The US Department of Transportation (DoT) has launched a new dashboard to highlight which airlines allow families with young children to sit together for free, as part of a broader push by the Biden administration to eliminate so-called junk fees. The dashboard shows that American, Alaska, and Frontier airlines currently guarantee free family seating, while others do not.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg stated, 'Parents traveling with young kids should be able to sit together without an airline forcing them to pay junk fees. We have been pressing airlines to guarantee family seating without tacking on extra charges, and now we're seeing some airlines start to make this common-sense change.' He added that all airlines should act promptly, even as the department develops a rule to make this a requirement across the board.
The dashboard aims to provide a clear comparison of services and avoid confusing claims. To receive a green check, an airline must guarantee that parents can sit next to children aged 13 and under for free if adjacent seats are available at booking. This commitment must be included in the airline's customer service plan, making it enforceable by the DoT.
In February, Democratic senators introduced the Families Fly Together Act, which would require all airlines to seat children under 13 next to an accompanying adult without a fee. President Biden also addressed the issue in his State of the Union speech, saying, 'Airlines can't treat your child like a piece of baggage.'
