cheryl
Administrator
Staff member
Airlines tell parents to pay up or risk sitting rows away from their kids. That's wrong. - USA Today
Airlines know how old every passenger is on their planes, including children. So why are families separated and why hasn't the government stepped in?
Have you ever had to plead with a fellow traveler to switch seats with you so that you could sit with your toddler after striking out with gate agents who were unable to assist? Been asked to pay more than $100 in fees just to ensure that your family could sit in the same row on an airplane? Or found yourself seated next to a terrified child whose parents are three rows away?
As airlines have begun to charge passengers extra fees to choose seats or to board early, families are being confronted with fees just to sit together on the plane. And even those who pay those fees can find that their seat assignments changed before they arrived at the airport.
Three years ago, Congress acknowledged this as a serious problem and instructed the Department of Transportation to “review and, if appropriate, establish a policy” to ensure that children 13 and younger can sit adjacent to family members “to the maximum extent practicable and at no additional cost.”
Airlines know how old every passenger is on their planes, including children. So why are families separated and why hasn't the government stepped in?
Have you ever had to plead with a fellow traveler to switch seats with you so that you could sit with your toddler after striking out with gate agents who were unable to assist? Been asked to pay more than $100 in fees just to ensure that your family could sit in the same row on an airplane? Or found yourself seated next to a terrified child whose parents are three rows away?
As airlines have begun to charge passengers extra fees to choose seats or to board early, families are being confronted with fees just to sit together on the plane. And even those who pay those fees can find that their seat assignments changed before they arrived at the airport.
Three years ago, Congress acknowledged this as a serious problem and instructed the Department of Transportation to “review and, if appropriate, establish a policy” to ensure that children 13 and younger can sit adjacent to family members “to the maximum extent practicable and at no additional cost.”