US Department of Transportation's Proposed Rule: A Win for Families

The US Department of Transportation has proposed a new rule barring airlines from charging extra for family seating. Airlines must seat children 13 or younger beside their parents for free, offering refunds or rebookings if seats aren't initially available. This could save families USD 200 per trip.

The US Department of Transportation is set to introduce a new rule that would prohibit airlines from charging parents extra to have their young children sit alongside them.

According to the proposal announced Thursday, both US and foreign airlines must ensure children aged 13 or younger are seated next to a parent or accompanying adult, free of charge.

If adjacent seats are unavailable when booking, airlines will need to offer families a choice between a full refund or waiting for a seat to open up. Should seats still not be available by boarding time, families would be given the option to rebook at no extra cost on the next flight with available adjacent seating.

The Biden administration estimates this rule could save families of four up to USD 200 in seat fees per round trip.

"Flying with children is already complicated enough without having to worry about that," US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg remarked.

Buttigieg also noted that airlines like Alaska, American, Frontier, and JetBlue already provide free adjacent seating for children 13 and younger.

The initiative stems from Congress' authorization in the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act, signed by President Joe Biden in May, which also increases penalties for airlines violating consumer laws and mandates the Transportation Department to create a dashboard for passengers to compare airline seat sizes.

(With inputs from agencies.)