That’s the controversial new solution being offered up by Air India after a female passenger and a female staff member were sexually assaulted onboard their planes.

Beginning on January 18, six women per flight will have the option of booking in the airline’s reserved seating area, the Press Trust of India reported. The idea being that women flying alone might feel safer - i.e. less likely to be groped - if they stick together on the third row of economy class.

The initiative is a response to two instances of sexual assault on separate Air India flights over the past month. On December 21 a female passenger travelling from Mumbai to the US woke to find a man assaulting her, while two weeks later a male passenger was arrested for allegedly molesting a female steward on a flight to Delhi from Muscat.

The state airline announced a policy of restraining “out of control” passengers with plastic handcuffs, and offering a handful of women the option of separate seating when they book.

Airline introduces “women-only” seats to combat onboard sex assaults