US presses airlines to end fares for family seats – 06/03/2023 – Market

Three U.S. airlines have agreed to commit to eliminating seat charges for family seats if adjacent seats are available during booking, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) said on Monday.

Under pressure from the Joe Biden government, American Airlines, Alaska Airlines and Frontier Airlines will include the guarantee in their service plans.

“We’ve been pushing airlines to guarantee family seats at no extra charge, and we’re now seeing some airlines start to make that shift,” Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement on Monday.

The agency is unveiling a new government dashboard highlighting airline commitments after its four-month review found no airlines previously guaranteed free family seats.

In order to receive a panel approval, airlines must guarantee that parents can be seated next to children aged 13 and under without charging additional fees if seats are available at the time of booking, and must include this guarantee as part of their attendance plans. to the customer “to be penalized by the USDOT if they don’t comply,” the department said.

Alaska Airlines said “we always look out for families on our flights and family seating is something we never charge for”. Frontier has said in recent months that it has taken steps to “automatically” accommodate young children with an accompanying adult. American said its written plan “provides additional clarity”.

The department has begun drafting regulations to end seat fees for families, but that could take years to finalize. The government plans to submit proposed legislation to Congress in the coming weeks to end the fees.