It Could Soon Be Illegal for Airlines to Charge Families to Sit Together

01.08.2024 - 23:30 / cntraveler.com / Pete Buttigieg / Scott Keyes

Traveling with children already comes with inherent challenges, but in recent years, airlines’ seat selection policies have made it more difficult for parents and guardians to book adjacent seats with their young children—and are charging for the privilege. This morning, the Department of Transportation (DOT) formally proposed a ban on family seating junk fees.

“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,” US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement on Thursday, adding that the administration is “using all the tools at our disposal to lower costs for families and protect consumers from unfair practices.”

For more than a year, the government has been putting pressure on the country’s 10 largest carriers to eliminate these extra fees, referred to as junk fees, for children under 13 to sit with their families on flights. To date, only four US airlines—Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, and JetBlue have voluntarily made those adjustments.

If the DOT ban is passed, it would require families to be seated together whenever possible, with seats assigned within 48 hours of booking. Children would need to share side-by-side seats in the same row without an aisle separating them. If that arrangement isn't possible, or if there are multiple children, then they can be across the aisle, or right in front of (or right behind), the accompanying adult.

If those seating arrangements can’t be made, airlines would then be required to provide free rebooking or a refund. Additionally, all the extra seat selection fees would have to be fully disclosed up front, with airlines suffering penalties if they’re not abided by.

Seat selection fees are just one side effect of the trend of a la carte pricing in air travel. “Free seat assignments used to be the norm, but for the past decade it's been another source of revenue for airlines,” Scott Keyes, founder and chief flight expert at Going tells Condé Nast Traveler. “Free family seating costs airlines revenue, so it's not terribly surprising only a few airlines have offered it voluntarily.”

While the administration taking action this close to an election may mean it’s unlikely the policy will go into effect any time soon, the fact it’s being formally proposed may get more airlines to voluntarily commit to free family seat selection.

In the meantime, NerdWallet personal finance expert Kimberly Palmer suggests families ask airlines for additional assistance with seating arrangements, if needed. “It’s also a good idea to check the airlines’ policy on seating before purchasing tickets, or use the government’s dashboard, so you can compare the