Biden administration wants Congress to bar airlines from charging family seating fees

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Biden administration on Monday asked U.S. lawmakers to approve legislation to bar airlines from charging family seating fees if adjacent seats are available during booking.

U.S. Transportation Secretary (USDOT) Pete Buttigieg wrote lawmakers and sent them draft legislation that would ban airlines from charging an accompanying adult to sit next to children 13 or younger if certain conditions are met.

Buttigieg wrote USDOT "remains concerned that airlines' policies do not guarantee adjacent seats for young children traveling with a family member and that airlines do not guarantee the adjacent seating at no additional cost."

The draft proposal reviewed by Reuters would apply to families traveling on the same reservation and in the same class of service and would make requirements effective 180 days after passage, subjecting airlines not in compliance to potential fines.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/biden-administration-wants-congress-to-bar-airlines-from-charging-family-seating-fees/ar-AA18ygbe

[we can do it]

1. More important things to worry about.

[Ocelot II]

2. There are big things and little things. The little things should not be neglected

lest they become big things. Where do you propose drawing the line between "more important" things and those that should not be bothered with? Some of those little things might be really important to some people, and if those things can be attended to they should be. This is one of those things. Would you want your kid separated from you during a long flight and possibly seated next to a child sex predator? That's a thing that really has happened more than once, https://www.latimes.com/travel/la-tr-fly-guy-20180204-story.html and if it can be prevented why not do it?

[jmowreader]

3. Family seating fees are stupid but avoidable

Y’know, Southwest is a pretty good airline if their Nixon-era software doesn’t decide to take a giant dump over the holidays. And they do cattle call boarding. Would it be possible to convince them to just board families first? This might convince the rest of the cattle call airline industry, with the exception of Spirit (who has upcharges for wings, engines and a tail), to do the same.

[zeusdogmom]

5. I just flew Southwest last week (everything on time, etc. all good)

They board families right after A group. One of the kids must be under 6 though. If your youngest is older than 6 check in as soon as you can (24 hours before trip). Almost guaranteed B seating - generally lots of seats. On one leg there was a family group of 7! little kids and 3 adults. Couple under 6. Everyone boarded at family board. Think it was divide and conquer - each adult had at least 2 kids. I will say those kids were well behaved during their wait in the terminal, on board, and waiting to leave the plane.

[ripcord]

4. Some people are really rude when asking others to change seats

I had a mother upset as hell because I wouldn't change my window seat for a center seat so she could watch her son, he was 18.