United Airlines' New Family Seating Policy: Parents, Kids Can Now Sit Together Without Additional Cost

Parents can now have their children sit beside them on an airplane at no extra cost, finally addressing a long-time complaint.

United Airlines, the largest airline in the world based on the number of destinations served, announced its newest seat map feature for families. Parents with kids under 12 can now sit together during the flight for free.

This new dynamic seat map technology allows parents to find adjacent economy seats for their children when booking. It also offers free upgrades to other available seats if need be.

If seats next to each other are unavailable due to last-minute bookings or unexpected aircraft changers, the airline will allow parents and children to switch to another flight with available seats, also at no additional cost. Parents will also not be charged any fare difference.

The complementary feature will soon be available for Basic Economy tickets but not for United Polaris, First Class, and Economy Plus seats.

Biden calls out the airline industry

The new policy comes after President Joe Biden called out the airlines in his State of the Union address earlier this month for burdening parents and families with extraneous additional costs to sit together when this kind of service should have been immediate and essential. The President then pledged to ban the practice sooner.

"We'll prohibit airlines from charging $50 roundtrip for a family just to be able to sit together. Baggage fees are bad enough. Airlines can't treat your child like a piece of baggage," Biden told Congress, as quoted by The Hill.

United Airlines' chief customer officer, Linda Jojo, assured parents that the airline is focused on providing a great flight experience for their families, and they believe it "starts with the right seat."

She further stated that they are drafting and releasing more family-friendly flight features this 2023.

Read also: Airlines Now Charge Additional Family Fees So Parents Can Sit Next To Their Children During Flights

Overhaul of family seating policies

The Department of Transportation instructed all U.S. airlines last year in July through a memo to allow parents and children to sit together without entailing additional fees. It further warned airlines that they would be banned if they continued their charges.

According to CNN, Delta Air Lines has already expressed Monday that they do not charge any family seating fees. Regardless of passengers' purchased ticket class, the airline is always determined to work with them on a "case-by-case basis," ensuring that families' seating needs are met. Parents are welcome to access the airline's Reservations department via their mobile app or the website if they need help securing seats.

On the other hand, American Airlines encourages parents to book as early as possible to have better chances of the family sitting together without paying extra.

This initiative is part of the border program of the Biden administration against so-called "junk fees." Federal agencies have already worked on limiting fees for late credit card payments and even concert tickets.

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