Agreed! And the threat of having to take care of someone else's child should not even be said. If there is an emergency, and the parent and child are not sitting next to each other, do you think the parent is going to evacuate.....or start heading "upstream" to try to find her child. Many reasons families should be seated together.....but this needs to be figured out at BOOKING and not when they arrive on the plane.

I am a mother and a grandmother.....and I am also someone that books as early as possible so that I am able to get an aisle seat. I have my own reasons for that which, to me, are as important as the family wanting to sit together.

If it was not figured out before boarding, and seating is not available without having to move pax all around, then the family will need to wait for a flight that can accomodate them.

My thoughts are that airlines should not charge family members to be seated together. Trying to book seats together on some of these airlines is ridiculous. This seat costs this much....seat next to it a few dollars more....etc. (One parent to each minor child = free booking of seats together)

At least, that is what I wish.....