Sitting next to family will cost you!

Whilst it is true that most airlines operate on razor thin profitability margins, it is also true that with the emergence of low-cost carriers over a decade ago, the revenue generation competition has become the battle ground to grow the margins. For the low cost carriers it has been fairly easy to implement a commoditized approach and charge for everything a consumer is willing to buy. Seats, meals, boarding priority, bags etc. The consumer gets to pick what they are willing to pay for on top of a low base airfare which gets you on the plane only. This ancillaries revenue stream has now been adopted pretty much universally with some notable exceptions such as Southwest airlines, who are unique in that they do not charge for seat assignment or checked bag fees for up to 2 bags. Whilst the low fares can be an attractive hook for travelers, there are also many down sides specially for families traveling with young children.

Imagine traveling with 2 young kids under 13 years of age. At the time of booking the only seating option available for free to sit, is every person has to sit separately, i.e. no parent has the option to sit next to a child. Airlines use very creative algorithms now a days so that customers see the worst possible free seat options (such as middle seats) but should the traveler wish to pay extra, they may be able to sit together. The seat assignment fees can vary by airline, route, cabin etc. So for parents the only way to sit together is to pay the extra fee on top of the airfare to guarantee seats with the kids. The top 8 airlines in the US made a staggering $4.2billion revenue from paid seats in 2022 and carried 853 million passengers based on reporting from the Bureau of transportation statistics.

Only Alaska, American and Frontier have actual commitments not charge families traveling with kids for assigned seating together. Southwest can argue that they don’t charge anyone as they have a free seating policy for all.

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Airlines commitment to free family seating

Detailed airline policies can be found on the airlines own web site or on the DOT web site.

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So what does all this mean to you?

Based on an article published on the Bureau of Transportation Statistics website- “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.”

Earlier this year Secretary Buttigieg announced a plan to launch a dashboard that displays which airlines guarantee family seating. This name and shame approach has since convinced some airlines to guarantee adjacent seats for young children traveling with an accompanying adult at no additional cost. An important first step. Now all we need is for the other big US carriers to agree and sign up to the same. There is legislation being proposed on this very topic which could mandate family seating by law should it pass. When the industry can not self govern it some time requires this level of intervention to improve matters.

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Seating policy by airlines in their own words..

Alaska

Alaska

Allegiant

No policy listed

American

Our goal is to have families seated together. We guarantee children 14 and under will be seated adjacent to an accompanying adult at no additional cost, including Basic Economy fares, if you meet all these conditions:

• Everyone is booked in the same reservation

• Adjacent seats are available in the same class of service your child is ticketed at the time of booking

• You choose seats for the entire reservation or skip seats for the entire reservation (if you choose Basic Economy, then skip choosing seats for the entire reservation)

• You don’t make a change to your seat assignments once they’re assigned to you

• The plane’s seat layout allows it based on the number of children in your reservation

• The original flight isn’t switched to a smaller aircraft

If these conditions aren’t met, we will still try to seat children adjacent to an accompanying adult

Delta

Delta strives to seat family members together upon request. If you are unable to obtain seat assignments together for your family using delta.com or the Fly Delta mobile app, please contact Reservations to review available seating options.

Frontier

When one or more of the passengers on a reservation are 13 years of age or younger, Frontier will guarantee adjacent seats for the child or children and an accompanying adult (over age 13) at no additional cost for all fare types subject to limited conditions specified below.Child and accompanying adult are on the same reservation

Adjacent seats are available at the time of booking in the selected class of service

Adult either chooses seats for the entire reservation or skips seats for the entire reservation, and does not make changes to seat assignments once assigned to them

It is physically possible based on seat layout to seat the number of children traveling next to the accompanying adult(s). Although Frontier will provide adjacent seats if available at the time of booking, Frontier might not provide seat assignments right away. Frontier will provide the customer the adjacent seating assignments no later than the day before scheduled departure of the flight.

Hawaiian

see website

JetBlue

Guarantees adjacent seats for child 13 or under and an accompanying adult at no additional cost for all fare types subject to limited conditions. updated 09/29/2023

Southwest Airlines

Airline operates free seating policy, first come first serve.

Spirit

It is the guest’s responsibility to notify Spirit of a unique seating need. In

accordance with the Contract of Carriage, Spirit may refuse to transport

individuals who are unable or unwilling to comply with Spirit’s seating

requirements.

United

see comprehensive web site for details. One of the best and detailed airline sites on this topic.

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update: 09/29/2023 Jetblue becomes the 4th US airline to guarantee family seating.