The Biden-Harris Administration on Thursday proposed a new rule prohibiting airlines from charging extra fees to seat families together on flights. The rule aims to make air travel more affordable and comfortable for families by guaranteeing that children aged 13 and under can sit next to an accompanying adult at no additional cost.
The Department of Transportation’s (DOT) proposed rule would require airlines to seat parents next to their young children for free when adjacent seating is available at booking. Mandating fee-free family seating would lower the cost of flying with young children — saving a family of four as much as $200 per roundtrip if seat fees are $25, the agency claims.
To ensure family unity, airlines would be obligated to provide adjacent seating for parents and young children at no cost within 48 hours of booking, provided seats are available.
In situations where adjacent seating is unavailable at the time of booking, passengers would have the option of a full refund or waiting for seats to become available. If family seating remains unconfirmed before boarding, airlines must offer free rebooking on a subsequent flight with available adjacent seats or permit passengers to board in non-adjacent seats without penalty.
To enforce compliance, the proposed rule includes provisions for civil penalties against airlines that fail to adhere to these regulations.
“Many airlines still don’t guarantee family seating, which means parents wonder if they’ll have to pay extra just to be seated with their young child. Flying with children is already complicated enough without having to worry about that,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “The new rule we’re proposing today, which would ban airlines from charging parents a fee to sit with their children, is another example of the Biden-Harris Administration using all the tools at our disposal to lower costs for families and protect consumers from unfair practices.”
