A United Airlines plane departs the Newark International Airport, in Newark, Recent Jersey, on January 11 2023.
Kena Betancur | Afp | Getty Images
United Airlines said Monday that recent technology will open up more seats on its flights so children can sit with an adult of their party without paying a fee, a kind of charge that is drawn scrutiny from the Biden administration in recent months.
United will show parents or other adult travelers accompanying a baby younger than 12 to access “preferred” seats in addition to regular economy seats, if needed, on the time of booking in order that they can sit together.
The change applies to travelers with standard and basic economy tickets and will probably be fully in effect next month, although United has already increased among the seat availability.
The airline also won’t charge customers a fare difference in the event that they switch to a flight to the identical destination that has adjoining seats.
Airlines in recent times have been charging travelers to book “preferred” location seats on flights. They do not include extra legroom or other perks but are sometimes in front of the plane, though they will cover a big variety of seats of an aircraft.
President Joe Biden has called on lawmakers to “fast-track the ban on family seating fees,” the White House said earlier this month. In July, the Transportation Department told U.S. airlines to “do all the pieces of their power” to make sure travelers under age 13 are seated next to an accompanying adult without additional charges.
“Baggage fees are bad enough,” Biden said during his State of the Union address earlier this month. “Airlines cannot treat your child like a bit of luggage.”
Such seats normally vary in price. On a roundtrip between Newark, Recent Jersey, and Los Angeles in August, preferred seats on a United flight showed as $37 each way for one person.
Delta Air Lines said it blocks certain rows of seats so families can sit together.
“Delta doesn’t charge family seating fees and whatever the ticket class purchased, will at all times work with customers on a case-by-case basis to make sure their family seating needs are met,” a spokesman said in an announcement on Monday.
American Airlines‘ booking platform will mechanically seek for available seats together on the time of booking for most important cabin and basic economy passengers. Preferred seats and its extra legroom section, Most important Cabin Extra, open up the day of departure in the event that they’re needed, a spokesman told CNBC.
