Airlines Accede to Biden's Push for Free Family Seating

American Airlines has answered the call to provide no-cost family seating for parents flying with their children.

At the tail end of February, President Biden took American Airlines to task on their continual service charges for "family seating", perhaps issuing a shot across the bow at one of the few remaining holdouts in the industry that insisted on charging for the privilege. On February 20th, United Airlines announced a revision to company procedure that made it easier for parents to guarantee seating alongside their children 12 and under. The Department of Transportation similarly signaled its intent to develop a "dashboard" to "show which airlines guarantee families can sit together for free" according to DoT Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

His comments at the most recent State of the Union address made his stance clear, saying "Baggage fees are bad enough - airlines can't treat your child like a piece of baggage." He picked up the same line of thought on twitter, saying "No one should have to pay extra to be seated with their kids. Time for more airlines to follow suit." The comments seem to be laying the groundwork for a Junk Fee Prevention Act, which would target smaller, "unnecessary" fees found in entertainment, housing, and travel.

American Airlines appears to have heeded the call, besting United's 12-year-old cap with a guarantee to seat parents next to their children 14 and under at no additional cost. Like any airline system, some caveats affect the deal - both parent and child must be booked in the same reservation, in the same service class at time of purchase. Should the flight be changed to a smaller aircraft, the option is off the table.

FMI: www.aa.com