Transportation Department “Urges” Airlines to Keep Families Together
Joe Cortez July 18, 2022
In a new notice, the Office of Aviation Consumer Protection is “urging” airlines to “do everything in their power” to keep children 13 and under seated with their families.
New Notice Designed to Drive Airline Action
Airline seating policies which could separate parents from children is a contentious topic. In 2017, a gay Florida couple accused Southwest Airlines of discrimination, when they claimed a flight attendant did not allow them to board during the family group with their adopted child. In 2019, the Transportation Department received over 130 complaints about airlines separating parents and children aboard an aircraft.
With the new notice, the Office of Aviation Consumer Protection “wants airlines to do everything in their power” to make sure that children 13 years old and younger are sat alongside their accompanying adults at no additional cost. The rule is especially apt for those in “basic economy,” where seats cannot be pre-selected prior to check-in.
“Although the Department receives a low number of complaints from consumers about family seating, there continue to be complaints of instances where young children, including a child as young as 11 months, are not seated next to an accompanying adult,” the notice reads. “If airlines’ seating policies and practices are barriers to a child sitting next to an adult family member or other accompanying adult family member, the Department will consider additional action consistent with its authorities.”
Because the notice falls short of a rule, airlines are not obligated to change their policies today. However, the office will review airline practices over the next four months to determine if additional action is needed.
No major carrier has commented on the Transportation Department notice.
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People with disabilities have to be accommodated, service animals have to be accommodated, they do not have to pay extra. Children should also be accommodated. Be nice, they will hopefully be funding our Social Security and Medicare. In the olden days, before you could select your own seats, I more than once deposited a youngster in a seat and said to the adult sitting next to her, in the politest possible way, "your choice...swap boarding passes with me or deal" something I should never have been responsible for saying. When booking these days, the airline knows the passengers ages and could easily block seats together.
If there was an emergency and the child isn't sitting with their parent who is responsible for that child. I suppose they don't get oxygen !!!
All the more reason why BE tix shouldn't be sold to minors or parties that include a minor. The adult traveling with the minor is responsible for their safety and supervision, so to be responsible they should ensure they are purchasing a fare class that entitles them to select seats together at time of booking. Sadly it seems some don't see it as their responsibility and demand the airline at the gate to fix it, possibly causing delays and/or other customer dissatisfaction when another pax is forced to give up their seat--all potential revenue loss situations for the airline. So airlines: take control of the situation by not selling those tix to minors or parties with minors. Because what's next: "I know I only bought a BE tix... but my child is hungry and they are getting a meal in FC so my child needs one too!"
Exactly, the dodging of accountability for people's own mistakes is crazy. A random passenger who paid for their seat and confirmed is not responsible for your group's poor planning, and you are not entitled to a strangers seat to fix your own "user error" booking mistake.
Anybody really think there was discrimination against the gay couple mentioned, or just poor customer service? I'm going with #2 - but the family went with #1 to get more attention.
I can see both sides of this - infrequent flyers might not care exactly where they sit (so not pay extra for seat assignments) but assume passengers on the same reservation would be seated together. OTOH, it isn't right to bump passengers out of seats they paid for to accommodate those families. Honestly, I think the airlines created this situation (and don't get me started on selling seat assignments while not actually guaranteeing them), but as long as the fees are generating revenue, and only the front line agents have to deal with the consequences, I don't see anything changing.
I agree. Short of a written rule or codified rule, they're not going to do a lot to make this happen without forcing the family to ante up their $$$ for side-by-sides. Someone that paid extra should NOT be forced to give up their seat to accomodate the family - not without immediate and future compensation. If not, what's the point of paying extra in the first place?
Yeah, oxygen fees are coming - just wait...it's going to cost everyone to breathe on the plane.
At least Ryanair backed off on their pay toilet idea. ;)
Sorry but I "urge" parents to be responsible for their offspring. Why are you expecting "Freebies' from the airlines because you had kids? Does it work at the grocery, you get "free" food because you decided to have kids. Having kids comes with a cost, if you aren't willing to pay it you might should reconsider.
Down with Breeder Supremacy
I agree.
Reconsider? So, a post term abortion?
There might be a slight loss in revenue, but there's no actual cost to the airline.
There is definitely a cost to the airline, let alone because of all the chaos it causes. And they have to compensate the passenger/s you inconvenienced with your poor planning and irresponsible booking. Plus people want to inconvenience everyone else because of their own mistake and then demand someone else fix their mistake for them for FREE.
It depends, there COULD be loss of $$$ to an airline if they have to reseat another passenger that paid extra for a specific seat - because then they'll have to compensate the disrupted traveler.