The U.S. Department of Transportation is proposing a new rule that would prohibit airlines from charging parents extra fees to sit with their children on flights.
Under the proposed rule, airlines would be required to seat children aged 13 or younger next to a parent or accompanying adult for free.
The big picture: If adjacent seats are unavailable when booking, families must be given the choice between a full refund or waiting to see if seats open up.
- If no adjacent seats become available before boarding, families can opt for a free rebooking on the next flight with available adjacent seating.
- The Biden administration estimates that this rule change could save a family of four up to $200 in seat fees for a round trip.
State of play: Only four airlines – Alaska, American, Frontier, and JetBlue – currently guarantee that children aged 13 and under can sit next to an accompanying adult for free.
- Congress authorized the Department of Transportation to propose this rule as part of the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act signed by President Joe Biden in May.
- The proposed rule is subject to a 60-day comment period before a final decision is made, during which the department will gather feedback.
- Airlines have been resisting the administration’s efforts to eliminate what it deems “junk fees,” with legal disputes arising over rules such as requiring cash refunds for canceled or delayed flights and disclosing fees transparently.
