit row seats with more legroom are chosen, the fee would soar by Rs 10,500. Even the middle seats are charged.

In a circular sent to travel agents on December 12, it has listed a comprehensive seat selection fee chart which charges different fees depending not just on the destination, but also the month and date of travel.

"On flights between India and the Middle East, and Asean countries, the categories are high season, peak season and other months. It's evident that when the revenue they earned from baggage fees and cancellation fees came down, Jet increased the seat selection fee," said an aviation consultant, requesting anonymity.

After the Indian aviation regulator, DGCA, put a cap on baggage fees and cancellation fees this year, airlines have turned to seat selection fee to raise their ancillary revenue from non-ticket sources, such as baggage fees, preferred seat, food bought on board, etc.

National carrier Air India on its website hasn't even bothered with the particulars. The website puts a "blanket preferred seat price" of Rs 3,500 per seat on flights to the US and Rs 3,000 per seat on flights to the UK, Far East, Europe and Australia. But an Air India spokesperson said that the said fee was applicable only for front row seats.

Sudhakara Reddy of Air Passengers Association of India, a consumer rights body, said: "The DGCA should carry out a comparative study on the seat selection fees charged by airlines in other countries. But it has not yet come out with the revised guidelines on all the charges that airlines can levy for unbundled services (ancillary revenue sources). They should put the guidelines on their website for the passenger to refer to readily.''

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News Network
December 16,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 16: The Mangaluru City police have significantly escalated their campaign against drug trafficking, arresting 25 individuals and booking 12 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act between November 30 and December 13. The crackdown resulted in the seizure of a substantial quantity of illicit substances, including 685.6 grams of MDMA and 1.5 kg of ganja.

The success of this recent drive has been significantly boosted by the city’s innovative, QR code-based anonymous reporting system.

"The anonymous reporting system has received an encouraging response. Several recent arrests were made based on inputs received through this system, helping police tighten the noose around drug peddlers," said the City Police Commissioner.

The latest arrests contribute to a robust year-to-date record, underscoring the police's relentless commitment to combating the drug menace.

Up to December 14 this year, the police have registered a total of 107 cases of drug peddling, leading to the arrest of 219 peddlers. Furthermore, they have booked 562 cases of drug consumption, resulting in the arrest of 671 individuals.

The scale of the seizure for the year reflects the magnitude of the problem being tackled: police have seized 320.6 kg of ganja worth ₹88.7 lakh and 1.4 kg of MDMA valued at ₹1.2 crore. Other significant seizures include hydro-weed ganja worth ₹94.7 lakh and cocaine worth ₹1.9 lakh, among others.

The Commissioner emphasized a policy of rigorous enforcement: "We ensure that peddlers are caught red-handed so that they cannot later dispute the case or claim innocence."

To counter the rising trend of substance abuse among youth, the Mangaluru City police have rolled out uniform guidelines for random drug testing across educational institutions.

As part of the drive, tests were conducted in approximately 100 institutions, screening an estimated 5,500 to 6,000 students in the first phase. 20 students tested positive for drug consumption during the initial screening.

Students who tested positive have been provided counselling and are scheduled for re-testing in the second quarter. The testing will also be expanded to students not covered in the first phase. In a move to ensure strict implementation, police personnel were deployed in mufti in some institutions. Reiterating a zero-tolerance stance, the Commissioner confirmed that random testing will continue, and colleges have also been instructed to conduct drug tests at the time of admission to deter substance abuse from an early stage.

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News Network
December 19,2025

Mangaluru: The Mangaluru CEN police have arrested a 23-year-old man for allegedly posting provocative and misleading content on an Instagram page named “mr_a_titude”, targeting the Bajpe police.

Mangaluru Commissioner of Police Sudheer Kumar Reddy C H identified the arrested as Abhishek M, a resident of Katipalla in Mangaluru.

A case has been registered at the Bajpe Police Station under Sections 353(1)(c), 353(2), 56, and 57 read with Section 189 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) in connection with the post.

According to police, the accused uploaded a photograph of a hotel on the Instagram page and alleged that accused persons in a murder case under the Bajpe police jurisdiction were being given “royal treatment” by the police, including being served beef meals daily from the hotel.

The post further accused the police of supporting criminals, misusing their authority, and betraying public trust. Police said the content was provocative in nature and aimed at inciting public outrage against the police.

Following the post, a case was registered at the Bajpe police station, and further investigation was transferred to the CEN police station.

Police records indicate that the accused has a criminal history, with multiple cases registered against him, including murder, attempt to murder, assault, and robbery at the Surathkal Police Station, and one case at the Kaup Police Station.

The Commissioner said the accused was traced and arrested using technical evidence.

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