TWA Guy

Can we choose exit row seats for those 15 and over and non-exit row for under 15 if on the same reservation? American wouldn't let me sit with my son (15yo) in the exit row and my wife and daughter (12yo) sit elsewhere since we were on the same reservation.

dinoscool3

About 5 or so years ago my parents were able to do it. No idea about currently.

frankmu

Nope, you're responsible for the 15 and under at all times. You may get a FA that will look the other way, maybe not.

Two Bee

Firstly; It's 15 and over to sit in an exit row.

Secondly; The OP can split the res if he's concerned and the 14 & under can sit elsewhere.

Thirdly; There is NO policy that a pax MUST sit with their 14 & under kid.

endrond

That may not work. A few years ago, I was in the exit row and my wife and 4yo were several rows away. The FA saw me chatting with them and asked me to move out of the exit row. At the time I was a bit irritated (but I complied without complaint). In retrospect, I think its a good policy: if there had been a crash, I would have been fully focused on my child, not on opening the window and enabling others to get out.

United bars pax in the exit row who have "limitations that would prohibit their assistance". Under that standard I didn't belong in an exit row.

Two Bee

Wishing to sit together as a family is ONE reason to NOT buy restricted BE's and come strolling on-board in group 5 wanting everyone on the plane to move for the lil'un's! Many of the folks in F/C have their kids sitting in the back, and they don't seem to be too concerned about possible emergencies, as they do it on a regular basis.

aacharya

A thousand times, this. Exit row passengers are responsible for the safety of the entire plane, not someone in their family three rows back. Happy you see why the FA did that.

OP should just place everyone and himself in E+.

timfountain

I was pulled from an ER on a TATL because my kids were in the row in front of the ER. UA has the view that you are more likely to be looking after your kids as opposed to executing ER duties. I guess it makes sense although at the time it appeared as if someone was trying to make a power grab for the ER (separate story BTW).

Aussienarelle

Yes, is the answer based on my previous experiences, although those were more than four years ago.

My son is now 19, but after he was around 12 or so (and had been flying to Australia by himself since he was 8) we would be on the same reservation and I would seat him immediately behind me if I were in the exit row. As noted, there is no requirement for a child to sit with their parent but up until 12 he did sit with me. Certainly after 12 they are perfectly capable of behaving themselves (if not earlier) and you can select seats that are not next to each other. These days as he is much taller than me, if there is only one seat available in the exit row I will assign him the seat and I will sit in the row before or after.

If there were a rule requiring everyone to sit together we would not have the issues of families being split up with young children, and certainly BE would not be sold to families. Right?

itchief

This has nothing to do with how well behaved a child is. It does have something to do with the duties of the person sitting in the exit row.

Below is from the AA web site on a current reservation that I have with a 5 year old,

"Exit seat restrictions
You cannot sit in the exit row if you’re traveling with someone younger than 15"

WineCountryUA

At one time, the safety briefing card specifically mentioned traveling with those younger than 15 even if they were not in the exit row. The logic being you would be more interested in helping the child than in assisting with the exit process. While one can debated they would not, it is clear others would make that choice. However I have not review a recent safety card to see if that is still there for UA -- as mentioned earlier it is there for some USA airlines.

prior discussion http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unite...-children.html

1120

I agree on the prohibition of kids in the exit row.

A couple months ago my wife and I were on a UA flight out of DEN. We were middle and window in the exit row.

The gentleman in the aisle seat was recovering from a recent knee replacement and had minimal mobility. We would have been fine in an evacuation, but the folks behind him would not. In a perfect world, they would verify that pax in the exit row are physically capable of lifting and removing the door.

I realize that won't happen any time soon.

emcampbe

It's interesting that UA actually allows reservations with kids to select exit rows at all. I just checked, and they are available for me to select for a trip I have booked with my two and a half year old. IME, exit rows are blocked from selection on reservations when there is a lap infant on the reservation - I've noticed this every time.

sbm12

Sure, but the rule says that if you're traveling with the kid, whether on the same PNR or not, you're not qualified for the exit row. You're not supposed to be distracted by needing to care for the kid.

From the FAR exclusion section:
I've said something to the FA in similar circumstances. Not worth the risk just for the unqualified passenger to have a bit of extra legroom.

wolf72

I think it's a serious hazard expecting a 15 year old to make adult decisions in the event of a crash or emergency and having them sit in the emergency row seats.

We won't allow it in Asia. 18 or over only. No kids.