Airlines That Are Not Charging Family Seating Fees

American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, JetBlue, and Frontier Airlines Guarantee Family Seating, DOT Launches Family Seating Dashboard

The US government has been pressuring airlines to end family seating fees, which can make air travel prohibitively expensive for families traveling with young children. Under pressure from the Biden administration, American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, JetBlue, and Frontier Airlines have recently announced that they will include a guarantee for family seating in their customer service plans.

This move comes after the US Department of Transportation (DOT) urged airlines to commit to ending family seating fees by 2023. The DOT has stated that these fees are “unfair and deceptive” and “disproportionately impact families with young children.” The DOT has also threatened to take regulatory action if airlines do not voluntarily end these fees.

The new guarantee from American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, and Frontier Airlines means that families can sit together on their flights without paying extra fees. This will be a welcome relief for families who have been struggling with the added costs of air travel, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition to pressuring airlines to end family seating fees, the DOT has launched a family seating dashboard. The dashboard is an expansion of the DOT’s airline customer service dashboard, launched in September to address airlines’ commitments around what customers are entitled to when their flights are disrupted by delays and cancellations.

The DOT family seating dashboard will provide consumers with information on airline policies related to family seating, such as whether airlines allow families with young children to sit together without paying additional fees. The dashboard will also provide information on airlines’ compliance with the DOT’s rule requiring airlines to disclose family seating fees.

This is a positive step towards making air travel more affordable and accessible for families. Including a family seating guarantee in customer service plans by American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, and Frontier Airlines is a promising development and may encourage other airlines to do the same. Launching the family seating dashboard by the DOT will also help consumers make more informed decisions when booking flights and hold airlines accountable for their policies related to family seating.