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DOT Unveils New Tool Showing Which Airlines Allows Families to Sit Together
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In an effort to combat what the Biden Administration calls “junk fees,” the Department of Transportation has unveiled a new dashboard that allows travelers to see which airlines allow families to sit together for free.
According to CBS, the new tool highlights which airlines seat families with young children together at no extra cost and which airlines require passengers to pay to sit with their young offspring.
It's simple: parents shouldn't have to pay extra to sit next to their children on a flight.
— Secretary Pete Buttigieg (@SecretaryPete) March 6, 2023
Our department is pressing airlines to cut junk fees – and we're getting results. Visit our updated Airline Customer Service Dashboard to see how. https://t.co/VvFOt6G3vc pic.twitter.com/eVLDMDzkRK
“Parents traveling with young kids should be able to sit together without an airline forcing them to pay junk fees,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement reported by CBS. “We have been pressing airlines to guarantee family seating without tacking on extra charges, and now we’re seeing some airlines start to make this common-sense change.”
“All airlines should do this promptly, even as we move forward to develop a rule establishing this as a requirement across the board,” Buttigieg added.
According to the Department of Transportation, American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, and Frontier Airlines are the first major U.S. airlines to eliminate such fees.
CBS report that the DOT is currently working on a rule requiring airlines to seat children 13 years old or younger next to an accompanying adult for no extra charge.
