Biden Proposes Ban On Airlines Charging Families To Sit Together

Families tired of getting hit with fees when they fly might be getting relief soon from the Biden administration.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced Thursday that the agency is proposing a new rule that would bar airlines from charging flyers extra just to sit next to their children. Carriers that don’t offer families adjacent seats could face fines if the rule goes into effect.

“The idea that parents ought to be seated next to their own children on a flight is common sense and also seems like something that ought to be standard practice,” Buttigieg said on a call with reporters.

He added that, as a father who’s traveled with 2-year-old twins, he thinks flying as a family is challenging enough.

“Families don’t need any additional stresses or costs,” Buttigieg said.

The Transportation Department’s proposal must still go through a public-comment period in which airlines, travelers and other stakeholders can weigh in. It likely would not be finalized until next year.

Even then, the rule could be challenged in court ― or withdrawn by a subsequent administration, depending on the outcome of the presidential election this fall.

Often families can’t secure adjacent seats on a flight without paying surcharges ― “junk” fees, the administration says, that inflate the cost of travel.

President Joe Biden brought up the issue in his State of the Union address, and he tweeted in February that he thought family seating should be guaranteed.

Four airlines ― Alaska, American, Frontier and JetBlue ― have said publicly they would not charge fees for family seating under certain conditions.

Under the proposed rule, airlines would have to offer parents seats next to children ages 13 or younger at no additional charge.