In recent years the airline business has become less bundled. Passengers on major carriers used to take it for granted that buying tickets enabled them to pick their seats.
That seems logical, but low-cost carriers like Spirit and Allegiant Airlines have changed expectations. Those airlines sell tickets that simply guarantee you a seat on the plane and nothing more.
Related: United Airlines seating rule will cost customers twice
That means that if you buy three seats there’s no guarantee you will be able to sit with the people in your party. You can, of course, pay extra for that privilege but that’s not something inexperienced travelers always understand.
The policy has been adopted by some of the bigger carriers, which now sell basic economy fares, no-frills tickets that come without a seat assignment. That puts consumers, especially families, in a tough spot.
Two adults or a business party traveling together might find being separated inconvenient, but it’s not a safety concern. When a family gets split up, however, that could lead to bigger problems.
First, few passengers want to sit next to someone else’s unsupervised kid. Second, the child may not be old enough to fly on their own, which literally forces a random passenger to act in a parental role.
It’s a complicated situation because so many airlines charge for seat assignments, or in the case of Southwest Airlines (LUV) – Get Free Report, have a tiered boarding system.
Southwest Airlines uses a tiered boarding system that could force families to split up.
Image source: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
President Biden wants airlines to make changes
President Joe Biden has made getting rid of junk fees a major policy position. He has taken on everything from resort fees that aren’t disclosed when you book a hotel to overdraft fees charged by banks.
Now, he has the airlines in his sights and he made his feelings clear on X, the former Twitter.
“You ought to be able to fly with your child – and sit next to them – without paying an additional fee,” the president posted.
Currently, Delta, Southwest, and United do not offer guaranteed family seating.
Biden’s statement echoes what’s posted on the Department of Transportation’s website dedicated to showing families which airlines charge extra for them to sit together.
“A parent who purchases airline tickets for a family should receive a guarantee from the airline that it will seat the parent and child together without fees or a last-minute scramble at the gate or having to ask other passengers to give up their seat to allow the parent and child to sit together,” the DOT posted.
Some airlines have given in on family seating
In addition to showing consumers which airlines charge fees for families to be guaranteed to sit together, Biden has submitted legislation to Congress make it a law. That seems like an empty gesture given how divided Congress is, but this could be the rare populist issue that gets bipartisan support.
More Airlines:
United Airlines seating rule will cost customers twice Southwest Air makes major onboard change passengers may not like American Airlines tries to fix its customer service with layoffs
For airlines that assign seats, making the change might be expensive, but it’s relatively easy. Those airlines, which include Delta, United, and low-cost carriers Allegiant and Spirit, could simply allow free seat assignment when an adult purchases a seat along with a ticket for a child 12 or under.
Southwest Airlines, however, would not be able to do that because it does not assign seats. That airline does offer priority boarding for families with children, albeit only children ages 6 and under.
“Southwest offers family boarding, which occurs after the ‘A’ group has boarded and before the ‘B’ group begins boarding. Up to two adults traveling with a child six years old or younger may board during family boarding,” the airline shared on its website.
On a practical level, that more or less guarantees that a family could find seats together. The smallest plane Southwest flies has 143 seats. If 60 people board with the A Group, even if there were another 10 preboards, more than half the plane would be open during family boarding.
To appease Biden, Southwest could simply change family boarding to include all children ages 12 and under.
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