U.S. proposes ban on airline fees for seating parents next to kids

Parents should't have to pay a fee to sit next to their children when flying, according to the White House, which is moving to ban airlines from charging families extra to be seated together.

Under a rule proposed Thursday by the Department of Transportation, airlines would be required to seat parents and kids 13 and younger together free of charge when adjacent seating is available at booking.

The idea of seating adults with their younger children "is common sense and also seems like something that should be standard practice," U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said at a news briefing on Wednesday. "As someone who has personally experienced flying with toddlers," Buttigieg said he knew first-hand that families traveling with little ones do not need added difficulties.

"What we're doing is we are requiring that an airline not charge you extra to sit next to your kids — or your grandkids, it applies to any company adults," Buttigieg told the CBS Mornings on Thursday. "We've gotten hundreds of complaints over this issue since I got this job and we're doing something about it."

Fees can add hundreds of dollars

The extra cost can be the difference in whether families can afford flights for vacations or to see friends and relatives, the administration argued, noting its proposal would save a family of four up to $200 roundtrip if seat fees are $25 each.

For children too young to fasten their own seatbelts or feed themselves, being seated next to a parent is crucial, yet those that don't want to pay more often end up pleading with other passengers to switch seats. If passengers opt not to swap seats, they may end up next to an unsupervised child, stressing out the youngster, parent, flight attendants and travelers, DOT said.

A4A, a group representing seven major U.S. airlines, said in a statement that member carriers "make every effort to accommodate customers traveling together — especially those traveling with children," while noting that some airlines don't charge a family seating fee.

President Biden called on Congress to ban family seating and other so-called "junk" fees early last year, with Buttigieg then urging the 10 largest airlines to voluntarily ban the fees. Four complied: Alaska, American, Frontier and JetBlue. 

Congress gave the DOT explicit authority to propose its rule as part of the bipartisan FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, the transportation secretary noted. "We are confident that we are well-founded in our authority, but it helps to get reassurances from Congress," Buttigieg noted in answering a question about whether the proposal might be challenged in court.

A U.S. appeals court on Monday blocked the agency's new rule on upfront disclosure of airline fees pending a full view of the regulation, with the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals saying the DOT "likely" exceeded its authority in granting an industry request for a temporary block.

The DOT in April issued a mandate requiring that airlines and ticket agents disclose service fees in addition to airfares, with six carriers including American, Delta and United, along with A4A, in May suing to block the rule.

In addition to banning airlines from charging fees to seat those 13 or under next to a parent or accompanying adult, the DOT's new proposal would require that airlines seat parents next to their kids within 48 hours of booking when adjacent seats are available. 

If adjacent seats are not available, carriers would be required to provide passengers with full refunds or the option of waiting to see if family seating frees up. If not, airlines would have to offer the option to rebook for free or stay on the flight in nonadjacent seats. 

—The Associated Press contributed to this report.